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Jijiga
Sign in to saveJijiga (, , Jijiga) is the capital city of Somali Region, Ethiopia. It became the capital of the Somali Region in 1995 after it was moved from Gode. Located in the Fafan Zone with 75 km (37 mi) west of the border with Somaliland, the city has an elevation of 1,634 metres above sea level. Jigjiga is traditionally the seat of the Bartire Garad Wiil-Waal of the Jidwaaq Absame. The International airport is named after him.
OverviewAI-generated
Jijiga is a city and district in Ethiopia, situated within the Fafan Zone. It serves as the capital of both the Fafan Zone and the Somali Region. The city has an area of 223 and a population of 159,300, with an elevation above sea level of 1,646 meters. Its geographic coordinates are 9.35, 42.8.
The location falls under the Africa/Addis_Ababa timezone. According to GeoNames data, the population is listed as 483,000, and the elevation is recorded as 1,646 meters. The city is also identified by the Amharic name ጂጂጋ and the Somali name Jigjiga.
Synthesized by Vinony from 40 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, Open Meteo, Openweathermap, OpenStreetMap, GeoNames, Vinony graph, Geo. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
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via Open-Meteo
Place details
- Locality
- ጂጂጋ Jigjiga
- Region
- ሶማሌ ክልል Somali صومالى
- Country
- ኢትዮጵያ
- Population
- 483,000
- Timezone
- Africa/Addis_Ababa
via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames
Key facts
- Settlement.official_name
- Jijiga
- Settlement.native_name
- Jigjiga ጅጅጋ جيجيجا
- Settlement.other_name
- Laaca
- Settlement.settlement_type
- Capital city
- Settlement.image_caption
- From left: Dusk view of Jijiga; Outskirt of Jijiga; Metropolis of Jijiga; Jigjiga's camel transportation; Sayyid Mohammed Statue
- Settlement.pushpin_map
- Ethiopia#Horn of Africa#Africa
- Settlement.pushpin_map_caption
- Location within Ethiopia##Location within the Horn of Africa##Location within Africa
- Settlement.subdivision_type
- Country
- Settlement.subdivision_type1
- Region
- Settlement.subdivision_type2
- Zone
- Settlement.subdivision_name1
- Somali
- Settlement.subdivision_name2
- Fafan
- Settlement.leader_title
- Mayor
- Settlement.leader_name
- AbdiHakiim HadiS Dahir
- Settlement.elevation_m
- 1634
- Settlement.population_total
- 203,588
- Settlement.population_as_of
- 2007
- Settlement.population_density_km2
- 1,456
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- district of Ethiopia
- Country
- Ethiopia
- Located in
- Fafan Zone
- Population
- 125876
- Area
- 223
- Elevation
- 1646
- Capital of
- Fafan Zone
- Image
- Jijiga.jpg
Show 2 more facts
- Commons category
- Jijiga
- P12749
- Alpha Condé
via Wikidata · CC0
Travel guide
Understand
Jijiga has been the capital of the Somali region since 1995. It is one of the few places in the region that the government of Ethiopia fully controls.
See
Jijiga is home to dozens of mosques.
There is the Jeel Ogaden Prison Museum, a former prison where atrocities were committed by the Abdi Iley regime, but as of 2025 the guard says it requires "permission from the government" for foreigners to enter, which translated means foreigners can't enter.
Do
The locals will assure you that there is nothing to see or do in Jijiga.
It is true that the drive to Jijiga from Harar is a highlight. The road traverses dry semi arid valleys adorned with large boulders and stones. On the way you pass what appears to be a refugee camp - a reminder that the Ogaden Desert and the civil wars of Somalia are not far away. Despite what the locals say it is a pleasant excursion to walk through the shops and markets to the historic Fooq Dheere building. With luck you might see a real camel caravan.
Eat
There are numerous modern cafes and restaurants. This is a great place to sample Somali food.
The Maamuus Café in the shopping centre that houses the Ethiopian Airlines office has all manner of coffee and pizzas.
Sleep
There are dozens of hotels in Jijiga
Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)
~13 min read
Encyclopedic overview
12 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History
- British
- Handover
- Demographics
- Climate
- Ecology
- Sites
- Notable people
- Notes
- Bibliography
- External links
Jijiga (, , Jijiga) is the capital city of Somali Region, Ethiopia. It became the capital of the Somali Region in 1995 after it was moved from Gode. Located in the Fafan Zone with 75 km (37 mi) west of the border with Somaliland, the city has an elevation of 1,634 metres above sea level. Jigjiga is traditionally the seat of the Bartire Garad Wiil-Waal of the Jidwaaq Absame. The International airport is named after him.
== Etymology == The name Jigjiga is said to come from the onomatopoeic word jig-jig, representing the rumbling sounds made by an earthquake, or the noise from water wells on the outskirts of the city. Jigjiga is an example of many onomatopoeic words in Somali.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Jijiga” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
Gallery (11)
On the map
5 mapped locations