Seru is one of the

Aanaa Districts of Ethiopia, also called woredas (; ''woreda''), are the third level of the administrative divisions of Ethiopia – after '' zones'' and the '' regional states''. These districts are further subdivided into a number of wards call ...

s in 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 ...

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 is named after the Aanaa capital, Seru. Part of the

Arsi Zone Arsi () is a Zones of Ethiopia, zone in Oromia Region of Ethiopia, named after a clan of the Oromo people, Oromo, who inhabit in the area. Arsi is bordered on the south by Bale Zone, on the southwest by the West Arsi Zone, on the northwest by Ea ...

, Seru is bordered on the south and east by the

Shebelle River The Shebelle River ( Oromo: Laga Shabeellee, , , ) also known historically as the Nile of Mogadishu, begins in the highlands of Ethiopia, and then flows southeast into Somalia towards Mogadishu. Near Mogadishu, it turns sharply southwest, where ...

which separates it from the

Bale Zone Bale Zone (Oromo language, Oromo: Godina ''Baalee'') is a Zones of Ethiopia, zone in Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Bale is bordered on the south by the Ganale Dorya River which separates it from Guji Zone, on the west by the Shashamane, on the nort ...

, on the west by the

Wabe River Wabe River (also Wabi River, Uabi River) is a west-southwest flowing river of south-central Ethiopia, entirely confined within the reaches of Gurage Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region. This river is a perennial river. ...

which separates it from

Robe A robe is a loose-fitting outer garment. Unlike garments described as capes or cloaks, robes usually have sleeves. The English word ''robe'' derives from Middle English ''robe'' ("garment"), borrowed from Old French ''robe'' ("booty, spoil ...

, on the north by Aminya, and on the northeast by the

West Hararghe Zone West Hararge () is a zone in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. West Hararghe takes its name from the former province of Hararghe. West Harerge is bordered on the south by the Shebelle River which separates it from Bale, on the southwest by Arsi, on ...

. Woreda of Bale Gasegar was separated form Seru.

Overview

The altitude of this woreda ranges from 950 to 2500 meters above sea level; Abul Kasim is the highest point. Rivers include the 70 kilometers of the Darro and 25 kilometers of the Waji. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 19.8% is arable or cultivable (13.1% was under annual crops), 21.8% pasture, 32.9% forest, and the remaining 25.5% is considered swampy, mountainous or otherwise unusable. The Arba Liji cave and mosque are local landmarks.

Khat Khat (''Catha edulis''), also known as Bushman's tea, especially in South Africa, is a flowering plant native to eastern and southeastern Africa. It has a history of cultivation originating in the Harar area (present day eastern Ethiopia) and ...

and

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 ...

are important cash crops.''Socio-economic profile of Arsi Zone''
Government of Oromia Region (last accessed 1 August 2006). Industry in the woreda includes 16

grain mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separate ...

s employing 45 people, as well as 269 registered businessmen of whom 26% were wholesalers, 57.6% retailers and 16.4% were service providers. There were 27 Farmers Associations with 13,573 members and 5 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 10,496 members. Seru has 31 kilometers of dry-weather and 34 of all-weather road, for an average of road density of 27.5 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 14.1% of the total population has access to

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 ...

Demographics

The 2007 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 47,929, of whom 24,125 were men and 23,804 were women; 3,174 or 6.62% of its population were urban dwellers. The majority of the inhabitants 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 ...

, with 83.72% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 16.08% of the population 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 ...

. 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 112,183, of whom 56,642 are men and 55,541 are women; 7,733 or 6.89% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 2,361.57 square kilometers, Seru has an estimated population density of 47.5 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 132.2. The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 80,358, of whom 40,007 were men and 40,351 women; 4,334 or 5.39% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Seru 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 ...

(93.64%), and the Amhara (6.08%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.28% 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 90.62%, and 5.86% 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 3.52% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were

, with 63% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 36.8% of the population said they professed

.''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