Bedele nanowa is one of the
woreda
Districts of Ethiopia, also called woredas (; ''woreda''), are the third level of the administrative divisions of Ethiopia – after ''List of zones of Ethiopia, zones'' and the ''Regions of Ethiopia, regional states''.
These districts are f ...
s in the
Oromia Region
Oromia (, ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. Under Article 49 of 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Constitution, the capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa, also called Finfinne. The ...
of
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
. Part of the
Illubabor Zone
Illubabor () is a zone in Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Illubabora 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 ...
, Bedele Zuria is bordered on the south by
Gechi, on the southwest by
Chora
Chora may refer to:
Places Greece
* Chora, old capital of the island of Alonnisos
* Chora, village on the island of Folegandros
* Chora, Ios, capital of the island of Ios
* Chora, Messenia, a small town in Messenia in the Peloponnese
* Chora, p ...
, on the west by
Dega, on the north by the southern exclave of the
Benishangul-Gumuz Region
Benishangul-Gumuz () is a regional state in northwestern Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Er ...
, on the northeast by the
Didessa River
The Didessa (pronounced: ɗeɗ:e:s:a; ) is a river in western Ethiopia. A tributary of the Abay River, it rises in the mountains of Gomma, flowing in a northwesterly direction to its confluence where the course of the Abay has curved to its sout ...
which separates it from the
Misraq Welega Zone
East Welega () is one of the zones in the central Oromia Region of Ethiopia. This administrative division acquired its name from the former province of Welega. Towns and cities in this zone include Nekemte.
East Welega is bounded on the southwe ...
, and on the southeast by
Gechi. Towns in Bedele Zuria include
Bedele
Bedele (also called Buno Bedele) is a town and separate Aanaa in south-western Ethiopia. Located in the Buno Bedele Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a longitude and latitude of and an elevation between above sea level.
History
Ras ...
. Bedele Zuria,
Chewaka,
Dabo Hana woredas and
Bedele town were part of former Bedele woreda.
Overview
Coffee
Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
is an important cash crop of this woreda, where over 50 square kilometers are planted with this crop. Another important crop is
tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
; in 1995 East African Agri-Business (a subsidiary of
East African Group (Ethiopia)) founded a tea plantation covering 870 hectares at Chewaka, about 90 kilometers northwest of the town of Bedele, with an initial investment of 87 million
Birr. Other local industry includes the Bedele
brewery
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...
.
This woreda was selected by the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...
in 2003 as one of several areas for voluntary resettlement for farmers from overpopulated areas. Bedele was planned to be the new home for 2087 households consisting of a total of 4042 total family members. These people were settled at Chewaka. However, far more people actually came to live there: 8000 households arrived in the first phase, and 6000 more in the second phase. A survey by the Ethiopian
Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission performed in the first half of April 2004 found their living conditions deplorable. They found the settlers' nutritional status was poor, with only one grain mill available for each of the seven sub-sites, which resulted in a wait of one to two weeks to have their cereal ground for eating. There was inadequate
drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...
. The inhabitants and their children were reported to "have no clothes to wear except a single blanket provided to each households. Those households with many family members pointed out that they are suffering from cold due to lack of clothes and proper sheltering." There was no school for the children, and while there were numerous medical clinics, the facilities were reportedly understaffed.
Demographics
The 2007 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 77,687, of whom 38,654 were men and 39,033 were women; none of its population were urban dwellers. The majority of the inhabitants were
Moslem
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraham (or ''Allah'') as it ...
, with 53.8% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 28.37 of the population said they practised
Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates bac ...
, and 17.69% were
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
.
Based on figures published by the
Central Statistical Agency
The Central Statistical Agency, also known as the Ethiopian Statistical Service (ESS; Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ስታቲስቲክስ አገልግሎት), is an Ethiopian government agency designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that ...
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 139,425, of whom 71,749 are men and 67,676 are women; 23,673 or 16.98% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 12%. With an estimated area of 1,678.44 square kilometers, Bedele has an estimated population density of 83.1 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 72.3.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 97,477, of whom 47,353 were men and 50,124 women; 13,243 or 13.59% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Bedele were the
Oromo Oromo may refer to:
* Oromo people, an ethnic group of Ethiopia and Kenya
* Oromo language, an Afroasiatic language
See also
*
*Orma (clan), Oromo tribe
*Oromia
Oromia (, ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homelan ...
(91.16%), and the
Amhara
Amhara may refer to:
* Amhara people, an ethnic group of Ethiopia
* Amharic, a language spoken by the Amhara people
* Bete Amhara, a lordship and later province of medieval Ethiopia
* Amhara Province, a historical region of Ethiopia
* Amhara Region ...
(6.22%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.62% of the population.
Oromiffa
Oromo, historically also called Galla, is an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Cushitic branch, primarily spoken by the Oromo people, native to the Ethiopian state of Oromia; and northern Kenya. It is used as a lingua franca in Oromia and n ...
was spoken as a first language by 93.19%, and 5.19%
Amharic
Amharic is an Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amhara people, and also serves as a lingua franca for all other metropolitan populati ...
; the remaining 1.62% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants professed
Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates bac ...
, with 60.42% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 29.31% of the population said they were
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
, 5.06% held traditional beliefs, and 4.91% were
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
.
''1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Oromia Region'', Vol. 1, part 1
, Tables 2.1, 2.13, 2.16, 2.20 (accessed 6 April 2009).
Notes
{{Districts of the Oromia Region
Districts of Oromia