Gofa Zuria (
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 ...
"Greater Gofa Area") is a
zone
Zone, Zones or The Zone may refer to:
Places Military zones
* Zone, any of the divisions of France during the World War II German occupation
* Zone, any of the divisions of Germany during the post-World War II Allied occupation
* Korean Demilit ...
in the
South Ethiopia Regional State
The South Ethiopia Regional State (Amharic: ደቡብ ኢትዮጵያ ክልላዊ መንግስት) is a region in southern Ethiopia. It was formed from the southern part of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) on 19 A ...
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 ...
. It was previously one of the 17 Zones in the
Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region
The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (often abbreviated as SNNPR; ) was a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in southwestern Ethiopia. It was formed from the merger of five ''kililoch'', called Regions 7 to 11, following the ...
(SNNPR) 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 ...
. Within the SNNPR, Gofa Zone was bordered to the south by
Kamba
Kamba may refer to:
*Kamba African Rainforest Experiences, a collection of eco-luxury lodges in the Republic of Congo
*Kamba people of Kenya
*Bena-Kamba, a community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
*Khampa, also spelled Kamba, Tibetan peop ...
and
Daramalo woredas, to the southwest by the
Debub (South) Omo Zone, to the west by the
Basketo special woreda, to the northwest by
Dawro Zone
Dawuro (or Dawro) is a zone in the Southwest Region of Ethiopia. The name "Dawuro" represents both the land and the people. It is located at about 500km southwest of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, about 111 km west of Wolaita Sodo, the ...
, to the north by the
Dawro Zone
Dawuro (or Dawro) is a zone in the Southwest Region of Ethiopia. The name "Dawuro" represents both the land and the people. It is located at about 500km southwest of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, about 111 km west of Wolaita Sodo, the ...
, and to the east by
Kucha
Kucha or Kuche (also: ''Kuçar'', ''Kuchar''; , Кучар; zh, t= 龜茲, p=Qiūcí, zh, t= 庫車, p=Kùchē; ) was an ancient Buddhist kingdom located on the branch of the Silk Road that ran along the northern edge of what is now the Taklam ...
. The administrative center of Gofa Zone is
Sawla; other towns included
Bulki
Bulki is a town in southern Ethiopia. It sits on a narrow ridge, high above the town of Sawla, in the Gofa Zone of the South Ethiopia Regional State. It is the administrative center of Geze Gofa woreda.
Population
Based on figures from the Ce ...
. Gofa Zone is administratively subdivided into the aforementioned towns of Bulki and Sawla and the seven
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 of
Demba Gofa,
Gada,
Geze Gofa
Geze Gofa is a Districts of Ethiopia, woreda in the Zones of Ethiopia, zone of Gofa Zuria in South Ethiopia Regional State in Ethiopia. Geze Gofa is bordered on the south by Oyda (woreda), Oyda, on the west by Basketo Zone, on the northwest by Me ...
,
Melokoza,
Oyda,
Uba Debretsehay, and
Zala.
Gofa Zone is part of a region known for hilly and undulating midland and upper lowland terrain. It is prone to floods and landslides. Due to terrain and weather patterns, less than one in five households is food secure. Food crops include
maize
Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
,
enset
''Ensete ventricosum'', commonly known as enset or ensete, Ethiopian banana, Abyssinian banana, pseudo-banana, false banana and wild banana,
is a species of flowering plant in the banana family Musaceae. The domesticated form of the plant is ...
, sweet potatoes,
taro
Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...
,
teff
''Teff'' (), also known as ''Eragrostis tef'', Williams lovegrass, or annual bunch grass, is an annual grass, a species of lovegrass native to Ethiopia, where it first originated in the Ethiopian Highlands. It is cultivated for its edible seed ...
, and yams; income sources include butter and selling firewood. According to a 2004 report, Gofa Zuria had 75 kilometers of all-weather roads for an average road density of 44 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers.
"Detailed statistics on roads"
, SNNPR Bureau of Finance and Economic Development website (accessed 15 September 2009)
Notes
{{Districts of the South Ethiopia Regional State
South Ethiopia Regional State
Zones of South Ethiopia Regional State
Districts of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region