
Jimma 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
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 ...
. Jimma is named after former
Kingdom of Jimma
The Kingdom of Jimma () was an Oromo Muslim kingdom in the Gibe region of Ethiopia that emerged in the 18th century. It shared its western border with Limmu-Ennarea, its eastern border with the Sidamo Kingdom of Janjero, and was separated f ...
, which was absorbed into the former province of
Kaffa in 1932. Jimma is bordered on the south by the
Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region
The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (often abbreviated as SNNPR; ) was a regional state in southwestern Ethiopia. It was formed from the merger of five ''kililoch'', called Regions 7 to 11, following the regional council ele ...
, the northwest by
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 ...
, on the north by
East Welega Zone and on the northeast by
West Shewa Zone; part of the boundary with
West Shewa Zone is defined by the
Gibe River. The highest point in this zone is
Mount Maigudo (2,386 m). Towns and cities in Jimma include
Agaro,
Limmu Inariya and
Saqqa. The town of
Jimma
Jimma () is the largest city in southwestern Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is a special zone of the Oromia Region and is surrounded by Jimma Zone. It has a latitude and longitude of . Prior to the 2007 census, Jimma was reorganized administrativ ...
was separated from Jimma Zone and is a special zone now.
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 ...
(CSA) reported that 26,743 tons of coffee were produced in this zone in the year ending in 2005, based on inspection records from the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea authority. This represents 23.2% of the Region's output and 11.8% of Ethiopia's total output, and makes Jimma one of the three top producers of these goods, along with the
Sidama and
Gedeo Zones.
Historically, Jimma has been considered one of the food-exporting areas of Ethiopia, but beginning in 1997 poor crops harvests and the appearance of crop diseases such as
Grey leaf spot, caused by the fungus ''
Cercospora zeaemaydis'' (not previously common in Ethiopia) led to a deterioration in conditions. By 1999, signs of the seriousness of the situation included empty household granaries, people begging and committing crimes in the hope they will be fed in jail, sending children to live with relatives or friends, and reduced student enrollment in schools.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the CSA, this Zone has a total population of 3,486,155, an increase of 26.76% over the 1994 census, of whom 1,750,527 are men and 1,735,628 women; with an area of 15,568.58 square kilometers, Jimma has a population density of 159.69. While 137,668 or 11.31% are urban inhabitants, a further 858 or 0.03% are pastoralists. A total of 521,506 households were counted in this Zone, which results in an average of 4.77 persons to a household, and 500,374 housing units. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Jimma were the
Oromo (89.6%), the
Amhara (3.05%) and the
Yem (2.12%); all other ethnic groups made up 5.23% of the population.
Oromo was spoken as a first language by 90.43% and 5.33% spoke
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 4.24% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants 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 ...
, with 85.65% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 11.18% of the population practiced
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 2.97% professed
Protestantism
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 ...
.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this Zone of 1,961,262 in 432,101 households, of whom 979,708 were men and 981,554 women; 190,395 or 9.71% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Jimma were the
Oromo (81.57%), the
Yem (5.28%), the
Amhara (4.95%), the
Kullo (2.9%), and the
Kafficho (1.78%); all other ethnic groups made up 3.52% of the population.
[''1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Oromia Region'', Vol. 1, part 1]
, Tables 2.1, 2.7, 2.12, 2.15, 2.17 (accessed 6 April 2009) (Based on research performed in the early 1990s, as many as 500,000 inhabitants may be members of the Yem.)
Oromo was spoken as a first language by 85.96%, 7.86%
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 ...
, 1.95% spoke
Kullo, 1.45% spoke
Yemsa, and 1.19% spoke
Kafa; the remaining 1.59% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants 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 ...
, with 82.57% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 15.78% of the population said they 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 ...
, and 1.47% 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 ...
.
[
According to a May 24, 2004 ]World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
memorandum, 9% of the inhabitants of Jimma have access to electricity, this zone has a road density of 77.0 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers (compared to the national average of 30 kilometers), the average rural household has 0.9 hectare of land (compared to the national average of 1.01 hectare of land and an average of 1.14 for the Oromia
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 ...
) and the equivalent of 0.5 heads of livestock. 15.1% of the population is in non-farm related jobs, compared to the national average of 25% and a Regional average of 24%. Concerning education
Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
, 57% of all eligible children are enrolled in primary school, and 12% in secondary schools. Concerning health
Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...
, 29% of the zone is exposed to malaria
Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
, and 63% to Tsetse fly
Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies) are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Gloss ...
. The memorandum gave this zone a drought risk rating of 298.World Bank, ''Four Ethiopias: A Regional Characterization''
(accessed 23 March 2006).
Notes
{{Districts of the Oromia Region
Oromia
Zones of Ethiopia