Ale is one of the 180
woredaWoreda 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 RegionOromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
of
EthiopiaEthiopia , 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
Illubabor ZoneIllubabor is one of the 17 zones of the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Illubabor is named for the former province Illubabor. It is bordered on the south by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on the southwest by the Gambela Region, on the west by Misraq Welega, on the north by the...
, Ale is bordered on the south by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on the west by
NonoNono is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the Nono Oromo, a subgroup of the Macha Oromo, who live in this area. Part of the Illubabor Zone, Nono is bordered on the southwest by the Gambela Region, on the north by Bure, on the northeast by Ale, and on the...
, on the northwest by Bure, and on the northeast by
MetuMetu is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Illubabor Zone, Metu is bordered on the south by Ale, on the southwest by Bure, on the west by the Mirab Welega Zone, on the north by Darimu, on the northeast by Supena Sodo, on the east by Yayu and on the southeast by...
. Towns in Ale include Ale,
GoreGore is a town in southwestern Ethiopia. Located south of Metu in the Illubabor Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 2085 meters....
and Leka.
Rivers in Ale include the Moro Kala and Waffa, both part of the drainage area of the
BaroThe Baro River is a river in southwestern Ethiopia, which defines part of Ethiopia's border with South Sudan. From its source in the Ethiopian Highlands it flows west for to join the Pibor River...
. High points include Mount Sidi.
CoffeeCoffee 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 an important cash crop of this woreda. Over 50 square kilometers is planted with this crop.
Demographics
Based on figures published by the
Central Statistical AgencyThe 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 104,291, of whom 53,060 are men and 51,231 are women; 16,038 or 15.38% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 12%. With an estimated area of 1,494.22 square kilometers, Ale has an estimated population density of 69.8 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 72.3.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 73,207 in 16,960 households, of whom 36,050 were men and 37,157 women; 8,977 or 12.26% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Ale were the
OromoThe 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...
(85.55%), the
AmharaAmhara 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...
(6.98%), and the Kafficho (3.98%); all other ethnic groups made up 3.49% of the population.
OromiffaOromo, 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 90.18%, 5.84%
AmharicAmharic 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...
, and 2.26% spoke
KafaKaffa is an Afroasiatic language spoken in Ethiopia around Bonga in the Keficho Shekicho Zone. The language is also called Kafi nono.- Further reading :...
; the remaining 1.72% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 56.55% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 34.7% of the population said they were
MuslimAccording 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...
, 6.49%
ProtestantP'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...
, and 1.41% were
CatholicThe 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...
.