Ela (woreda)
Encyclopedia
Konta, previously called Ela, is one of the 79 woreda
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...

. Because Konta is not part of any Zone in the SNNPR, it is considered a Special woreda, an administrative subdivision which is similar to an autonomous area
Autonomous area
An autonomous area or autonomous entity is an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or freedom from an external authority. Typically it is either geographically distinct from the rest of the country or populated by a national minority. Countries that include autonomous areas are often...

. This special woreda is bordered on the south 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 the Gamo Gofa Zone
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 Keficho Shekicho Zone
Keficho Shekicho Zone
Keficho Shekicho is a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region . While in their latest population estimates the Central Statistical Agency includes it as a single Zone, the list of second administrative level bodies maintained by the United Nations Geographic...

, on the north 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 Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...

, and on the east by the Dawro Zone
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...

; the Denchya River
Denchya River
The Denchya River is a river of southern Ethiopia. It is a south-flowing tributary of the Omo River, entering it on the right bank at ....

 defines the southern part of the boundary with the Keficho Shekicho Zone. The administrative center is Ameya; other towns include Chida.

Overview

According to a 2004 report, Konta had 51 kilometers of all-weather roads and 98 kilometers of dry-weather roads, for an average road density of 66 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. This woreda is part of a region characterized by hills, and is not suitable for grazing or cultivation, but farmers cultivate the sloping land, leading to erosion and reduced soil fertility. Important food crops include enset, sweet potatoes, taro
Taro
Taro is a common name for the corms and tubers of several plants in the family Araceae . Of these, Colocasia esculenta is the most widely cultivated, and is the subject of this article. More specifically, this article describes the 'dasheen' form of taro; another variety is called eddoe.Taro is...

 and beans, while important cash crops are maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...

, 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....

 and pulses.

Originally Konta 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 this Zone, which was often blamed on 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...

 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, and reorganizing Konta as a special woreda.

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency
Central 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 woreda has a total population of 90,846, of whom 44,686 are men and 46,160 women. With an area of 2,381.63 square kilometers, Konta has a population density of 38.14; 8,257% or 9.09% are urban inhabitants. A total of 21,854 households were counted in this woreda, which results in an average of 4.16 persons to a household, and 21,114 housing units.

The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 52,321 of whom 25,284 were males and 27,037 were females; 2,787 or 5.33% of its population were urban dwellers. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Konta were the Konta (86.19%), the Kaffa (5.37%), and the Chara (3.25%); all other ethnic groups made up 5.19% of the population. Konta is spoken as a first language by 85.14%, 6.71% 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 3.28% speak Chara
Chara language
Chara is an Afro-Asiatic language of the North Omotic variety spoken in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region of Ethiopia by more than 13,000 people.-Status:...

; the remaining 4.87% spoke all other primary languages reported. However, Ralph Siebert's local research in 1995 led him to believe that this woreda was predominantly inhabited by the Dawro people. Concerning religious beliefs, the 1994 census reported that 44.55% of the population said they observed traditional religions, 43.19% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 7.53% 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...

.
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