Hagere Mariam (woreda)
Encyclopedia
Hagere Mariam is one of the 180 woreda
s in the Oromia Region
of Ethiopia
, named after its largest town, Hagere Mariam
. Part of the Borena Zone
, Hagere Mariam is bordered on the south by the Dawa River
which separates it from Arero
, on the southwest by Yabelo
, on the west by the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region and Gelana Abaya
, on the northeast by Uraga
, and on the east by Odo Shakiso
.
In May 2000, a field assessment by the UNDP which included Hagere Mariam collected informal reports of a growing number of private investors in coffee pulping/processing factories and coffee plantations in the woreda; however, many of their informants expressed concern voiced that this had been at the expense of local farmers. The four major crops grown in this woreda are maize
, wheat, barley and haricot beans in that order, with some long cycle sorghum and teff
as well; in some parts ensete
or the false banana is also grown, which offers a degree of security during famines. Coffee
is also an important cash crop; over 5,000 hectares are planted with it.
minerals rutile
and ilmenite
, as well as talc
lenses which often contain asbestos
, although the lenses found were very small in size, and the quality of the asbestos fiber was not good.
In April 2005, ethnic conflict between the Guji Oromo
and the Gabbra in southern Oromia led to massive displacement of people. An NGO working in the area reported as many as 50,000 people in Hagere Mariam, Yabelo and Arero woredas were forced to flee, and several thousand huts burnt.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 546,456, of whom 269,727 are men and 276,729 are women; 22,784 or 4.17% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 11.6%. With an estimated area of 6,021.88 square kilometers, Hagere Mariam has an estimated population density of 90.7 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 21.1.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 393,905, of whom 200,411 were men and 193,494 women; 12,718 or 3.23% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The four largest ethnic groups reported in Hagere Mariam were the Oromo
(70.98%), the Gedeo
(25.77%), the Amhara
(1.16%), and the Burji (0.87%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.22% of the population. Oromiffa
was spoken as a first language by 72.2%, 25.41% spoke Gedeo
and 1.59% spoke Amharic
; the remaining 0.8% spoke all other primary languages reported. The plurality of the inhabitants were Protestant
, with 41.09% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 32.78% of the population said they practiced traditional beliefs, 7.43% professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 5.94% were Muslim
, and 2.85% were 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...
, named after its largest town, Hagere Mariam
Hagere Mariam
Hagere Mariam is a town in southern Ethiopia. Located on the paved Addis Ababa-Moyale highway, in the Borena Zone of the Oromia Region, it has a latitude and longitude of and an altitude of 1716 meters above sea level....
. Part of the Borena Zone
Borena Zone
Borena is one of the 17 zones of the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Borena is named after a tribe of the Oromo people. Borena is bordered on the south by Kenya, on the west by the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, on the north by Guji and on the east by the Somali Region. The...
, Hagere Mariam is bordered on the south by the Dawa River
Dawa River
The Dawa 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 Ganale Dorya at the border with Somalia to become the Jubba. The river forms part of the Ethiopia–Kenya border and part of the Ethiopia–Somalia...
which separates it from Arero
Arero
Arero is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Borena Zone, Arero is bordered on the southwest by Dire, on the west by Yabelo, on the north by Hagere Mariam, on the northeast by the Guji Zone, on the east by the Somali Region, and on the south by Moyale; the Dawa...
, on the southwest by Yabelo
Yabelo
Yabelo is a town in southern Ethiopia. An alternative name for this town is Obda, which is also the name of a nearby mountain. Located northwest of Moyale in the Guji Zone of the Oromia Region , this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 1857 meters above sea level...
, on the west by the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region and Gelana Abaya
Gelana Abaya
Gelana Abaya is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Borena Zone, Gelana Abaya is bordered on the south by Hagere Mariam, and on the west, north and east by the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region . Lake Abaya, on the western border, is divided...
