Kersa (Jimma)
Encyclopedia
Kersa is one of the 180 woreda
s in the Oromia Region
of Ethiopia
. Part of the Jimma Zone
, Kersa is bordered on the south by Dedo
, on the southwest by Seka Chekorsa
, on the west by Mana
, on the north by Limmu Kosa
, on the northeast by Tiro Afeta
, and on the southeast by Omo Nada
. Towns and cities in Kersa include Jimma
, the Zonal capital, and Serbo.
, Karsa
, Bulbul, Melekta and the Birbirsa. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 58.6% is arable or cultivable (37.5% was under annual crops), 17.3% pasture, 6.0% forest, and the remaining 18.9% is considered swampy, degraded or otherwise unusable. Coffee
is an important cash crop of this woreda. Over 50 square kilometers are planted with this crop.
Industry in the woreda includes 14 grain mills. There were 27 Farmers Associations with 16,559 members and 4 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 4,033 members. Kersa has 14 kilometers of dry-weather and "a few" kilometers of all-weather road, for a minimum average road density of 14.3 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers, which is less than the Zonal average of 70 per 1000 square kilometers. About 55% of the urban and 11.35% of the rural population has access to drinking water
.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 329,629, of whom 162,690 are men and 166,939 are women; 165,083 or 50.08% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 978.6 square kilometers, Kersa has an estimated population density of 336.8 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 150.6.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 212,038, of whom 106,329 were men and 105,709 women; 92,265 or 43.51% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The six largest ethnic groups reported in Kersa were the Oromo
(66.19%), the Amhara
(10.56%), the Yem
(6.92%), the Kullo (5.47%), the Kafficho (3.28%), and the Sebat Bet Gurage (1.8%); all other ethnic groups made up 5.78% of the population. Oromiffa
was spoken as a first language by 67.41%, 22.79% spoke Amharic
, 2.83% spoke Kullo, and 2.3% spoke Yemsa
; the remaining 1.52% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim
, with 65.49% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 31.57% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 2.56% were Protestant
.
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 Jimma Zone
Jimma Zone
Jimma is one of the 17 Zones of the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. Jimma is named for the former Kingdom of Jimma, which was absorbed into the former province of Kaffa in 1932...
, Kersa is bordered on the south by Dedo
Dedo
Dedo is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Jimma Zone, Dedo is bordered on the south by the Gojeb River which separates it from the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on the west by Gera, on the north by Kersa, and on the east by Omo Nada...
, on the southwest by Seka Chekorsa
Seka Chekorsa (woreda)
Seka Chekorsa is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the administrative center, Seka Chekorsa. Part of the Jimma Zone, Seka Chekorsa is bordered on the south by the Gojeb River which separates it from the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on...
, on the west by Mana
Mana (woreda)
Mana is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Jimma Zone, Mana is bordered on the south by Seka Chekorsa, on the west by Gomma, on the north by Limmu Kosa, and on the east by Kersa. The administrative center of this woreda is Yebu....
, on the north by Limmu Kosa
Limmu Kosa
Limmu Kosa is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named in part after the former kingdom of Limmu-Ennarea, whose territories included the area this woreda now covers...
, on the northeast by Tiro Afeta
Tiro Afeta
Tiro Afeta is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Jimma Zone, Tiro Afeta is bordered on the south by Omo Nada, on the west by Kersa, on the north by Limmu Kosa, and on the east by Sokoru...
, and on the southeast by Omo Nada
Omo Nada
Omo Nada is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Jimma Zone, Omo Nada is bordered on the south by the Gojeb River which separates it from the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region , on the west by Dedo, on the northwest by Kersa, on the north by Tiro...
. Towns and cities in Kersa include Jimma
Jimma
Jimma, also Jima, is the largest city in southwestern Ethiopia. Located in the Jimma Zone of the Oromia Region, it has a latitude and longitude of . The town was the capital of Kaffa Province until the province was dissolved. Prior to the 2007 census, Jimma was reorganized administratively as a...
, the Zonal capital, and Serbo.
Overview
The altitude of this woreda ranges from 1740 to 2660 meters above sea level; mountains include Sume, Gora, Kero, Folla and Jiren. Perennial rivers include the Gilgel GibeGilgel Gibe River
Gilgel Gibe River is a tributary of the Gibe River in southwest Ethiopia. It flows in an arc through the south of the Jimma Zone, defining part of the Zone's boundary with that of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region west of the Omo River as it turns north...
, Karsa
Karsa River
Karsa River is a river within western Ethiopia. A tributary of the Kobara, the river has been panned for gold in the past by the local inhabitants.- References :...
, Bulbul, Melekta and the Birbirsa. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 58.6% is arable or cultivable (37.5% was under annual crops), 17.3% pasture, 6.0% forest, and the remaining 18.9% is considered swampy, degraded or otherwise unusable. 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 an important cash crop of this woreda. Over 50 square kilometers are planted with this crop.
Industry in the woreda includes 14 grain mills. There were 27 Farmers Associations with 16,559 members and 4 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 4,033 members. Kersa has 14 kilometers of dry-weather and "a few" kilometers of all-weather road, for a minimum average road density of 14.3 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers, which is less than the Zonal average of 70 per 1000 square kilometers. About 55% of the urban and 11.35% of the rural 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 329,629, of whom 162,690 are men and 166,939 are women; 165,083 or 50.08% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 978.6 square kilometers, Kersa has an estimated population density of 336.8 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 150.6.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 212,038, of whom 106,329 were men and 105,709 women; 92,265 or 43.51% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The six 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...
(66.19%), 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...
(10.56%), the Yem
Yem people
The Yem are an ethnic group living in south-western Ethiopia. They are also called by their neighbors as the Janjero, but the Yem consider this exonym derogatory, since it sounds similar to the Amharic word "zinjero" which means "monkey". Their native language is Yemsa, one of the Omotic languages,...
(6.92%), the Kullo (5.47%), the Kafficho (3.28%), and the Sebat Bet Gurage (1.8%); all other ethnic groups made up 5.78% 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 67.41%, 22.79% 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...
, 2.83% spoke Kullo, and 2.3% spoke Yemsa
Yemsa language
Yemsa is the language of the Yem people of the former Kingdom of Yamma, known as Kingdom of Janjero to the Amhara. It is a member of the Omotic group of languages, most closely related to Kaffa. It is distinctive in having a several levels of lexicon contingent on social hierarchy, rather like...
; the remaining 1.52% 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 65.49% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 31.57% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 2.56% 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...
.