Seka Chekorsa (woreda)
Encyclopedia
Seka Chekorsa is one of the 180 woreda
s 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 the west by Gera
, on the northwest by Gomma
, on the north by Mana
, on the northeast by Kersa
, and on the east by Dedo
. Other towns in this woreda include Shebe; villages include Bedadi
.
, peppers, fruits and teff
are important cash crops. Coffee
is another important cash crop for this woreda; over 50 square kilometers are planted with this crop.
Industry in the woreda includes 16 grain mills, one bakery and one coffee hulling mill. Coal, oil shale
, clay and salt deposits are known to exist in Seka Chekorsa, but commercial extraction has not begun. There were 53 Farmers Associations with 33,980 members and 15 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 21,413 members. Seka Chekorsa has 30 kilometers of dry-weather and 75 of all-weather road, for an average of road density of 65.6 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers, which is less than the Zonal average of 70 per 1000 square kilometers.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 336,277, of whom 168,863 were males and 167,414 were females; 14,574 or 4.33% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 1,607.66 square kilometers, Seka Chekorsa has an estimated population density of 209.2 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 242,302, of whom 121,261 were men and 121,041 women; 8,152 or 3.36% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Seka Chekorsa were the Oromo
(71.72%), the Yem
(16.36%), the Amhara
(4.82%), the Kafficho (4.54%), and the Kullo (1.45%); all other ethnic groups made up 5.78% of the population. However according to one source, in the early 1990s about 150,000 members of the Yem lived in 34 villages of this woreda. Oromiffa
was spoken as a first language by 88.36%, 5.68% spoke Amharic
, 2.63% spoke Yemsa
, 2.21% spoke Kafa
, and 0.76% spoke Kullo; the remaining 0.36% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim
, with 83.93% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 15.27% 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 the administrative center, Seka Chekorsa
Seka Chekorsa
Seka Chekorsa is a town in southern Ethiopia. Located in the Jimma Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of...
. 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...
, Seka Chekorsa is bordered on the south by the Gojeb River
Gojeb River
The Gojeb River is eastward-flowing tributary of the Omo River in Ethiopia. It rises in the mountains of Guma, flowing in almost a direct line its confluence with the Omo at....
which separates it from the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on the west by Gera
Gera (woreda)
Gera is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the former Kingdom of Gera, whose territory was approximately the same as the modern woreda...
, on the northwest by Gomma
Gomma (woreda)
Gomma is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the former Kingdom of Gomma, whose territory was roughly the same as the modern woreda...
, on the north 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 northeast by Kersa
Kersa (Jimma)
Kersa is one of the 180 woredas 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...
, and on the east 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...
. Other towns in this woreda include Shebe; villages include Bedadi
Bedadi, Ethiopia
Bedadi is a village in southwestern Ethiopia. Located in Seka Chekorsa, a woreda in the Jimma Zone of the Oromia Region, it has a latitude and longitude of with an altitude of 1533 meters above sea level....
.
Overview
The altitude of this woreda ranges from 1580 to 2560 meters above sea level; perennial rivers include the Abono, Anja, Gulufa and Meti. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 45.3% is arable or cultivable (44.9% was under annual crops), 6.1% pasture, 25.8% forest, and the remaining 22.8% is considered swampy, degraded or otherwise unusable. KhatKhat
Khat, qat, gat or Waquish Spoken from true Yemeni, is a flowering plant native to tropical East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula....
, peppers, fruits and teff
Teff
Eragrostis tef, known as teff, taf , or khak shir , is an annual grass, a species of lovegrass native to the northern Ethiopian Highlands of Northeast Africa....
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 another important cash crop for this woreda; over 50 square kilometers are planted with this crop.
Industry in the woreda includes 16 grain mills, one bakery and one coffee hulling mill. Coal, oil shale
Oil shale
Oil shale, an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock, contains significant amounts of kerogen from which liquid hydrocarbons called shale oil can be produced...
, clay and salt deposits are known to exist in Seka Chekorsa, but commercial extraction has not begun. There were 53 Farmers Associations with 33,980 members and 15 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 21,413 members. Seka Chekorsa has 30 kilometers of dry-weather and 75 of all-weather road, for an average of road density of 65.6 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers, which is less than the Zonal average of 70 per 1000 square kilometers.
Population
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 336,277, of whom 168,863 were males and 167,414 were females; 14,574 or 4.33% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 1,607.66 square kilometers, Seka Chekorsa has an estimated population density of 209.2 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 242,302, of whom 121,261 were men and 121,041 women; 8,152 or 3.36% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Seka Chekorsa 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...
(71.72%), 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,...
(16.36%), 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...
(4.82%), the Kafficho (4.54%), and the Kullo (1.45%); all other ethnic groups made up 5.78% of the population. However according to one source, in the early 1990s about 150,000 members of the Yem lived in 34 villages of this woreda. 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 88.36%, 5.68% 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...
, 2.63% 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...
, 2.21% spoke Kafa
Kafa language
Kaffa is an Afroasiatic language spoken in Ethiopia around Bonga in the Keficho Shekicho Zone. The language is also called Kafi nono.- Further reading :...
, and 0.76% spoke Kullo; the remaining 0.36% 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 83.93% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 15.27% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.