Berbere (woreda)
Encyclopedia
Berbere is one of the 180 woreda
s in the Oromia Region
of Ethiopia
. Part of the Bale Zone
, Berbere is bordered on the south by Mennana Harena Buluk
, on the northwest by Goba
, on the north by Sinanana Dinsho
, on the northeast by Goro
, and on the east by Guradamole
; the Mena River
separates it from Shinanana Dinsho and Goro. The administrative center of the woreda is Haro Dumal.
. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 20.5% is arable (4.3% was under cultivation), 36.4% pasture, 41.7% forest
or heavy vegetation cover, and the remaining 1.4% is considered swampy, degraded or otherwise unusable. Khat
, pepper
s, fruits and vegetables are important cash crops. Coffee
is also an important cash crop; over 5,000 hectares are planted with it.
At the time of the Oromia Regional report, there was no industry in this woreda. There were 12 Farmers Associations with 4491 members but no Farmers Service Cooperatives. , a rural road was under construction to connect Berbere with the neighboring Goro woreda. About 3.7% of the total population has access to drinking water
.
This woreda was selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
in 2003 as one of several areas for voluntary resettlement for farmers from overpopulated areas. Together with Gaserana Gololcha
and Meda Welabu
, Berbere became the new home for a total of 5219 heads of households and 19,758 family members.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 53,547, of whom 26,696 are men and 26,851 are women; 2,104 or 3.93% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 13.5%. With an estimated area of 1,348.28 square kilometers, Berbere has an estimated population density of 39.7 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 27.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 38,617, of whom 19,454 were men and 19,163 women; 1,174 or 3.04% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Berbere were the Oromo
(80.28%), the Somali
(11.99%), and the Amhara
(4.4%); all other ethnic groups made up 3.33% of the population. Oromiffa
was spoken as a first language by 82.74%, 11.27% spoke Somali
, and 5.9% spoke Amharic
; the remaining 0.09% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim
, with 91.31% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 8.6% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.
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 Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
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 Bale Zone
Bale Zone
Bale is one of the 17 zones in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Bale is named for the former kingdom of Bale, which was in approximately the same area...
, Berbere is bordered on the south by Mennana Harena Buluk
Mennana Harena Buluk
Mennana Harena Buluk is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Bale Zone, Mennana Harena Buluk is bordered on the south by Meda Welabu, on the west by Nensebo, on the northwest by Adaba, on the north by Goba, on the northeast by Berbere, and on the east by Guradamole...
, on the northwest by Goba
Goba (woreda)
Goba is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the administrative center of the woreda, Goba. Part of the Bale Zone, Goba is bordered on the south by Mennana Harena Buluk, on the west by Adaba, on the north by the Mena River which separates it from Sinanana...
, on the north by Sinanana Dinsho
Sinanana Dinsho
Sinanana Dinsho is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Bale Zone, Sinanana Dinsho is bordered on the south by the Mena River which separates it from Goba, on the west by Adaba, on the northwest by Agarfa, on the northeast by Gaserana Gololcha, on the east by Ginir,...
, on the northeast by Goro
Goro, Oromia (woreda)
Goro is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It shares the same name as the administrative center of the woreda, Goro...
, and on the east by Guradamole
Guradamole, Oromia (woreda)
Guradamole is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Bale Zone, Guradamole is bordered on the south by the Ganale Dorya River which separates it from the Borena Zone, on the southwest by Meda Welabu, on the west by Mennana Harena Buluk, on the northwest by Berbere, on...
; the Mena River
Mena River
The Mena is a river of eastern Ethiopia. It is a tributary of the Ganale Dorya....
separates it from Shinanana Dinsho and Goro. The administrative center of the woreda is Haro Dumal.
Overview
This woreda is characterized by undulating highlands in the north and lowlands in the south. Mount Wereba is the highest point; other prominent peaks include Mount Siru. Rivers include the Dumale, Doya, Hawas and Hambala, which are tributaries of the Ganale Dorya RiverGanale Dorya River
The Ganale Dorya River is a perennial river in southeastern Ethiopia. Rising in the mountains east of Aleta Wendo, the Dawa flows south and east to join with the Dawa at the border with Somalia to become the Jubba. Tributaries include the Welmel, Weyib , Dumale, Doya, Hawas and the Hambala...
. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 20.5% is arable (4.3% was under cultivation), 36.4% pasture, 41.7% forest
Forestry in Ethiopia
In the late nineteenth century, about 30% of Ethiopia was covered with forest. The clearing of land for agricultural use and the cutting of trees for fuel gradually changed the scene, and today forest areas have dwindled to less than 4% of Ethiopia's total land. The northern parts of the highlands...
or heavy vegetation cover, and the remaining 1.4% is considered swampy, degraded or otherwise unusable. Khat
Khat
Khat, qat, gat or Waquish Spoken from true Yemeni, is a flowering plant native to tropical East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula....
, pepper
Capsicum
Capsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Its species are native to the Americas where they have been cultivated for thousands of years, but they are now also cultivated worldwide, used as spices, vegetables, and medicines - and have become are a key element in...
s, fruits and vegetables are important cash crops. 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,...
is also an important cash crop; over 5,000 hectares are planted with it.
At the time of the Oromia Regional report, there was no industry in this woreda. There were 12 Farmers Associations with 4491 members but no Farmers Service Cooperatives. , a rural road was under construction to connect Berbere with the neighboring Goro woreda. About 3.7% of the total population has access to drinking water
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...
.
This woreda was selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ethiopia)
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is the Ethiopian government ministry which oversees the agricultural and rural development policies of Ethiopia on a Federal level...
in 2003 as one of several areas for voluntary resettlement for farmers from overpopulated areas. Together with Gaserana Gololcha
Gaserana Gololcha
Gaserana Gololcha is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Bale Zone, Gaserana Gololcha is bordered on the south by Ginir, on the southwest by Sinanana Dinsho, on the west by Agarfa, on the north by the Shebelle River which separates it from the Arsi Zone, on the...
and Meda Welabu
Meda Welabu
Meda Welabu is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Bale Zone, Meda Welabu is bordered on the south by the Ganale Dorya River which separates it from the Borena Zone, on the northwest by Nensebo, on the north by Mennana Harena Buluk, and on the northeast by Guradamole...
, Berbere became the new home for a total of 5219 heads of households and 19,758 family members.
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 53,547, of whom 26,696 are men and 26,851 are women; 2,104 or 3.93% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 13.5%. With an estimated area of 1,348.28 square kilometers, Berbere has an estimated population density of 39.7 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 27.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 38,617, of whom 19,454 were men and 19,163 women; 1,174 or 3.04% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Berbere were 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...
(80.28%), the Somali
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
(11.99%), and 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...
(4.4%); all other ethnic groups made up 3.33% of the population. 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...
was spoken as a first language by 82.74%, 11.27% spoke Somali
Somali language
The Somali language is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Its nearest relatives are Afar and Oromo. Somali is the best documented of the Cushitic languages, with academic studies beginning before 1900....
, and 5.9% spoke 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...
; the remaining 0.09% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants 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...
, with 91.31% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 8.6% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.