Gololcha
Encyclopedia
Gololcha is one of the 180 woreda
s in the Oromia Region
of Ethiopia
. Part of the Arsi Zone
, Gololcha is bordered on the south by Amigna
, on the west by Chole
, on the northwest by Aseko
, and on the north and east by the Mirab (West) Hararghe Zone
. The administrative center of this woreda is Debre Selam
(also known as Chencho); other towns include Timuga.
, 26 of the Mine and 37 of the Daraba. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 20.6% is arable or cultivable, 21.7% pasture, 27% forest
, and the remaining 30.7% is considered swampy, mountainous or otherwise unusable. Khat
and fruits are important cash crops. Coffee
is another important cash crop; over 50 square kilometers are planted in it. On 26 July 2009, the woreda agriculture and rural development office reported over five million quintals of coffee were harvested in the previous fiscal year.
Industry in the woreda includes quarrying and pottery works, 4 grain mills employing 10 people, as well as 195 registered businesses of whom 18.5% were wholesalers 65.6% retailers and 15.9% service providers. There were 35 Farmers Associations with 13,061 members, but no Farmers Service Cooperatives. Gololcha has 113 kilometers of dry-weather and no all-weather roads, for an average of road density of 65.7 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. It is one of two woredas in this Zone where the population has no access to drinking water
.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 162,892, of whom 80,532 are men and 82,360 are women; 4,384 or 2.69% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 1,719.38 square kilometers, Gololcha has an estimated population density of 94.7 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 132.2.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 117,828, of whom 59,895 were men and 57,933 women; 2,449 or 2.08% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Gololcha were the Oromo
(82.13%), and the Amhara
(17.13%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.74% of the population. Oromiffa
was spoken as a first language by 78.01%, and 21.94% spoke Amharic
; the remaining 0.05% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim
, with 77.23% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 21.53% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 1.19% were Roman Catholic
.
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 Arsi Zone
Arsi Zone
Arsi is one of the 12 zones of the Oromia Region in Ethiopia. Arsi is also the name of a former province. Both the Zone and the former province are named after a subgroup of the Oromo, who inhabit both...
, Gololcha is bordered on the south by Amigna
Amigna
Amigna is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Arsi Zone, Amigna is bordered on the south by Seru, on the southwest by Robe, on the west by Sude, on the northwest by Chole, on the north by Gololcha, and on the east by the Mirab Hararghe Zone...
, on the west by Chole
Chole (woreda)
Chole is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Arsi Zone, Chole is bordered on the south by Amigna, on the southwest by Sude, on the northwest by Merti, on the north by Aseko, and on the east by Gololcha...
, on the northwest by Aseko
Aseko (woreda)
Aseko is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the administrative center of the woreda, Aseko. Part of the Arsi Zone, Aseko is bordered on the southwest by Chole, on the northwest by Merti, on the north by the Mirab Hararghe Zone, and on the east by Gololcha.-...
, and on the north and east by the Mirab (West) Hararghe Zone
Mirab Hararghe Zone
Mirab Hararghe is one of the 17 Zones in the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. Mirab Hararghe takes its name from the former province of Hararghe. Mirab Harerge is bordered on the south by the Shebelle River which separates it from Bale, on the southwest by Arsi, on the northwest by the Afar Region, on...
. The administrative center of this woreda is Debre Selam
Debre Selam
Debre Selam is a town in central Ethiopia. Located in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 1451 meters above sea level...
(also known as Chencho); other towns include Timuga.
Overview
The altitude of this woreda rarely exceeds 1500 meters above sea level. Rivers include 50 kilometers of the GololchaGololcha River
Gololcha River is a river of eastern Ethiopia....
, 26 of the Mine and 37 of the Daraba. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 20.6% is arable or cultivable, 21.7% pasture, 27% 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...
, and the remaining 30.7% is considered swampy, mountainous 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....
and fruits 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 another important cash crop; over 50 square kilometers are planted in it. On 26 July 2009, the woreda agriculture and rural development office reported over five million quintals of coffee were harvested in the previous fiscal year.
Industry in the woreda includes quarrying and pottery works, 4 grain mills employing 10 people, as well as 195 registered businesses of whom 18.5% were wholesalers 65.6% retailers and 15.9% service providers. There were 35 Farmers Associations with 13,061 members, but no Farmers Service Cooperatives. Gololcha has 113 kilometers of dry-weather and no all-weather roads, for an average of road density of 65.7 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. It is one of two woredas in this Zone where the population has no 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...
.
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 162,892, of whom 80,532 are men and 82,360 are women; 4,384 or 2.69% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 1,719.38 square kilometers, Gololcha has an estimated population density of 94.7 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 132.2.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 117,828, of whom 59,895 were men and 57,933 women; 2,449 or 2.08% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Gololcha 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...
(82.13%), 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...
(17.13%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.74% 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 78.01%, and 21.94% 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 0.05% 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 77.23% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 21.53% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 1.19% were Roman Catholic
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...
.