Most Tigrinya-speakers are sedentary farmers living in the densely populated central highaland of Maakel and Debub, though they are spread from this ancestral farmland over much of Eritrea today. Theover-whelming majority are Orthodox Christians, Muslims, known as Jiberti, and there are signicant minorities of Catholics and proportion .
Like all Eritreans, they are deep attached to their land, but Tigrinya-speakers also make up a large proportion of urban traders and operators of small businesses, restaurants and other services throught the country.