Degua Tembien
Encyclopedia
Degua Tembien is one of the 36 woreda
s in the Tigray Region
of Ethiopia
. It is named in part after the former province of Tembien
. Part of the Mehakelegnaw Zone
, Degua Tembien is bordered on the south by the Debubawi (South) Zone
, on the west by Abergele
, on the north by Kola Tembien
, and on the east by the Misraqawi (Eastern) Zone
. The administrative center of this woreda is Hagere Selam
.
Notable landmarks in this woreda include the Hadmet Caves, a limestone cave system opening into the Kworiora River gorge near Adi Idaga. The entrance is behind a waterfalls 100 meters in height.
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 113,595, an increase of 27.58% over the 1994 census, of whom 56,955 are men and 56,640 women; 7,270 or 6.40% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 1,852.89 square kilometers, Degua Tembien has a population density of 61.31, which is greater than the Zone average of 56.29 persons per square kilometer. A total of 25,290 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.49 persons to a household, and 24,591 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 89,037, of whom 44,408 were men and 44,629 were women; 3,932 or 4.42% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Degua Tembien was the Tigrayan
(99.87%). Tigrinya
was spoken as a first language by 99.89%. 99.79% of the population practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. Concerning education
, 7.17% of the population were considered literate, which is less than the Zone average of 14.21%; 7.73% of children aged 7-12 were in primary school; 0.14% of the children aged 13-14 were in junior secondary school, and 0.21% of the inhabitants aged 15-18 were in senior secondary school. Concerning sanitary conditions
, about 29% of the urban houses and 15% of all houses had access to safe drinking water at the time of the census; 6% of the urban and 2.4% of the total had toilet facilities.
, and 2.99% was devoted to other uses. For the land under cultivation in this woreda, 77.88% was planted in cereals, 11.7% in pulses, and 1.36% in oilseeds; the area planted in vegetables is missing. Ten hectares were planted in fruit trees and eleven in gesho. 71.93% of the farmers both raised crops and livestock, while 28.07% only grew crops; the number who only raised livestock is missing. Land tenure in this woreda is distributed amongst 82.12% owning their land, 17.43% renting and 0.44 holding their land under other forms of tenure is missing.
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 Tigray Region
Tigray Region
Tigray Region is the northernmost of the nine ethnic regions of Ethiopia containing the homeland of the Tigray people. It was formerly known as Region 1...
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...
. It is named in part after the former province of Tembien
Tembien
Tembien is one of the former provinces of Ethiopia. It is a mountainous area of that country.The name Tembien has also been used for:*Tembien, an Italian 600-Serie Adua class submarine sunk in World War II...
. Part of the Mehakelegnaw Zone
Mehakelegnaw Zone
Mehakelegnaw is a Zone in the Ethiopian Region of Tigray. Mehakelegnaw is bordered on the east by Misraqawi , on the south by Debubawi , on the west by Mirabawi and on the north by Eritrea...
, Degua Tembien is bordered on the south by the Debubawi (South) Zone
Debubawi Zone
Debubawi is one of five Zones in the Ethiopian Region of Tigray. Debubawi is bordered on the south and west by the Amhara Region, on the northwest by Mehakelegnaw , the north by Misraqawi and on the east by the Afar Region...
, on the west by Abergele
Abergele (woreda)
Abergele or Tanqua Abergele is one of the 36 woredas in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Mehakelegnaw Zone, Abergele is bordered on the south and west by the Amhara Region, then by the Tekezé River on the west, on the north by Kola Tembien, on the east by Degua Tembien and on the...
, on the north by Kola Tembien
Kola Tembien
Kola Tembien is one of the 36 woredas in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is named in part after the former province of Tembien...
, and on the east by the Misraqawi (Eastern) Zone
Misraqawi Zone
Misraqawi is a Zone in the Ethiopian Region of Tigray. Misraqawi is bordered on the east by the Afar Region, on the south by Debubawi , on the west by Mehakelegnaw and on the north by Eritrea. Its highest point is Mount Asimba...
. The administrative center of this woreda is Hagere Selam
Hagere Selam (Degua Tembien)
Hagere Selam is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Tembien area of the Tigray Region on the Mekelle-Abiy Addi regional road, it has a longitude and latitude of with an elevation of 2625 meters above sea level...
.
Notable landmarks in this woreda include the Hadmet Caves, a limestone cave system opening into the Kworiora River gorge near Adi Idaga. The entrance is behind a waterfalls 100 meters in height.
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 113,595, an increase of 27.58% over the 1994 census, of whom 56,955 are men and 56,640 women; 7,270 or 6.40% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 1,852.89 square kilometers, Degua Tembien has a population density of 61.31, which is greater than the Zone average of 56.29 persons per square kilometer. A total of 25,290 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.49 persons to a household, and 24,591 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 89,037, of whom 44,408 were men and 44,629 were women; 3,932 or 4.42% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Degua Tembien was the Tigrayan
Tigray-Tigrinya people
Tigray-Tigrinya are an ethnic group who live in the southern, central and northern parts of Eritrea and the northern highlands of Ethiopia's Tigray province. They also live in Ethiopia's former provinces of Begemder and Wollo, which are today mostly part of Amhara Region, though a few regions...
(99.87%). Tigrinya
Tigrinya language
Tigrinya , also spelled Tigrigna, Tigrnia, Tigrina, Tigriña, less commonly Tigrinian, Tigrinyan, is a Semitic language spoken by the Tigrinya people in central Eritrea , where it is one of the two main languages of Eritrea, and in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia , where it...
was spoken as a first language by 99.89%. 99.79% of the population practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. 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...
, 7.17% of the population were considered literate, which is less than the Zone average of 14.21%; 7.73% of children aged 7-12 were in primary school; 0.14% of the children aged 13-14 were in junior secondary school, and 0.21% of the inhabitants aged 15-18 were in senior secondary school. 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 29% of the urban houses and 15% of all houses had access to safe drinking water at the time of the census; 6% of the urban and 2.4% of the total had toilet facilities.
Agriculture
A sample enumeration performed by the CSA in 2001 interviewed 22,002 farmers in this woreda, who held an average of 0.79 hectares of land. Of the 17,387 hectares of private land surveyed, 91.06% was in cultivation, 0.55% pasture, 4.8% fallow, 0.13% woodlandForestry 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...
, and 2.99% was devoted to other uses. For the land under cultivation in this woreda, 77.88% was planted in cereals, 11.7% in pulses, and 1.36% in oilseeds; the area planted in vegetables is missing. Ten hectares were planted in fruit trees and eleven in gesho. 71.93% of the farmers both raised crops and livestock, while 28.07% only grew crops; the number who only raised livestock is missing. Land tenure in this woreda is distributed amongst 82.12% owning their land, 17.43% renting and 0.44 holding their land under other forms of tenure is missing.