Kersa (Hararge)
Encyclopedia
Kersa is one of the 180 woreda
s in the Oromia Region
of Ethiopia
. It is named after a river that flows through it, the Kersa. Part of the Misraq (East) Hararghe Zone
, Kersa is bordered on the south by Bedeno
, on the west by Meta
, on the north by Dire Dawa
, on the northeast by Haro Maya
, and on the southeast by Kurfa Chele
. The administrative center of the woreda is Kersa; other towns in Kersa include Lange.
, and the remaining 56.3% is considered built-up, degraded or otherwise unusable. Khat
, fruits and vegetables are important cash crops. Coffee
is also an important cash crop; over 50 square kilometers are planted with this crop.
Industry in the woreda includes 22 grain mills employing 50 people, as well as 287 registered businesses including wholesalers, retailers and service providers. There were 35 Farmers Associations with 27,837 members and 3 Farmers Service Cooperatives with an unknown number of members. Kersa has 50 kilometers of dry-weather and 37 of all-weather road, for an average road density of 187.5 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. This includes the paved highway from Harar
to Dire Dawa
. About 22.1% of the urban, 6.9% of the rural and 7.7% of the total population have access to drinking water
.
In 1985, during the Derg
regime, villagization
was forcibly imposed in this woreda, forcing people to resettle in fewer villages; for example, the 28 villages of Adele Keke kebele
were concentrated into three settlements. Those who opposed the program were arrested, tied up, and beaten. One hardship this imposed was labor and material loss because new houses had to be built. With the demise of the Derg, these new villages were abandoned and the inhabitants returned to their original homes.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 169,330, of whom 82,537 are men and 86,793 are women; 12,203 or 7.21% of its population are urban dwellers, which is about the same as the Zone average of 6.9%. With an estimated area of 463.75 square kilometers, Kersa has an estimated population density of 365.1 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 121,197, of whom 62,355 were men and 58,842 women; 6,813 or 5.62% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Kersa were the Oromo
(96.25%), and the Amhara
(3.65%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.1% of the population. Oromiffa
was spoken as a first language by 96.35%, and 3.58% spoke Amharic
; the remaining 0.07% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim
, with 96.1% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 3.78% 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...
. It is named after a river that flows through it, the Kersa. 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...
, Kersa is bordered on the south by Bedeno
Bedeno (woreda)
Bedeno is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the administrative center of the woreda, Bedeno. Part of the Misraq Hararghe Zone, Bedeno is bordered on the south by Gola Odana Meyumuluke, on the southwest by Malka Balo, on the west by Deder, on the northwest...
, on the west 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...
, on the north by Dire Dawa
Dire Dawa
Dire Dawa is one of two chartered cities in Ethiopia . This chartered city is divided administratively into two woredas, the city proper and the non-urban woreda of Gurgura....
, on the northeast by Haro Maya
Haro Maya (woreda)
Haro Maya is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the administrative center, Haro Maya. Part of the Misraq Hararghe Zone, Haro Maya is bordered on the south by Kurfa Chele, on the west by Kersa, on the north by Dire Dawa, on the east by Kombolcha, and on the...
, and on the southeast by Kurfa Chele
Kurfa Chele (woreda)
Kurfa Chele is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after its administrative center, Kurfa Chele. Part of the Misraq Hararghe Zone, Kurfa Chele is bordered on the south by Girawa, on the west by Bedeno, on the northwest by Kersa, and on the northeast by Haro Maya...
. The administrative center of the woreda is Kersa; other towns in Kersa include Lange.
Overview
The altitude of this woreda ranges from 1400 to 3200 meters above sea level. Rivers include the Weter, Lange and Goro; other bodies of water include the seasonal Lake Adele. A survey of the land in Kersa (released in 1995/96) shows that 28.5% is arable or cultivable, 2.3% pasture, 6.2% forestForestry 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 56.3% 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....
, fruits and vegetables 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 also an important cash crop; over 50 square kilometers are planted with this crop.
Industry in the woreda includes 22 grain mills employing 50 people, as well as 287 registered businesses including wholesalers, retailers and service providers. There were 35 Farmers Associations with 27,837 members and 3 Farmers Service Cooperatives with an unknown number of members. Kersa has 50 kilometers of dry-weather and 37 of all-weather road, for an average road density of 187.5 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. This includes the paved highway from Harar
Harar
Harar is an eastern city in Ethiopia, and the capital of the modern Harari ethno-political division of Ethiopia...
to Dire Dawa
Dire Dawa
Dire Dawa is one of two chartered cities in Ethiopia . This chartered city is divided administratively into two woredas, the city proper and the non-urban woreda of Gurgura....
. About 22.1% of the urban, 6.9% of the rural and 7.7% 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 1985, during the Derg
Derg
The Derg or Dergue was a Communist military junta that came to power in Ethiopia following the ousting of Haile Selassie I. Derg, which means "committee" or "council" in Ge'ez, is the short name of the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, a committee of...
regime, villagization
Resettlement and villagization in Ethiopia
Resettlement and villagization in Ethiopia has been an issue since the late nineteenth century, due to the overcrowded population of the Ethiopian highlands...
was forcibly imposed in this woreda, forcing people to resettle in fewer villages; for example, the 28 villages of Adele Keke kebele
Kebele
A kebele is the smallest administrative unit of Ethiopia similar to ward, a neighbourhood or a localized and delimited group of people...
were concentrated into three settlements. Those who opposed the program were arrested, tied up, and beaten. One hardship this imposed was labor and material loss because new houses had to be built. With the demise of the Derg, these new villages were abandoned and the inhabitants returned to their original homes.
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 169,330, of whom 82,537 are men and 86,793 are women; 12,203 or 7.21% of its population are urban dwellers, which is about the same as the Zone average of 6.9%. With an estimated area of 463.75 square kilometers, Kersa has an estimated population density of 365.1 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 121,197, of whom 62,355 were men and 58,842 women; 6,813 or 5.62% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Kersa 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...
(96.25%), 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...
(3.65%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.1% 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 96.35%, and 3.58% 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 0.07% 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 96.1% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 3.78% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.