Meket
Encyclopedia
Meket is one of the 105 woreda
s in the Amhara Region
of Ethiopia
. It is named after a former district located approximately in this area. Located on the western side of the Semien Wollo Zone
, Meket is bordered on the south by Wadla
, on the west by the Debub Gondar Zone
, on the north by Bugna
, and on the east by Guba Lafto
. The administrative center of Meket is Filakit Gereger
; other settlements include Agrit and Debre Zebit
.
and Bashilo
watersheds northwards, with elevations ranging from about 1200 at the northwesternmost point to over 3000 meters above sea level along the eastern part of its southern border. Rivers include the Checheho
which has its source in this woreda. Filakit Gereger lies on the main Debre Tabor
- Nefas Mewcha
highway (also known as the Chinese road), and except for those of the eastern lowland woredas it is the only woreda capital with an all-year link to the Zonal capital of Weldiya
.
Meket, as well as the other seven rural woredas of this Zone, has been grouped amongst the 48 woredas identified as the most drought prone and food insecure in the Amhara Region. To combat increasing droughts and improve crop yields, two irrigation projects have been undertaken in this woreda by the Commission for Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Rehabilitation in the Amhara Region, affecting 75 hectares and benefiting 270 households.
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 226,644, an increase of 17.02% over the 1994 census, of whom 114,398 are men and 112,246 women; 11,750 or 5.18% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 1,909.25 square kilometers, Meket has a population density of 118.71, which is less than the Zone average of 123.25 persons per square kilometer. A total of 50,478 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.49 persons to a household, and 49,078 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 193,683 in 44,142 households, of whom 98,249 were men and 95,434 were women; 4,761 or 2.46% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Meket was the Amhara
(99.95%). Amharic
was spoken as a first language by 99.77%. The majority of the population practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity with 94.69% professing this belief, while 5.3% 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 Amhara Region
Amhara Region
Amhara is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, containing the homeland of the Amhara people. Previously known as Region 3, its capital is Bahir Dar....
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 former district located approximately in this area. Located on the western side of the Semien Wollo Zone
Semien Wollo Zone
Semien Wollo is a Zone in the Ethiopian Amhara Region. Semien Wollo acquired its name from the former province of Wollo. Semien Wollo is bordered on the south by Debub Wollo, on the west by Debub Gondar, on the north by Wag Hemra, and on the northeast and east by the Afar Region; part of its...
, Meket is bordered on the south by Wadla
Wadla
Wadla is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia; it is named for the former district which lay roughly in the same area. Part of the Semien Wollo Zone, Wadla is bordered on the south and east by Dawuntna Delant, on the west by the Checheho River which separates it from the Debub...
, on the west by the Debub Gondar Zone
Debub Gondar Zone
Debub Gondar is a Zone in the Ethiopian Amhara Region. This zone is named for the city of Gondar, which was the capital of Ethiopia until the mid-19th century, and has often been used as a name for the local province....
, on the north by Bugna
Bugna
Bugna is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. This woreda is named after the former district. Located in the northwest corner of the Semien Wollo Zone, Bugna is bordered on the south by Meket, on the west by the Debub Gondar Zone, on the north by the Wag Hemra Zone, and on the...
, and on the east by Guba Lafto
Guba Lafto
Guba Lafto is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Wollo Zone, Guba Lafto is bordered on the south by the Debub Wollo Zone, on the west by Dawuntna Delant, on the northwest by Meket, on the north by Gidan, on the northeast by the Logiya River which separates...
. The administrative center of Meket is Filakit Gereger
Filakit Gereger
Filakit Gereger is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Semien Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 2865 meters above sea level...
; other settlements include Agrit and Debre Zebit
Debre Zebit
Debre Zebit is a village in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Semien Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, about 240 kilometres north of Addis Ababa, this village has a has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 2928 meters above sea level. The Central Statistical Agency has not published an...
.
Overview
This woreda extends from the divide between the TekezéTekezé River
The Tekezé River, also known as the Takkaze River, is a major river of Ethiopia, and forms a section the westernmost border of Ethiopia and Eritrea for part of its course. The river is also known as the Setit in Eritrea, western Ethiopia, and eastern Sudan. According to materials published by the...
and Bashilo
Bashilo River
The Bashilo River is located in Ethiopia. Known for its canyon, which one source describes as almost as extensive as the canyon of its parent the Abay, also known as the Blue Nile, the river originates just west of Kutaber in the Amhara Region, flowing first to the northwest to where the Tergiya...
watersheds northwards, with elevations ranging from about 1200 at the northwesternmost point to over 3000 meters above sea level along the eastern part of its southern border. Rivers include the Checheho
Checheho River
The Checheho River is a small river located in north-central Ethiopia. Part of the watershed of the Abay River, it rises to the east of Debre Zebit to flow south to join the Bashilo River. Its major tributary is the Zhit'a, which enters the Checheho on the left side....
which has its source in this woreda. Filakit Gereger lies on the main Debre Tabor
Debre Tabor
Debre Tabor is a town and a woreda in north-central Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region of Ethiopia, about 100 kilometers southeast of Gondar and 50 kilometers east of Lake Tana, this historic town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2706 meters above...
- Nefas Mewcha
Nefas Mewcha
Nefas Mewcha is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 3120 meters above sea level...
highway (also known as the Chinese road), and except for those of the eastern lowland woredas it is the only woreda capital with an all-year link to the Zonal capital of Weldiya
Weldiya
Weldiya is a hillside market town, capital of the Semien Wollo Zone, and woreda in northern Ethiopia. Located north of Dessie and southeast of Lalibela in the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 2112 meters above sea level.A notable landmark is the church...
.
Meket, as well as the other seven rural woredas of this Zone, has been grouped amongst the 48 woredas identified as the most drought prone and food insecure in the Amhara Region. To combat increasing droughts and improve crop yields, two irrigation projects have been undertaken in this woreda by the Commission for Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Rehabilitation in the Amhara Region, affecting 75 hectares and benefiting 270 households.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 national census conducted 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...
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 226,644, an increase of 17.02% over the 1994 census, of whom 114,398 are men and 112,246 women; 11,750 or 5.18% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 1,909.25 square kilometers, Meket has a population density of 118.71, which is less than the Zone average of 123.25 persons per square kilometer. A total of 50,478 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.49 persons to a household, and 49,078 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 193,683 in 44,142 households, of whom 98,249 were men and 95,434 were women; 4,761 or 2.46% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Meket was 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...
(99.95%). 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...
was spoken as a first language by 99.77%. The majority of the population practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity with 94.69% professing this belief, while 5.3% 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...
.