Located in the Misraqawi Zone at the eastern escarpment of the Ethiopian highlands, Irob is bordered on the south by Saesi Tsaedaemba, on the west by Gulomahda, on the north and east by the Endelli River which separates it from Eritrea, and on the southeast by the Afar Region.

[1] Landmarks in Irob woreda include the Assabol Dam near Dawhan, and the monastery of Gunda Gunde.

Both Irob woreda and its urban center of Alitena were occupied by the Eritrean army during the early months of the Eritrean-Ethiopian War.

The majority of the inhabitants said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 55.99% reporting that as their religion, while 40.64% of the population were Catholics, and 3.31% were Muslim.

The majority of the inhabitants were Catholic, with 51.63% of the population reporting that as their faith, while 44.3% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 4.04% were Muslim.

[5] A sample enumeration performed by the CSA in 2001 interviewed 4,045 farmers in this woreda, who held an average of 0.19 hectares of land.