Alefa
Encyclopedia
Alefa is one of the 105 woreda
s in the Amhara Region
of Ethiopia
. Part of the Semien Gondar Zone
, Alefa is bordered on the south by the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the west by Qwara
, on the northwest by Metemma
, on the north by Chilga
, on the northeast by Dembiya
, on the east by Lake Tana
and on the southeast by the Mirab Gojjam Zone
. The administrative center of Alefa is Shawra; other towns include Delgi
, Dengel Ber
, Esey Dibir and Gomenge. Rivers include the Dinder
.
Alefa is named after the historic region to the southwest of Lake Tana, which was the target of a punitive expedition led by Emperor Susenyos
in 1608.
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 170,491, an increase of -20.32% over the 1994 census, of whom 86,350 are men and 84,141 women; 11,639 or 6.83% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 1,961.66 square kilometers, Alefa has a population density of 86.91, which is greater than the Zone average of 63.76 persons per square kilometer. A total of 36,072 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.73 persons to a household, and 34,901 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 213,961 in 41,309 households, of whom 110,112 were men and 103,849 women; 12,012 or 5.61% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Alefa were the Amhara
(96.49%), and the Agaw
Awi
(3.19%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.32% of the population. Two notable minorities reported living in this woreda were the following: the Weyto
, who are thought to be the earliest surviving ethnic group to settle around Lake Tana and numbered 397 or 0.19% of the population; and 71 people whom the census labeled as "Felasha". Amharic
was spoken as a first language by 96.75%, and 3.18% spoke Awngi
; the remaining 0.07% spoke all other primary languages reported. 99.36% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.
, sorghum
and maize
, 0.5% in pulses like horse beans, 0.24% in perennial crops like coffee
, and 6.3% all other crops; the figures for the total area in oilseeds, root crops and vegetables are missing. Permanent crops included 112.86 hectares planted in coffee, 103.85 in gesho or hops, and 2.56 in fruit trees. 79.8% of the farmers both raise crops and livestock, while 15.4% only grow crops and 4.75% only raise livestock.
Woreda
Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...
s in the Amhara Region
Amhara Region
Amhara is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, containing the homeland of the Amhara people. Previously known as Region 3, its capital is Bahir Dar....
of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Part of the Semien Gondar Zone
Semien Gondar Zone
Semien Gondar is a Zone in the Ethiopian Amhara Region. This Zone is named for the city of Gondar, the capital of Ethiopia until the mid-19th century, which has often been used as a name for the 20th century province of Begemder....
, Alefa is bordered on the south by the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the west by Qwara
Qwara (woreda)
Qwara is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Qwara is named after the former province Qwara, which was in the same area. Located at the westernmost point of the Semien Gondar Zone, Qwara is bordered on the south by the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the west by Sudan, on the...
, on the northwest by Metemma
Metemma (woreda)
Metemma is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Gondar Zone, Metemma is bordered on the south by Qwara, on the west by Sudan, on the north by Sanja, and on the east by Chilga...
, on the north by Chilga
Chilga
Chilga is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It is named after its chief town Chilga , an important stopping point on the historic Gondar-Sudan trade route...
, on the northeast by Dembiya
Dembiya (woreda)
Dembiya is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It is named for the former province of Dembiya, which was located roughly in the same location. Part of the Semien Gondar Zone, Dembiya is bordered on the south by Lake Tana, on the southwest by Alefa, on the west by Chilga, on the...
, on the east by Lake Tana
Lake Tana
Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile and is the largest lake in Ethiopia...
and on the southeast by the Mirab Gojjam Zone
Mirab Gojjam Zone
Mirab Gojjam is a Zone in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Mirab Gojjam is named after the former province of Gojjam was divided in to two administrative zones by EPRDF...
. The administrative center of Alefa is Shawra; other towns include Delgi
Delgi
Delgi is a town in western Ethiopia. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Tana in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 1785 meters above sea level...
, Dengel Ber
Dengel Ber
Dengel Ber is a town in western Ethiopia. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Tana in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of . Access to this town includes track roads to both Shawra and Kunzela and weekly service by the Bahir Dar-Gorgora ferry...
, Esey Dibir and Gomenge. Rivers include the Dinder
Dinder River
The Dinder River is a tributary of the Blue Nile. It flows through Ethiopia and Sudan for .-Course:The Dinder River rises in the Ethiopian Highlands, west of Lake Tana in the Ethiopian woreda of Alefa. It flows northwest out of the highlands and into the plains of the Sudanese state of Sennar...
.
Alefa is named after the historic region to the southwest of Lake Tana, which was the target of a punitive expedition led by Emperor Susenyos
Susenyos of Ethiopia
Susenyos was of Ethiopia...
in 1608.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical AgencyCentral Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)
The Central Statistical Agency is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. It is part of the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and...
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 170,491, an increase of -20.32% over the 1994 census, of whom 86,350 are men and 84,141 women; 11,639 or 6.83% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 1,961.66 square kilometers, Alefa has a population density of 86.91, which is greater than the Zone average of 63.76 persons per square kilometer. A total of 36,072 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.73 persons to a household, and 34,901 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 213,961 in 41,309 households, of whom 110,112 were men and 103,849 women; 12,012 or 5.61% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Alefa were the Amhara
Amhara people
Amhara are a highland people inhabiting the Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Numbering about 19.8 million people, they comprise 26% of the country's population, according to the 2007 national census...
(96.49%), and the Agaw
Agaw
The Agaw are an ethnic group in Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea.-History:The Agaw are perhaps first mentioned in the 3rd c. AD Aksumite inscription recorded by Cosmas Indicopleustes in the 6th century...
Awi
Awi people
The Awi people are an ethnic group in Ethiopia, and are grouped as one of the Agaw people. The Awis live in Agew Awi Zone in Central Gojjam, and have a few communities in the Metekel Zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region.- Population :...
(3.19%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.32% of the population. Two notable minorities reported living in this woreda were the following: the Weyto
Weyto people
The Weyto people are a group of hippopotamus hunters who lived in Ethiopia around Lake Tana. They were known to speak the Weyto Language, which became extinct at some point in the 19th century...
, who are thought to be the earliest surviving ethnic group to settle around Lake Tana and numbered 397 or 0.19% of the population; and 71 people whom the census labeled as "Felasha". Amharic
Amharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
was spoken as a first language by 96.75%, and 3.18% spoke Awngi
Awngi language
The Awngi language, in older publications also called Awiya , is a Central Cushitic language spoken by the Awi people, living in Central Gojjam in northwestern Ethiopia...
; the remaining 0.07% spoke all other primary languages reported. 99.36% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.
Economy
A sample enumeration performed by the CSA in 2001 interviewed 46,683 farmers in this woreda, who held an average of 0.73 hectares of land. Of the 63.72 square kilometers of private land surveyed, 94.92% was under cultivation, 3.46% was pasture, none was fallow, and the remaining 1.62% is devoted to other uses; the amount of woodland held is missing. For the land under cultivation in Alefa, 75.38% was planted in cereals like teffTeff
Eragrostis tef, known as teff, taf , or khak shir , is an annual grass, a species of lovegrass native to the northern Ethiopian Highlands of Northeast Africa....
, sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
and maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, 0.5% in pulses like horse beans, 0.24% in perennial crops like coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, and 6.3% all other crops; the figures for the total area in oilseeds, root crops and vegetables are missing. Permanent crops included 112.86 hectares planted in coffee, 103.85 in gesho or hops, and 2.56 in fruit trees. 79.8% of the farmers both raise crops and livestock, while 15.4% only grow crops and 4.75% only raise livestock.