Wolayita Zone
Encyclopedia
Wolayita is a Zone in the Ethiopia
n Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR). it is named for the Welayta people
, whose homeland lies in this Zone. Wolayita is bordered on the south by Gamo Gofa
, on the west by the Omo River
which separates it from Dawro
, on the northwest by Kembata Tembaro, on the north by Hadiya
, on the northeast by the Oromia Region
, on the east by the Bilate River
which separates it from Sidama
, and on the south east by the Lake Abaya
which separates it from Oromia Region. The administrative center of Wolayita is Sodo
.
Wolayita has 358 kilometers of all-weather roads and 425 kilometers of dry-weather roads, for an average road density of 187 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. The highest point in this Zone is Mount Damota (2738 meters).
Originally Wolayita was part of the Semien (North) Omo Zone
, and the 1994 national census counted its inhabitants as part of that Zone. However friction between the various ethnic groups in Semien Omo, which was often blamed on the Welayta for "ethnic chauvinism" and despite the efforts of the ruling party to emphasize the need to co-ordinate, consolidate, and unify the smaller ethnic units to achieve the "efficient use of scarce government resources", eventually led to the division of the Zone in 2000, resulting with the creation of not only the Wolayita, but also the Gamo Gofa and Dawro Zones and two special woredas.
of Ethiopia (CSA), this Zone has a total population of 1,501,112, of whom 739,533 are men and 761,579 women; with an area of 4,208.64 square kilometers, Wolayita has a population density of 356.67. While 172,514 or 11.49% are urban inhabitants, a further 1,196 or 0.08% are pastoralists. A total of 310,454 households were counted in this Zone, which results in an average of 4.84 persons to a household, and 297,981 housing units.
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...
n Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR). it is named for the Welayta people
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...
, whose homeland lies in this Zone. Wolayita is bordered on the south by Gamo Gofa
Gamo Gofa Zone
Gamo Gofa is a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region . It is named for the Gamo and Gofa peoples, whose homelands lie in this Zone...
, on the west by the Omo River
Omo River
The Omo River is an important river of southern Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and empties into Lake Turkana on the border with Kenya...
which separates it from Dawro
Dawro Zone
Dawro 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...
, on the northwest by Kembata Tembaro, on the north by Hadiya
Hadiya Zone
Hadiya is a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region . This zone is named after the Hadiya of the Hadiya kingdom, whose homeland covers part of the administrative division...
, on the northeast by the Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
, on the east by the Bilate River
Bilate River
The Bilate is a river of south-central Ethiopia. It rises on the southwestern slopes of Mount Gurage near , flowing south along the western side of the Great Rift Valley, to empty into Lake Abaya at...
which separates it from Sidama
Sidama Zone
Sidama is a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region . It is named for the Sidama people, whose homeland is located in this zone...
, and on the south east by the Lake Abaya
Lake Abaya
Lake Abaya is a lake in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of Ethiopia. It was named Lake Margherita by the Italian explorer Vittorio Bottego, the first European commonly thought to visit the lake, to honor the wife of king Umberto I of Italy, Queen Margherita...
which separates it from Oromia Region. The administrative center of Wolayita 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...
.
Wolayita has 358 kilometers of all-weather roads and 425 kilometers of dry-weather roads, for an average road density of 187 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. The highest point in this Zone is Mount Damota (2738 meters).
Originally Wolayita was part of the Semien (North) Omo Zone
Semien Omo Zone
Semien Omo was a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region . It was named after the Omo River, which flows in the western area of the former zone...
, and the 1994 national census counted its inhabitants as part of that Zone. However friction between the various ethnic groups in Semien Omo, which was often blamed on the Welayta for "ethnic chauvinism" and despite the efforts of the ruling party to emphasize the need to co-ordinate, consolidate, and unify the smaller ethnic units to achieve the "efficient use of scarce government resources", eventually led to the division of the Zone in 2000, resulting with the creation of not only the Wolayita, but also the Gamo Gofa and Dawro Zones and two special woredas.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 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 Zone has a total population of 1,501,112, of whom 739,533 are men and 761,579 women; with an area of 4,208.64 square kilometers, Wolayita has a population density of 356.67. While 172,514 or 11.49% are urban inhabitants, a further 1,196 or 0.08% are pastoralists. A total of 310,454 households were counted in this Zone, which results in an average of 4.84 persons to a household, and 297,981 housing units.