Awasa (woreda)
Encyclopedia
Awasa is one of the 77 woreda
s in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia
. Part of the Sidama Zone
located in the Great Rift Valley
, Awasa is bordered on the south by Shebedino
, and on the west, north and east by the Oromia Region
. Towns and cities in Awasa include Awasa
, the capital of the SNNPR, and Wondo Genet
.
This woreda almost surrounds Lake Awasa
on all sides. Another water feature is Lake Chelaka which has vanished into the neighboring wetlands due to deforestation
. The forest cover in the area partly covered by this woreda has decreased from 48,924 hectares (or 16%) in 1972 to an estimated 8600 (or 2.8%) in 2000, all caused by the creation of farmland, part of a process that has been under way for the last few hundred years.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 515,898, of whom 252,907 are men and 262,991 are women; 131,107 or 25.41% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 8.9%. With an estimated area of 942.35 square kilometers, Awasa has an estimated population density of 547.5 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 430.03.
In the 1994 Census this woreda had a population of 345,526, of whom 176,406 were men and 169,120 women; 72,366 or 20.94% of its population were urban dwellers. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Awasa were the Sidama
(67.47%), the Oromo
(10.17%), the Amhara
(8.86%), the Welayta
(6.91%), and the Kambaata (2.03%); all other ethnic groups made up 4.56% of the population. Sidamo
is spoken as a first language by 69.74% of the inhabitants, 15.67% speak Amharic
, 6.48% Oromiffa
, 4.56% Welayta
, and the Kambaata
(1.41%); the remaining 2.14% spoke all other primary languages reported. 59.22% of the population said they were Protestants
, 18.01% were Ethiopian Orthodox, 9.7% were Muslim
, 5.66% observed traditional religions, and 5.16% embraced Catholicism
. Concerning education
, 34.96% of the population were considered literate; statistics on school attendance in this woreda are missing. Concerning sanitary conditions
, about 96.16% of the urban houses and 42.33% of all houses had access to safe drinking water at the time of the census, while about 88.12% of the urban and 24.16% of the total had toilet facilities.
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 Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) 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 Sidama Zone
Sidama Zone
Sidama is a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region . It is named for the Sidama people, whose homeland is located in this zone...
located in the Great Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
, Awasa is bordered on the south by Shebedino
Shebedino
Shebedino is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Sidama Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Shebedino is bordered on the south by Dale, on the west by the Bilate River which separates it from the Semien Omo Zone, on the...
, and on the west, north and east by the Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
. Towns and cities in Awasa include Awasa
Awasa
Awasa is a city in Ethiopia, on the shores of Lake Awasa in the Great Rift Valley. Located in the Sidama Zone 270 km south of Addis Ababa via Debre Zeit, 130 km east of Sodo, 75 km north of Dilla and 1125 km north of Nairobi, Awasa is the capital of the Southern Nations,...
, the capital of the SNNPR, and Wondo Genet
Wondo Genet
Wondo Genet is a resort town in Ethiopia. Located southeast of Shashemene in the Sidama Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region, with a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 1723 meters....
.
This woreda almost surrounds Lake Awasa
Lake Awasa
Lake Awasa is an endorheic basin in Ethiopia, located in the Rift Valley south of Addis Ababa. According to the Statistical Abstract of Ethiopia for 1967/68, the lake is 16 km long and 9 km wide, with a surface area of 129 square kilometers...
on all sides. Another water feature is Lake Chelaka which has vanished into the neighboring wetlands due to deforestation
Ethiopian deforestation
Deforestation in Ethiopia is due to locals clearing forests for their personal needs, such as for fuel, hunting, agriculture, housing development, and at times for religious reasons. The main causes of deforestation in Ethiopia are shifting agriculture, livestock production and fuel in drier areas...
. The forest cover in the area partly covered by this woreda has decreased from 48,924 hectares (or 16%) in 1972 to an estimated 8600 (or 2.8%) in 2000, all caused by the creation of farmland, part of a process that has been under way for the last few hundred years.
Demographics
Based on figures published 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...
