Sodo Zuria
Encyclopedia
Sodo Zuria is one of the 77 woreda
s in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia
. Part of the Wolayita Zone
, Sodo Zuria is bordered on the southwest by Offa
, on the west by Kindo Koysha
, on the north by Boloso Sore
, on the northeast by Damot Gale
, and on the east by Damot Weyde
. The administrative center of Sodo Zuria is Sodo
.
According to a 2004 report, Sodo Zuria had 22 kilometers of asphalt roads, 104 kilometers of all-weather roads and 48 kilometers of dry-weather roads, for an average road density of 380 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. In 2006 the Woreda Agriculture and Rural Development Office announced that they had begun development projects that included the creation or maintenance of 105 kilometers of road in 34 kebele
s of Sodo Zuria woreda. This would cost 2.5 million Birr
.
in 2004 as one of several woredas for voluntary resettlement for farmers from overpopulated areas, becoming the new home for a total of 1268 heads of households and 5072 total family members.
The World Bank
approved funding November 2007 for a project sponsored by World Vision Ethiopia
to restore forest to 1,000 to 2,000 hectares in Soddo Zuria and 3,000 to 4,000 hectares in Humbo using native species, a program which would be funded with funds from carbon offset
purchases.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 297,576, of whom 149,275 are men and 148,301 are women; 65,737 or 22.09% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 8.5%. With an estimated area of 481.25 square kilometers, Sodo Zuria has an estimated population density of 618.3 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 156.5.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 200,866 of whom 99,979 were men and 100,887 were women; 36,287 or 18.07% of its population were urban dwellers. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Sodo Zuria were the Welayta
(92.81%), the Amhara
(2.6%), the Gamo
(0.85%), the Dorze (0.77%), and the Silt'e
(0.76%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.21% of the population. Welayta
is spoken as a first language by 93.14%, 4.17% Amharic
, 0.65% Gamo, and 0.58% speak Dorze
; the remaining 1.46% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 52.03% of the population reporting they held that belief, while 43.06% were Protestants
, 2.4% were Roman Catholic
, and 1.61% 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 Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region 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 Wolayita Zone
Wolayita Zone
Wolayita is a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region . it is named for the Welayta people, whose homeland lies in this Zone...
, Sodo Zuria is bordered on the southwest by Offa
Offa (woreda)
Offa is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Wolayita Zone, Offa is bordered on the south by the Gamo Gofa Zone, on the west by the Dawro Zone, on the northwest by Kindo Koysha, on the northeast by Sodo Zuria, and on the east by...
, on the west by Kindo Koysha
Kindo Koysha
Kindo Koysha is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Wolayita Zone, Kindo Koysha is bordered on the south by Offa, on the west by the Dawro Zone, on the north by Boloso Sore, and on the east by Sodo Zuria...
, on the north by Boloso Sore
Boloso Sore
Boloso Sore is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Wolayita Zone, Boloso Sore is bordered on the south by Sodo Zuria, on the southwest by Kindo Koysha, on the west by the Dawro Zone, on the north by the Kembata Tembaro Zone, on...
, on the northeast by Damot Gale
Damot Gale
Damot Gale is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Wolayita Zone, Damot Gale is bordered on the south by Sodo Zuria, on the west by Boloso Sore, on the north by the Hadiya Zone, and on the east by Damot Weyde...
, and on the east by Damot Weyde
Damot Weyde
Damot Weyde is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Wolayita Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Damot Weyde is bordered on the south by Humbo, on the west by Sodo Zuria, on the northwest by Damot Gale, on the north by the...
. The administrative center of Sodo Zuria is Sodo
Sodo
Sodo or Wolaita Sodo is a town in south-central Ethiopia. The administrative center of the Wolaita Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, Sodo has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation between 1600 and 2100 meters above sea level...
.
According to a 2004 report, Sodo Zuria had 22 kilometers of asphalt roads, 104 kilometers of all-weather roads and 48 kilometers of dry-weather roads, for an average road density of 380 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. In 2006 the Woreda Agriculture and Rural Development Office announced that they had begun development projects that included the creation or maintenance of 105 kilometers of road in 34 kebele
Kebele
A kebele is the smallest administrative unit of Ethiopia similar to ward, a neighbourhood or a localized and delimited group of people...
s of Sodo Zuria woreda. This would cost 2.5 million Birr
Ethiopian birr
The birr is the unit of currency in Ethiopia. Before 1976, dollar was the official English translation of birr. Today, it is officially birr in English as well....
.
History
Sodo Zuria was selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ethiopia)
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is the Ethiopian government ministry which oversees the agricultural and rural development policies of Ethiopia on a Federal level...
in 2004 as one of several woredas for voluntary resettlement for farmers from overpopulated areas, becoming the new home for a total of 1268 heads of households and 5072 total family members.
The World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
approved funding November 2007 for a project sponsored by World Vision Ethiopia
World Vision
World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical relief and development organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of...
to restore forest to 1,000 to 2,000 hectares in Soddo Zuria and 3,000 to 4,000 hectares in Humbo using native species, a program which would be funded with funds from carbon offset
Carbon offset
A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for or to offset an emission made elsewhere....
purchases.
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 297,576, of whom 149,275 are men and 148,301 are women; 65,737 or 22.09% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 8.5%. With an estimated area of 481.25 square kilometers, Sodo Zuria has an estimated population density of 618.3 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 156.5.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 200,866 of whom 99,979 were men and 100,887 were women; 36,287 or 18.07% of its population were urban dwellers. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Sodo Zuria were the Welayta
Welayta people
Wolayta is the name of an ethnic group and its former kingdom, located in southern Ethiopia. According to the most recent census , they number 1.7 million people or 2.31 percent of the country's population, of whom 289,707 are urban inhabitants...
(92.81%), 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...
(2.6%), the Gamo
Gamo people
Gamo is the name of the Ethiopian ethnic group who speak the Gamo language. The name "Gamo" means a lion, which refers to their legacy; along with the Goffa, they gave their names to the former Gamo-Gofa province of Ethiopia. The 2007 Ethiopian national census reported that 1,107,163 people ...
(0.85%), the Dorze (0.77%), and the Silt'e
Silt'e people
The Silt'e people are an ethnic group in southern Ethiopia. They inhabit today's Silt'e Zone which is part of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region. A considerable number of Silt'e live in Addis Ababa, Adama and other cities and smaller urban centres of southern Ethiopia where...
(0.76%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.21% of the population. Welayta
Welayta language
Wolaytta is an Omotic language spoken in the Wolaita Zone and some parts of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region of Ethiopia. The number of speakers of this language is estimated at 2,000,000 ; it is the native language of the Welayta people...
is spoken as a first language by 93.14%, 4.17% 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...
, 0.65% Gamo, and 0.58% speak Dorze
Dorze language
Dorze is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in the Gamo Gofa Zone of Ethiopia. Alemayehu Abebe reports that while performing preliminary fieldwork in 1992, he found 14 kebeles in Chencha woreda with Dorze speakers....
; the remaining 1.46% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 52.03% of the population reporting they held that belief, while 43.06% were Protestants
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...
, 2.4% were Roman Catholic
Roman Catholicism in Ethiopia
The Catholic Church in Ethiopia is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.The Ethiopian Catholic Church, the primary organization of Catholicism in the country, is especially close to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, whose doctrine and...
, and 1.61% 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...
.