Goro Gutu
Encyclopedia
Goro Gutu is one of the 180 woreda
s in the Oromia Region
of Ethiopia
. This woreda is named after Goro Gutu, its tallest mountain. Part of the Misraq (East) Hararghe Zone
, Goro Gutu is bordered on the south by Deder
, on the west by the Mirab (West) Hararghe Zone
, on the north by the Somali Region
, and on the east by Meta
. The administrative center is Karamile; other towns include Boroda.
, Usman Ejersa and Burka. A survey of the land in Goro Gutu (released in 1994/95) shows that 20.3% is arable or cultivable, 19.9% pasture and forest
, and the remaining 59.8% is considered built-up, degraded or otherwise unusable. Khat
, vegetables and fruits are important cash crops. Although coffee
is also an important cash crop for this woreda, only between 20 and 50 square kilometers are planted with it.
Industry in the woreda includes 15 grain mills employing 53 people, as well as 209 registered businesses including wholesalers, retailers and service providers. There were 27 Farmers Associations with 24,115 members and no Farmers Service Cooperatives. Goro Gutu has 74 kilometers of dry-weather and 68 of all-weather road, for an average road density of 268 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 18.9% of the urban, 3.7% of the rural and 4.4% of the total population have access to drinking water
.
In October 2004, a referendum was held in about 420 kebele
s in 12 woreda
s across five zones of the Somali Region to settle the boundary between Oromia and the adjacent Somali Region. According to the official results of the referendum, about 80% of the disputed areas have fallen under Oromia administration, though there were numerous allegations of voting irregularities in many of them. The results led over the following weeks to minorities in these kebeles being pressured to leave. The woreda administration send an urgent request to the NGO Catholic Relief Service for assistance with the immediate humanitarian needs of 324 refugees, which included food, shelter and clothing. These had fled from the Somali woreda of Erer
due to the ethnic violence.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 147,041, of whom 72,664 are men and 74,377 are women; 7,758 or 5.28% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 6.9%. With an estimated area of 536.88 square kilometers, Goro Gutu has an estimated population density of 273.9 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 102.6.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 105,719, of whom 53,717 were men and 52,002 women; 4,333 or 4.1% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Goro Gutu were the Oromo
(92.55%), and the Amhara
(7.2%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.25% of the population. Oromiffa
was spoken as a first language by 92.5%, and 7.27% spoke Amharic
; the remaining 0.23% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim
, with 91.8% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 7.79% 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...
. This woreda is named after Goro Gutu, its tallest mountain. Part of the Misraq (East) Hararghe Zone
Misraq Hararghe Zone
Misraq Hararghe is one of the 17 Zones of the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. Misraq Hararge takes its name from the former province of Hararghe. Misraq Hararge is bordered on the southwest by the Shebelle River which separates it from Bale, on the west by Mirab Hararghe, on the north by Dire Dawa and...
, Goro Gutu is bordered on the south by Deder
Deder (woreda)
Deder is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the administrative center, Deder. Part of the Misraq Hararghe Zone, Deder is bordered on the south by Malka Balo, on the west by the Mirab Hararghe Zone, on the north by Goro Gutu, on the east by Meta, and on the...
, on the west 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...
, on the north by the Somali Region
Somali Region
Somali Region ; is the eastern-most of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. It is often called Somalia, though it is not to be confused with the independent country of the same name. The capital of Somali State is Jijiga...
, and on the east by Meta
Meta (woreda)
Meta is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraq Hararghe Zone, Meta is bordered on the southwest by Deder, on the northwest by Goro Gutu, on the north by the Somali Region, on the northeast by Kersa, and on the southeast by Bedeno. Towns in Meta include Chelenqo...
. The administrative center is Karamile; other towns include Boroda.
Overview
The altitude of this woreda ranges from 1200 to 2660 meters above sea level; other notable elevations include Mount Gangilo. Rivers include the ErerErer River
The Erer is a perennial river of eastern Ethiopia. It rises near the city of Harar, and flows in a primarily southern direction to its confluence with the Shabelle at .- See also :* Rivers of Ethiopia...
, Usman Ejersa and Burka. A survey of the land in Goro Gutu (released in 1994/95) shows that 20.3% is arable or cultivable, 19.9% pasture and 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 59.8% is considered built-up, 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....
, vegetables and fruits are important cash crops. Although 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 for this woreda, only between 20 and 50 square kilometers are planted with it.
Industry in the woreda includes 15 grain mills employing 53 people, as well as 209 registered businesses including wholesalers, retailers and service providers. There were 27 Farmers Associations with 24,115 members and no Farmers Service Cooperatives. Goro Gutu has 74 kilometers of dry-weather and 68 of all-weather road, for an average road density of 268 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 18.9% of the urban, 3.7% of the rural and 4.4% of the total population have 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...
.
In October 2004, a referendum was held in about 420 kebele
Kebele
A kebele is the smallest administrative unit of Ethiopia similar to ward, a neighbourhood or a localized and delimited group of people...
s in 12 woreda
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 across five zones of the Somali Region to settle the boundary between Oromia and the adjacent Somali Region. According to the official results of the referendum, about 80% of the disputed areas have fallen under Oromia administration, though there were numerous allegations of voting irregularities in many of them. The results led over the following weeks to minorities in these kebeles being pressured to leave. The woreda administration send an urgent request to the NGO Catholic Relief Service for assistance with the immediate humanitarian needs of 324 refugees, which included food, shelter and clothing. These had fled from the Somali woreda of Erer
Erer (woreda)
Erer is one of the 47 woredas in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Shinile Zone, available maps disagree on its exact location: according to the OCHA map for the Somali Region , Erer is bordered on the south by the Oromia Region, on the southwest by Afdem, on the west by the Afar Region,...
due to the ethnic violence.
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 147,041, of whom 72,664 are men and 74,377 are women; 7,758 or 5.28% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 6.9%. With an estimated area of 536.88 square kilometers, Goro Gutu has an estimated population density of 273.9 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 102.6.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 105,719, of whom 53,717 were men and 52,002 women; 4,333 or 4.1% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Goro Gutu 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...
(92.55%), 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...
(7.2%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.25% 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 92.5%, and 7.27% 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 0.23% 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 91.8% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 7.79% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.