, on the northeast by Uraga
Uraga (woreda)
Uraga is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Guji Zone, Uraga is bordered on the south by Odo Shakiso, on the west by the Borena Zone, on the north by the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, and on the east by Bore...
, and on the east by Odo Shakiso
Odo Shakiso
Odo Shakiso is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Guji Zone, Odo Shakiso is bordered on the south by the Dawa River which separates it from Arero, on the west by Hagere Mariam, on the northeast by Uraga, on the north by Bore, on the northeast by Adolana Wadera, and...
.
In May 2000, a field assessment by the UNDP which included Hagere Mariam collected informal reports of a growing number of private investors in coffee pulping/processing factories and coffee plantations in the woreda; however, many of their informants expressed concern voiced that this had been at the expense of local farmers. The four major crops grown in this woreda are maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, wheat, barley and haricot beans in that order, with some long cycle sorghum and teff
Teff
Eragrostis tef, known as teff, taf , or khak shir , is an annual grass, a species of lovegrass native to the northern Ethiopian Highlands of Northeast Africa....
as well; in some parts ensete
Ensete
Ensete, or Enset, is a genus of plants, native to tropical regions of Africa and Asia. It is one of the three genera in the banana family, Musaceae.- Domesticated enset in Ethiopia :...
or the false banana is also grown, which offers a degree of security during famines. 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.
History
Workers for the Texas Africa Exploration Company in 1958 found near Hagere Mariam the titaniumTitanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
minerals rutile
Rutile
Rutile is a mineral composed primarily of titanium dioxide, TiO2.Rutile is the most common natural form of TiO2. Two rarer polymorphs of TiO2 are known:...
and ilmenite
Ilmenite
Ilmenite is a weakly magnetic titanium-iron oxide mineral which is iron-black or steel-gray. It is a crystalline iron titanium oxide . It crystallizes in the trigonal system, and it has the same crystal structure as corundum and hematite....
, as well as talc
Talc
Talc is a mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with the chemical formula H2Mg34 or Mg3Si4O102. In loose form, it is the widely-used substance known as talcum powder. It occurs as foliated to fibrous masses, its crystals being so rare as to be almost unknown...
lenses which often contain asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
, although the lenses found were very small in size, and the quality of the asbestos fiber was not good.
In April 2005, ethnic conflict between the Guji Oromo
Guji Oromo
The Guji Oromo are an ethnic Oromo group living in southern Ethiopia. They are part nomadic and part agrarian. According to a population projection from 2007, the total population of the Guji Oromo is above 5 million....
and the Gabbra in southern Oromia led to massive displacement of people. An NGO working in the area reported as many as 50,000 people in Hagere Mariam, Yabelo and Arero woredas were forced to flee, and several thousand huts burnt.
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 546,456, of whom 269,727 are men and 276,729 are women; 22,784 or 4.17% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 11.6%. With an estimated area of 6,021.88 square kilometers, Hagere Mariam has an estimated population density of 90.7 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 21.1.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 393,905, of whom 200,411 were men and 193,494 women; 12,718 or 3.23% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The four largest ethnic groups reported in Hagere Mariam 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...
(70.98%), the Gedeo
Gedeo people
The Gedeo are an ethnic group in southern Ethiopia. The Gedeo Zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region is named for this people...
(25.77%), 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...
(1.16%), and the Burji (0.87%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.22% 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 72.2%, 25.41% spoke Gedeo
Gedeo language
Gedeo is the name of a Highland East Cushitic language of the Afro-Asiatic family spoken in south central Ethiopia. Alternate names for the language include Derasa, Deresa, Darassa, Geddeo, Derasanya, Darasa. It is spoken by the Gedeo people, who live in the highland area, southwest of Dila and...
and 1.59% 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 0.8% spoke all other primary languages reported. The plurality of the inhabitants were Protestant
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...
, with 41.09% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 32.78% of the population said they practiced traditional beliefs, 7.43% professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 5.94% 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...
, and 2.85% were 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...
.