Liben () is a zone in Somali Region 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 ...

. Liben is bordered on the south by

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, on the northwest by 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 ...

, on the northeast by Afder, and on the southeast by

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

's federal state of

Jubaland Jubaland (; ; ), or the Juba Valley (), is a States and regions of Somalia, Federal Member State in southern Somalia. Its eastern border lies no more than east of the Jubba River, stretching from Dolow to the Indian Ocean, while its western si ...

. Towns in Liben zone include Filtu, Gof Bokolmayo, Deka Suftu, and Dolo. Borena National Park covers the southwestern portion of the zone.

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this Zone has a total population of 539,820 in 2014 of whom 290,850 are men and 248,970 women. While 46,892 or 8.69% are urban inhabitants, a further 258,214 or 47.83% were pastoralists. The largest ethnic group reported in Liban zone was the

Somalis The Somali people (, Wadaad's writing, Wadaad: , Arabic: ) are a Cushitic peoples, Cushitic ethnic group and nation native to the Somali Peninsula. who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic languages, East ...

(99.55%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.45% of the population.

Somali language Somali is an Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language belonging to the Cushitic languages, Cushitic branch, primarily spoken by the Somalis, Somali people, native to Greater Somalia. It is an official language in Somalia, Somaliland, and Ethio ...

is spoken as a first language by 99.52%; the remaining 0.48% spoke all other primary languages reported. 98.57% 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 ...

. There are five refugee camps housing 174,463 refugees from Somalia, located in Liben Zone. The 1997 national census reported a total population for this zone of 476,881 in 72,010 households, of whom 260,589 were men and 216,292 were women; 44,819 or 9.1% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Liben was the Somali (99.04%); a slightly smaller share spoke Somali (97.78%). Only 12,085 or 7.72% were literate. Map of zones of Ethiopia

Development

The Liben Zone has various social and economic ties with Somalia and the adjacent Somali populated North Eastern Province of Kenya. Liben Zone is known for Camels that are exported to Arabia through ports in mombasa Mogadishu, most importantly

Djibouti Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...

. On the other hand, cattle and small ruminants are taken across the border and traded in livestock markets located in Kenya. 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, 3% of the inhabitants of Liben have access to electricity, this zone has a road density of 12.6 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. 28.2% of the population is in non-farm related jobs, compared to the national average of 25% and an average of 28% for pastoral regions. 23% of all eligible children are enrolled in primary school, and none in secondary schools. 100% 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 none 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 571.World Bank, ''Four Ethiopias: A Regional Characterization''
(accessed 23 March 2006).

Notes

{{Districts of the Somali Region Zones of Ethiopia Somali Region