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 515,898, of whom 252,907 are men and 262,991 are women; 131,107 or 25.41% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 8.9%. With an estimated area of 942.35 square kilometers, Awasa has an estimated population density of 547.5 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 430.03.
In the 1994 Census this woreda had a population of 345,526, of whom 176,406 were men and 169,120 women; 72,366 or 20.94% of its population were urban dwellers. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Awasa were the Sidama
Sidama people
The Sidama people of southern Ethiopia are an ethnic group whose homeland is in the Sidama Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of Ethiopia. They number 2,966,474 of whom 149,480 are urban inhabitants, the fifth most populous nation in Ethiopia...
(67.47%), the Oromo
Oromo people
The Oromo are an ethnic group found in Ethiopia, northern Kenya, .and parts of Somalia. With 30 million members, they constitute the single largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and approximately 34.49% of the population according to the 2007 census...
(10.17%), 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...
(8.86%), the Welayta
Welayta people
Wolayta is the name of an ethnic group and its former kingdom, located in southern Ethiopia. According to the most recent census , they number 1.7 million people or 2.31 percent of the country's population, of whom 289,707 are urban inhabitants...
(6.91%), and the Kambaata (2.03%); all other ethnic groups made up 4.56% of the population. Sidamo
Sidamo language
Sidamo is an Afro-Asiatic language, belonging to the Cushitic branch, part of the Highland East Cushitic group. It is spoken in parts of southern Ethiopia....
is spoken as a first language by 69.74% of the inhabitants, 15.67% speak 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...
, 6.48% Oromiffa
Oromo language
Oromo, also known as Afaan Oromo, Oromiffa, Afan Boran, Afan Orma, and sometimes in other languages by variant spellings of these names , is an Afro-Asiatic language, and the most widely spoken of the Cushitic family. Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by more than 25 million Oromo and...
, 4.56% Welayta
Welayta language
Wolaytta is an Omotic language spoken in the Wolaita Zone and some parts of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region of Ethiopia. The number of speakers of this language is estimated at 2,000,000 ; it is the native language of the Welayta people...
, and the Kambaata
Kambaata language
Kambaata is a Highland East Cushitic language, part of the larger Afro-Asiatic family and spoken by the Kambaata. Dialects are Donga, Kambaata and Tambaro. It is one of the official languages of Ethiopia. The language has a large number of verbal affixes. When these are affixed to verbal roots,...
(1.41%); the remaining 2.14% spoke all other primary languages reported. 59.22% of the population said they were Protestants
P'ent'ay
P'ent'ay or Pentay is a slang term widely used in modern Ethiopia, and among Ethiopians living abroad, to describe Ethiopian Christians who are not members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo, Ethiopian Orthodox Tehadeso, Roman Catholic or Ethiopian Catholic churches...
, 18.01% were Ethiopian Orthodox, 9.7% were Muslim
Islam in Ethiopia
According to the latest 2007 national census, Islam is the second most widely practised religion in Ethiopia after Christianity, with over 25 million of Ethiopians adhering to Islam according to the 2007 national census, having arrived in Ethiopia in 615...
, 5.66% observed traditional religions, and 5.16% embraced Catholicism
Roman Catholicism in Ethiopia
The Catholic Church in Ethiopia is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.The Ethiopian Catholic Church, the primary organization of Catholicism in the country, is especially close to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, whose doctrine and...
. Concerning education
Education in Ethiopia
Education in Ethiopia has been dominated by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church for many centuries until secular education was adopted in the early 1900s. Prior to 1974, Ethiopia had an estimated illiteracy rate well above 90% and compared poorly with the rest of Africa in the provision of schools and...
, 34.96% of the population were considered literate; statistics on school attendance in this woreda are missing. Concerning sanitary conditions
Water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia
Access to water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia is amongst the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa and the entire world. While access has increased substantially with funding from external aid, much still remains to be done to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving the share of people...
, about 96.16% of the urban houses and 42.33% of all houses had access to safe drinking water at the time of the census, while about 88.12% of the urban and 24.16% of the total had toilet facilities.