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Through the case of Southern Ethiopia, this article examines the territorial process by looking at the conditions of territorialisation: patterns of territorial construction and chronological dimension of the process. The demonstration focuses on how previous territorial or spatial divisions are integrated into the current territorial construction The transition from one administration to another is a key factor in territorialisation. In a sense, building and owning a territory depends as much on the ability to assimilate previous administrative divisions as on the invention of new territorial standards.