Seraro
Encyclopedia
Seraro 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
, 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 western boundary is defined by the course of the Bilate River
. The administrative center of this woreda is Aje; other towns include Rope.
covers 58 square kilometers of this woreda. Although Coffee
is also an important cash crop of this woreda, less than 20 square kilometers is planted with this crop.
Industry in the woreda includes 7 small food-related industries employing 20 people, as well as 527 registered businesses including 227 wholesalers 218 retailers and 82 service providers. There were 59 Farmers Associations with 20,120 members and 9 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 10,060 members. Seraro has 74 kilometers of dry-weather and 37 all-weather road, for an average road density of 75.7 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 6% of the total population has access to drinking water
.
There was a report that rapid deployment forces of the federal and regional police
killed two members of the Southern Ethiopia Peoples' Democratic Coalition
(SEPDC) during a January 2000 meeting organized by the Council of Alternative Forces for Peace and Democracy in Ethiopia in Seraro. Although authorities detained 13 SEPDC members, no action had been taken against the police officers involved by year's end. This was one of many events leading to the 2000 general election
.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 249,414, of whom 127,194 are men and 122,220 are women; 9,134 or 3.66% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 32.1%. With an estimated area of 1,467.03 square kilometers, Seraro has an estimated population density of 170 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 179,979, of whom 88,674 were men and 91,305 women; 5,110 or 2.84% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Seraro were the Oromo
(80.04%), the Alaba (4.05%), the Kambaata
(3.01%), the Welayta
(2.82%), and the Amhara
(1.01%); all other ethnic groups made up 9.07% of the population. Oromiffa
was spoken as a first language by 78.99%, 8.3% spoke Hadiya
, 4.89% spoke Alaba, 2.74% spoke Kambaata
, and 2.35% spoke Amharic
; the remaining 2.73% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Moslem
, with 90.93% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 4.51% of the population said they were Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 2.89% 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...
, Seraro is bordered on the south and west by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region, on the north 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...
, and on the east 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...
; its western boundary is defined by the course of 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...
. The administrative center of this woreda is Aje; other towns include Rope.
Overview
The altitude of this woreda ranges from 1500 to 2300 meters above sea level. Bodies of water include Lake Chitu. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 51.8% is arable or cultivable, 1.8% pasture, 4.7% forest, and the remaining 41.6% is considered swampy, degraded or otherwise unusable. Haricot beans are an important cash crop.. The Senkelle Swayne's Hartebeest SanctuarySenkelle Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary
Senkelle Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary is a protected area in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia, dedicated especially to the protection of the Swayne's Hartebeest...
covers 58 square kilometers of this woreda. Although Coffee
Coffee
Coffee 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 also an important cash crop of this woreda, less than 20 square kilometers is planted with this crop.
Industry in the woreda includes 7 small food-related industries employing 20 people, as well as 527 registered businesses including 227 wholesalers 218 retailers and 82 service providers. There were 59 Farmers Associations with 20,120 members and 9 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 10,060 members. Seraro has 74 kilometers of dry-weather and 37 all-weather road, for an average road density of 75.7 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 6% 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...
.
There was a report that rapid deployment forces of the federal and regional police
Law enforcement in Ethiopia
Law enforcement in Ethiopia has been since a reorganization in October 2000, the responsibility of the national police which is overseen by the Federal Police Commission. This commission reports to the Ministry of Federal Affairs, which in turn is responsible to the parliament; however, this...
killed two members of the Southern Ethiopia Peoples' Democratic Coalition
Southern Ethiopia Peoples' Democratic Coalition
The Southern Ethiopia People's Democratic Coalition is a political party in Ethiopia. At the last legislative elections held on 15 May 2005, the Coalition was part of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces that won 52 out of 527 seats in the Council of People's Representatives .It was founded in...
(SEPDC) during a January 2000 meeting organized by the Council of Alternative Forces for Peace and Democracy in Ethiopia in Seraro. Although authorities detained 13 SEPDC members, no action had been taken against the police officers involved by year's end. This was one of many events leading to the 2000 general election
Ethiopian general election, 2000
Ethiopia held general elections on 14 May and 31 August 2000, for seats in both its national and in several Regional government councils. although several opposition parties boycotted the election, 17 parties including the All-Amhara People's Organization, the Southern Ethiopia Peoples' Democratic...
.
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 249,414, of whom 127,194 are men and 122,220 are women; 9,134 or 3.66% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 32.1%. With an estimated area of 1,467.03 square kilometers, Seraro has an estimated population density of 170 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 179,979, of whom 88,674 were men and 91,305 women; 5,110 or 2.84% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Seraro 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...
(80.04%), the Alaba (4.05%), 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...
(3.01%), 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...
(2.82%), and 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...
(1.01%); all other ethnic groups made up 9.07% 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 78.99%, 8.3% 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....
, 4.89% spoke Alaba, 2.74% 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,...
, and 2.35% 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...
; the remaining 2.73% 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 90.93% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 4.51% of the population said they were Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 2.89% 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...
.