Fentale
Encyclopedia
Fentale is one of the 180 woreda
s in the Oromia Region
of Ethiopia
. Part of the Misraq Shewa Zone
located in the Great Rift Valley
, Fentale is bordered on the southeast by the Arsi Zone
, on the southwest by Boset
, on the northwest by the Amhara Region
, and on the northeast by the Afar Region
. The administrative center of Fentale is Metehara
; other towns include Addis Ketema.
(2400 meters) is the highest point. Rivers include the Awash
and the Germama
; Lake Basaka
is an important body of water in this woreda. Points of interest include the Awash National Park
in the north. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 8.2% is arable or cultivable, 7.6% pasture, 28.8% forest, and the remaining 55.4% is considered degraded or otherwise unusable. The Metehara Sugar Cane Plantation covers 100 square kilometers. In 11 of the 18 kebele
s of Fentale, the predominant agricultural practice is pastoralism. Camels, goats and cattle are the most common livestock; migration to the border areas of Boset woreda for grazing during normal years is common, but in years of low rainfall herdsmen will migrate as far as Negele Arsi
. Another source of income is the sale of firewood and charcoal. The vegetation is primarily acacia trees with the bushes and shrubs common to the lowland portions of Ethiopia. Fruits and vegetables are important cash crops.
Industry in the woreda includes 31 grain mills and the Metehara Sugar Cane Plantation. There were 593 licensed business enterprises in Fentale, which included 85 wholesalers, 294 retailers and 214 service providers of different types. There are also 16 Farmers Associations with 5,318 members but no Farmers Service Cooperatives. Fentale has 33 kilometers of dry-weather and 157 of all-weather road, for an average road density of 162.4 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 100% of the urban, 22% of rural and 38% of the total population has access to drinking water
. The primary ethnic groups reported in this woreda included the Karayu and Ittu Oromo
s.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 87,424, of whom 41,437 are men and 45,987 are women; 21,348 or 24.42% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 32.1%. With an estimated area of 1,169.85 square kilometers, Fentale has an estimated population density of 74.7 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 60,048, of whom 31,638 were men and 28,410 women; 11,934 or 19.87% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Fentale were the Oromo
(46.54%), the Amhara
(17.73%), the Kambaata
(12.19%), the Hadiya (12.19%), and the Welayta
(1.08%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.58% of the population. Oromiffa
was spoken as a first language by 43.25%, 39.78% spoke Amharic
, 5.79% spoke Kambaata
, 3.38% spoke Welayta
, and 3.27% spoke Hadiya
; the remaining 4.53% spoke all other primary languages reported. The plurality of the inhabitants were Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 39.1% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 35.41% of the population said they were Moslem
, 12.75% Roman Catholic
, 7.19% practiced traditional beliefs, and 4.27% 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...
. Part of the Misraq 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...
, Fentale is bordered on the southeast 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...
, on the southwest by Boset
Boset
Boset is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraq Shewa Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Boset is bordered on the south by the Arsi Zone, on the west by the Awash River which separates it from Adama, on the north by the Afar Region, and on the east by Fentale...
, on the northwest by the Amhara Region
Amhara Region
Amhara is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, containing the homeland of the Amhara people. Previously known as Region 3, its capital is Bahir Dar....
, and on the northeast by the Afar Region
Afar Region
Afar is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, and is the homeland of the Afar people. Formerly known as Region 2, its current capital is Asayita; a new capital named Semera on the paved Awash - Asseb highway is under construction....
. The administrative center of Fentale is Metehara
Metehara
Metehara is a town in central Ethiopia. Located in the Misraq Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region, it has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 947 meters above sea level....
; other towns include Addis Ketema.
Overview
Most parts of this woreda range from 900 to 1000 meters above sea level; Mount FentaleMount Fentale
Fentale is a stratovolcano located in the Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is the highest point of Fentale woreda.Philip Briggs describes Mount Fentale being crowned by a 350 meter deep crater...
(2400 meters) is the highest point. Rivers include the Awash
Awash River
The Awash is a major river of Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and empties into a chain of interconnected lakes that begin with Lake Gargori and end with Lake Abbe on the border with Djibouti, some 100 kilometers from the head of the Gulf of Tadjoura...
and the Germama
Germama River
The Germama River is a tributary of the Awash River in Ethiopia. The name Germama comes from the Amharic word which means "frolicking", "boisterous", or "frisky"....
; Lake Basaka
Lake Basaka
Lake Basaka is a lake in the Oromia Region of south-central Ethiopia. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at an elevation of 1,900 meters....
is an important body of water in this woreda. Points of interest include the Awash National Park
Awash National Park
Awash National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Located at the southern tip of the Afar Region, this park is 225 kilometers east of Addis Ababa , with its southern boundary along the Awash River, and covers at least 756 square kilometers of acacia woodland and grassland...
in the north. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 8.2% is arable or cultivable, 7.6% pasture, 28.8% forest, and the remaining 55.4% is considered degraded or otherwise unusable. The Metehara Sugar Cane Plantation covers 100 square kilometers. In 11 of the 18 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 Fentale, the predominant agricultural practice is pastoralism. Camels, goats and cattle are the most common livestock; migration to the border areas of Boset woreda for grazing during normal years is common, but in years of low rainfall herdsmen will migrate as far as Negele Arsi
Negele Arsi
Negele Arsi is a town in southeastern Ethiopia. Located in the Misraq Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region on the paved highway north of Shashamane, this town has a longitude and latitude of and an elevation of 2043 meters above sea level...
. Another source of income is the sale of firewood and charcoal. The vegetation is primarily acacia trees with the bushes and shrubs common to the lowland portions of Ethiopia. Fruits and vegetables are important cash crops.
Industry in the woreda includes 31 grain mills and the Metehara Sugar Cane Plantation. There were 593 licensed business enterprises in Fentale, which included 85 wholesalers, 294 retailers and 214 service providers of different types. There are also 16 Farmers Associations with 5,318 members but no Farmers Service Cooperatives. Fentale has 33 kilometers of dry-weather and 157 of all-weather road, for an average road density of 162.4 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 100% of the urban, 22% of rural and 38% 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...
. The primary ethnic groups reported in this woreda included the Karayu and Ittu Oromo
Ittu Oromo
Ittu is one of the divisions of the Oromo people. This tribe lives dominantly in the present-day Mirab Hararghe Zone. The correct term for the land of Ittus is "Chercher" or "Ona Ituu" ....
s.
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 87,424, of whom 41,437 are men and 45,987 are women; 21,348 or 24.42% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 32.1%. With an estimated area of 1,169.85 square kilometers, Fentale has an estimated population density of 74.7 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 60,048, of whom 31,638 were men and 28,410 women; 11,934 or 19.87% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Fentale 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...
(46.54%), 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...
(17.73%), 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...
(12.19%), the Hadiya (12.19%), and 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...
(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 43.25%, 39.78% 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...
, 5.79% 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,...
, 3.38% spoke 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...
, and 3.27% spoke Hadiya
Hadiya language
Hadiyya is the Afro-Asiatic language of the Hadiya people of Ethiopia. Most speakers live in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region in the Hadiya Zone around the town Hosaena....
; the remaining 4.53% spoke all other primary languages reported. The plurality of the inhabitants were Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 39.1% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 35.41% of the population said they 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...
, 12.75% 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...
, 7.19% practiced traditional beliefs, and 4.27% 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...
.