Hitosa
Encyclopedia
Hitosa is one of the 180 woreda
s in the Oromia Region
of Ethiopia
. Part of the Arsi Zone
, Hitosa is bordered on the south by Digeluna Tijo
, on the southwest by Tiyo
, on the west by Ziway Dugda
, on the northwest by the Misraq Shewa Zone
, on the northeast by Dodotana Sire
, and on the east by Tena
. The administrative center of the woreda is Iteya
; other towns include Arb Gebeya, Borujawi, Huruta
and Ligaba.
is the highest point. Rivers include 20 kilometers of the Keleta, 8 kilometers of the Wedecha and 10 kilometers of the Gonde. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 52.8% is arable or cultivable (46.5% was planted in cereals), 16.3% pasture, 28.1% forest
, and the remaining 2.8% is considered swampy, mountainous or otherwise unusable. Annole is a local landmark. Onion
s, potato
es and sugar cane are important cash crops.
Industry in the woreda includes 60 small scale industries, including 47 grain mills, employing 230 people, and 1465 registered businesses, of whom 27.7% wholesalers, 39.4% retailers and 32.9% service providers. There were 37 Farmers Associations with 29,093 members and 11 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 18,182 members. Hitosa has 68 kilometers of dry-weather and 161 all-weather road, for an average road density of 188 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 55.3% of the total population has access to drinking water
.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 248,304, of whom 124,808 are men and 123,496 are women; 37,820 or 15.23% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 1,215.47 square kilometers, Hitosa has an estimated population density of 204.3 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 132.2.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 174,360, of whom 86,930 were men and 87,430 women; 21,160 or 12.14% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Hitosa were the Oromo
(80.74%), the Amhara
(17.8%), and the Silt'e
(0.62%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.84% of the population. Oromiffa
was spoken as a first language by 76.64%, 10.24% Amharic
, and 0.39% spoke Silt'e
; the remaining 0.73% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 53.93% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 45.42% of the population said they were Muslim
.
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...
, Hitosa is bordered on the south by Digeluna Tijo
Digeluna Tijo
Digeluna Tijo is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Arsi Zone, Digeluna Tijo is bordered on the south by Bekoji, on the southwest by Munesa, on the northwest by Tiyo, on the north by Hitosa, on the northeast by Tena, and on the east by Sherka...
, on the southwest by Tiyo
Tiyo (woreda)
Tiyo is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Arsi Zone, Tiyo is bordered on the south by Munesa, on the west by Ziway Dugda, on the northeast by Hitosa, and on the southeast by Digeluna Tijo. The administrative center of the woreda and Zone is Asella; other towns in...
, on the west by Ziway Dugda
Ziway Dugda
Ziway Dugda is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Arsi Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Ziway Dugda is bordered on the south by Munesa, on the west and north by the Misraq Shewa Zone, on the east by Hitosa, and on the southeast by Tiyo; also on its western...
, on the northwest by the Misraq Shewa Zone
Misraq Shewa Zone
Misraq Shewa is one of the 12 Zones of the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. This zone takes its name from the kingdom or former province of Shewa. Misraq Shewa is located in the middle of Oromia, connecting the western regions to the eastern ones...
, on the northeast by Dodotana Sire
Dodotana Sire
Dodotana Sire is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Arsi Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Dodotana Sire is bordered on the south by Tena, on the southwest by Hitosa, on the north by the Misraq Shewa Zone, on the east by Jeju, and on the southeast by Sude...
, and on the east by Tena
Tena (woreda)
Tena is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Arsi Zone, Tena is bordered on the south by Sherka, on the southwest by Bekoji, on the west by Digeluna Tijo, on the northwest by Hitosa, on the north by Dodotana Sire, on the northeast by Sude, and on the east by Robe...
. The administrative center of the woreda is Iteya
Iteya
Iteya is a town in southeastern Ethiopia. Located in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region east of Lake Zway, it has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2215 meters above sea level...
; other towns include Arb Gebeya, Borujawi, Huruta
Huruta
Huruta is a town in central Ethiopia. Located in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region to the north of Iteya, it has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 1,978 meters.- History :...
and Ligaba.
Overview
The altitude of this woreda ranges from 1500 to 4170 meters above sea level; Mount ChilaloMount Chilalo
Mount Chilalo is an isolated, extinct silicic volcanic mountain in southeastern Ethiopia. The highest point in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region, and located on the border between the Hitosa and Tiyo woreda, this mountain has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of above sea level.The...
is the highest point. Rivers include 20 kilometers of the Keleta, 8 kilometers of the Wedecha and 10 kilometers of the Gonde. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 52.8% is arable or cultivable (46.5% was planted in cereals), 16.3% pasture, 28.1% 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 2.8% is considered swampy, mountainous or otherwise unusable. Annole is a local landmark. Onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s, potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es and sugar cane are important cash crops.
Industry in the woreda includes 60 small scale industries, including 47 grain mills, employing 230 people, and 1465 registered businesses, of whom 27.7% wholesalers, 39.4% retailers and 32.9% service providers. There were 37 Farmers Associations with 29,093 members and 11 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 18,182 members. Hitosa has 68 kilometers of dry-weather and 161 all-weather road, for an average road density of 188 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 55.3% 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...
.
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 248,304, of whom 124,808 are men and 123,496 are women; 37,820 or 15.23% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 1,215.47 square kilometers, Hitosa has an estimated population density of 204.3 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 132.2.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 174,360, of whom 86,930 were men and 87,430 women; 21,160 or 12.14% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Hitosa 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...
(80.74%), 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...
(17.8%), and the Silt'e
Silt'e people
The Silt'e people are an ethnic group in southern Ethiopia. They inhabit today's Silt'e Zone which is part of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region. A considerable number of Silt'e live in Addis Ababa, Adama and other cities and smaller urban centres of southern Ethiopia where...
(0.62%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.84% 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 76.64%, 10.24% 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...
, and 0.39% spoke Silt'e
Silt'e language
Silt'e is a Semitic language spoken in central Ethiopia, mainly within the Silte Zone, in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region and by speakers of the language , who have settled in Ethiopian cities, especially Addis Ababa.-Speakers and dialects:Dialects of the language include:...
; the remaining 0.73% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 53.93% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 45.42% of the population said they 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...
.