Arsi Negele (woreda)
Encyclopedia
Arsi Negele is one of the 180 woreda
s in the Oromia Region
of Ethiopia
. It is named after its administrative center, Arsi Negele. Part of the Misraq (East) Shewa Zone
located in the Great Rift Valley
, Arsi Negele is bordered on the south by Shashamene
, on the southwest by Lake Shala
which separates it from Seraro
, on the west from the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on the north by Adami Tullu and Jido Kombolcha
with which it shares the shores of Lakes Abijatta
and Langano
, and on the east by the Arsi Zone
.
is an important cash crop.
Industry in the woreda includes 19 small industries employing 79 people, as well as 570 registered businessmen including 148 wholesalers 243 retailers and 179 service providers. Construction-grade sand and soda ash are mined in Arsi Negele. There were 33 Farmers Associations with 21,777 members and 12 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 11,430 members. Arsi Negele has 48 kilometers of dry-weather and 85 all-weather road, for an average road density of 95 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 22% of the total population has access to drinking water
.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 198,307, of whom 100,626 are men and 97,681 are women; 42,054 or 21.21% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 32.1%. With an estimated area of 1,400.16 square kilometers, Arsi Negele has an estimated population density of 141.6 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 181.7.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 137,228, of whom 67,534 were men and 69,694 women; 23,512 or 17.13% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The four largest ethnic groups reported in Arsi Negele were the Oromo
(85.92%), the Amhara
(7.69%), the Kambaata
(2.73%), and the Soddo Gurage (1.08%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.58% of the population. Oromiffa
was spoken as a first language by 83.65%, 11.89% spoke Amharic
, and 2.44% spoke Kambaata
; the remaining 2.02% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Moslem
, with 70.94% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 22.29% of the population said they were Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 5.34% 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...
. It is named after its administrative center, Arsi Negele. Part of the Misraq (East) Shewa Zone
Misraq Shewa Zone
Misraq Shewa is one of the 12 Zones of the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. This zone takes its name from the kingdom or former province of Shewa. Misraq Shewa is located in the middle of Oromia, connecting the western regions to the eastern ones...
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...
, Arsi Negele is bordered on the south by Shashamene
Shashamene (woreda)
Shashamene is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the administrative center of the woreda, Shashamene. Part of the Misraq Shewa Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Shashamene is bordered on the south by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples...
, on the southwest by Lake Shala
Lake Shala
Lake Shala lies in Ethiopia south of Addis Ababa, in the Abijatta-Shalla National Park. The lake is 28 kilometers long and 12 wide, with a surface area of 329 square kilometers. It has a maximum depth of 266 meters and is at an elevation of 1,558 meters...
which separates it from Seraro
Seraro
Seraro is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraq Shewa Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Seraro is bordered on the south and west by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region, on the north by Lake Shala, and on the east by Shashamene; its...
, on the west from the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on the north by Adami Tullu and Jido Kombolcha
Adami Tullu and Jido Kombolcha
Adami Tullu and Jido Kombolcha is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraq Shewa Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Adami Tullu and Jido Kombolcha is bordered on the south by Arsi Negele with which it shares the shores of Lakes Abijatta and Langano, on the...
with which it shares the shores of Lakes Abijatta
Lake Abijatta
Lake Abijata lies in Ethiopia south of Addis Ababa, in the Abijatta-Shalla National Park. According to the Statistical Abstract of Ethiopia for 1967/68, the lake is 17 kilometers long and 15 km wide, with a surface area of 205 square kilometers...
and 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"...
, and on the east by 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...
.
Overview
Except for the southeastern portion, the altitude of this woreda ranges from 1500 to 2300 meters above sea level; Gara Duro is the highest point. Rivers include the Gedamso, Lephis, Huluka, Awede Jitu, Awede Gudo, and Dadaba Gudo. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 29.9% is arable or cultivable, 4.3% pasture, 5.2% forest, and the remaining 60.6% is considered swampy, degraded or otherwise unusable. The three major lakes of this woreda—Abijatta, Langano and Shala—cover about 32% of its area. OnionOnion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
is an important cash crop.
Industry in the woreda includes 19 small industries employing 79 people, as well as 570 registered businessmen including 148 wholesalers 243 retailers and 179 service providers. Construction-grade sand and soda ash are mined in Arsi Negele. There were 33 Farmers Associations with 21,777 members and 12 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 11,430 members. Arsi Negele has 48 kilometers of dry-weather and 85 all-weather road, for an average road density of 95 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 22% 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...
.
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 198,307, of whom 100,626 are men and 97,681 are women; 42,054 or 21.21% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 32.1%. With an estimated area of 1,400.16 square kilometers, Arsi Negele has an estimated population density of 141.6 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 181.7.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 137,228, of whom 67,534 were men and 69,694 women; 23,512 or 17.13% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The four largest ethnic groups reported in Arsi Negele 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...
(85.92%), 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...
(7.69%), the Kambaata
Kambaata
Kambaata is the name of the people who speak the Kambaata language. It was a province of Ethiopia beginning in the early 15th century and ending in the mid-17th century before Ethiopian rule was once again established under Emperor Menelek II...
(2.73%), and the Soddo Gurage (1.08%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.58% 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 83.65%, 11.89% 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...
, and 2.44% spoke Kambaata
Kambaata language
Kambaata is a Highland East Cushitic language, part of the larger Afro-Asiatic family and spoken by the Kambaata. Dialects are Donga, Kambaata and Tambaro. It is one of the official languages of Ethiopia. The language has a large number of verbal affixes. When these are affixed to verbal roots,...
; the remaining 2.02% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Moslem
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 70.94% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 22.29% of the population said they were Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 5.34% 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...
.