Munesa
Encyclopedia
Munesa is one of the 180 woreda
s in the Oromia Region
of Ethiopia
. Part of the Arsi Zone
located in the Great Rift Valley
, Munesa is bordered on the south by Kofele
, on the west by the Mirab Shewa Zone
and Lake Langano
, on the northwest by Ziway Dugda
, on the north by Tiyo
, on the northeast by Digeluna Tijo
, and on the east by Bekoji
. The administrative center of the woreda is Kersa
; other towns in Munesa include Ego.
and rape seed, occupies a large part of the arable land. Rape seed and linseed are important cash crops; hides and skins are major export items. Although Coffee
is also an important cash crop, less than 20 square kilometers are planted with it.
Industry in the woreda includes quarries along the shore of Lake Langano and 29 grain mills employing 78 people, as well as 910 registered businesses of whom 15.7% are wholesalers, 30.9% retailers, and 53.3% service providers. There were 38 Farmers Associations with 15,870 members and 5 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 9611 members. Munesa has 105 kilometers of dry-weather and 98 of all-weather road, for an average road density of 139.5 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 4.9% of the total population has access to drinking water
.
Four inscribed Islamic gravestones have been found near Lake Langano, which are similar to other inscribed gravestones in southeastern Ethiopia that have been dated between AD 1000 and 1270. G.W.B. Huntingford explains their presence as evidence for Muslim traders on the trade route which extended from Zeila
and Berbera
to the Sidama
regions south of Lake Zway
, if not Muslim settlement in the area.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 207,422, of whom 105,280 are men and 102,142 are women; 17,430 or 8.40% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 1,454.85 square kilometers, Munesa has an estimated population density of 142.6 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 148,030, of whom 73,208 were men and 74,822 women; 9,756 or 6.59% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Munesa were the Oromo
(91.59%), and the Amhara
(7.34%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.07% of the population. Oromiffa
was spoken as a first language by 91.53%, and 7.94% spoke Amharic
; the remaining 0.53% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim
, with 52.54% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 46.43% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 0.89% 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 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...
located in the Great Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
, Munesa is bordered on the south by Kofele
Kofele (woreda)
Kofele is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the administrative center of the woreda, Kofele. Part of the Arsi Zone, Kofele is bordered on the south by the Bale Zone, on the southwest by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region, on the...
, on the west by the Mirab Shewa Zone
Mirab Shewa Zone
Mirab Shewa is one of the 12 zones of the Oromia Region in Ethiopia. This zone takes its name from the kingdom or former province of Shewa...
and Lake Langano
Lake Langano
Langano is a lake in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia, exactly 200 kilometers by road south of the capital, Addis Ababa, on the border between the Misraq Shewa and Arsi Zones. The first European to record its existence, Oscar Neumann, records that it was also known as "Lake Kore"...
, on the northwest 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 north 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 northeast 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...
, and on the east by Bekoji
Bekoji (woreda)
Bekoji is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Arsi Zone, Bekoji is bordered on the south by Gedeb, on the southwest by Kofele, on the west by Munesa, on the north by Digeluna Tijo, on the east by Sherka, and on the southeast by the Shebelle River which separates it...
. The administrative center of the woreda is Kersa
Kersa, Ethiopia
Kersa is a town in southeastern Ethiopia. Located in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2784 meters above sea level. It is the administrative center of Munesa woreda....
; other towns in Munesa include Ego.
Overview
The altitude of this woreda ranges from 1500 over 4100 meters above sea level. The highest point in this woreda is Mount Chiqe 4193 meters); another notable peak is Kulsa. Rivers include 45 kilometers of the Kessa, 50 of the Teji, 60 of the Guracho, 60 of the Gadamsa and 55 kilometers of the Metna; all of these flow into the Rift valley. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 37.1% is arable or cultivable, 24.1% pasture, 34.6% forest, and the remaining 4.2% is considered swampy, mountainous or otherwise unusable. Lole state farm, which grows wheatWheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and rape seed, occupies a large part of the arable land. Rape seed and linseed are important cash crops; hides and skins are major export items. Although 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, less than 20 square kilometers are planted with it.
Industry in the woreda includes quarries along the shore of Lake Langano and 29 grain mills employing 78 people, as well as 910 registered businesses of whom 15.7% are wholesalers, 30.9% retailers, and 53.3% service providers. There were 38 Farmers Associations with 15,870 members and 5 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 9611 members. Munesa has 105 kilometers of dry-weather and 98 of all-weather road, for an average road density of 139.5 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 4.9% 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...
.
Four inscribed Islamic gravestones have been found near Lake Langano, which are similar to other inscribed gravestones in southeastern Ethiopia that have been dated between AD 1000 and 1270. G.W.B. Huntingford explains their presence as evidence for Muslim traders on the trade route which extended from Zeila
Zeila
Zeila, also known as Zaila , is a port city on the Gulf of Aden coast, situated in the northwestern Awdal region of Somalia.Located near the Djibouti border, the town sits on a sandy spit surrounded by the sea. It is known for its offshore islands, coral reef and mangroves. Landward, the terrain is...
and Berbera
Berbera
Berbera is a city and seat of Berbera District in Somaliland, a self-proclaimed Independent Republic with de facto control over its own territory, which is recognized by the international community and the Somali Government as a part of Somalia...
to the Sidama
Sidama people
The Sidama people of southern Ethiopia are an ethnic group whose homeland is in the Sidama Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of Ethiopia. They number 2,966,474 of whom 149,480 are urban inhabitants, the fifth most populous nation in Ethiopia...
regions south of Lake Zway
Lake Zway
Lake Zway or Lake Ziway is one of the freshwater Rift Valley lakes of Ethiopia. It is located about 60 miles south of Addis Ababa, on the border between the Regions of Oromia and of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples; the woredas holding the lake's shoreline are Adami Tullu and Jido...
, if not Muslim settlement in the area.
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 207,422, of whom 105,280 are men and 102,142 are women; 17,430 or 8.40% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 1,454.85 square kilometers, Munesa has an estimated population density of 142.6 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 148,030, of whom 73,208 were men and 74,822 women; 9,756 or 6.59% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Munesa 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...
(91.59%), 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...
(7.34%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.07% 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 91.53%, and 7.94% 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 0.53% 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 52.54% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 46.43% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 0.89% 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...
.