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Fentale

Coordinates:8°45′N39°50′E/ 8.750°N 39.833°E/8.750; 39.833
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fentaleis one of thedistrictsin theOromiaofEthiopia.Part of theEast Shewa Zonelocated in theGreat Rift Valley,Fentale is bordered on the southeast by theArsi Zone,on the southwest byBoset,on the northwest by theAmhara Region,and on the northeast by theAfar Region.The administrative center of Fentale isMetehara;other towns includeHaroo Adii.

Overview

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Most parts of this woreda range from 900 to 1000 meters above sea level;Mount Fentale(2400 meters) is the highest point. Rivers include theAwashand theGermama;Lake Basakais an important body of water in this woreda. Points of interest include theAwash National Parkin the north. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 8.2% is arable or cultivable, 7.6% pasture, 28.8% forest, and the remaining 55.4% is considered degraded or otherwise unusable. The Metehara Sugar Cane Plantation covers 100 square kilometers.[1]In 11 of the 18kebelesof Fentale, the predominant agricultural practice is pastoralism. Camels, goats and cattle are the most common livestock; migration to the border areas of Boset woreda for grazing during normal years is common, but in years of low rainfall herdsmen will migrate as far asNegele Arsi.Another source of income is the sale of firewood and charcoal. The vegetation is primarily acacia trees with the bushes and shrubs common to the lowland portions of Ethiopia.[2]Fruits and vegetables are important cash crops.[1]

Industry in the woreda includes 31grain millsand the Metehara Sugar Cane Plantation. There were 593 licensed business enterprises in Fentale, which included 85 wholesalers, 294 retailers and 214 service providers of different types. There are also 16 Farmers Associations with 5,318 members but no Farmers Service Cooperatives. Fentale has 33 kilometers of dry-weather and 157 of all-weather road, for an average road density of 162.4 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 100% of the urban, 22% of rural and 38% of the total population has access todrinking water.[1]The primary ethnic groups reported in this woreda included theKarrayyuandIttu Oromos.[3]

Demographics

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The 2007 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 81,740, of whom 43,266 were men and 38,474 were women; 20,522 or 25.11% of its population were urban dwellers. The majority of the inhabitants said they wereMuslim,with 43.49% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 27.74% of the population practisedEthiopian Orthodox Christianity,and 18.96% of the population wereProtestant.[4]

Based on figures published by theCentral Statistical Agencyin 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 87,424, of whom 41,437 are men and 45,987 are women; 21,348 or 24.42% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 32.1%. With an estimated area of 1,169.85 square kilometers, Fentale has an estimated population density of 74.7 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 181.7.[5]

The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 60,048, of whom 31,638 were men and 28,410 women; 11,934 or 19.87% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Fentale were theOromo(46.54%), theAmhara(17.73%), theKambaata(12.19%), theHadiya(12.19%), and theWelayta(1.08%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.58% of the population.Oromiffawas spoken as a first language by 43.25%, 39.78% spokeAmharic,5.79% spokeKambaata,3.38% spokeWelayta,and 3.27% spokeHadiya;the remaining 4.53% spoke all other primary languages reported. The plurality of the inhabitants wereEthiopian Orthodox Christianity,with 39.1% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 35.41% of the population said they wereMoslem,12.75%Roman Catholic,7.19% practiced traditional beliefs, and 4.27% wereProtestant.[6]

Notes

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  1. ^abcSocio-economic profile of East Shewa,Government of Oromia Region (last accessed 1 August 2006).
  2. ^"Pastoral and Agro Pastoral Livelihood baseline profile - Oromiya (7 Weredas)"Archived2011-07-20 at theWayback Machine,Pastoral Community Development Project (2004), pp. 14f
  3. ^"Pastoral and Agro Pastoral", pp. 15, 28
  4. ^2007 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Oromia Region,Vol. 1ArchivedNovember 13, 2011, at theWayback Machine,Tables 2.1, 2.5, 3.4 (accessed 13 January 2012)
  5. ^CSA 2005 National StatisticsArchivedNovember 23, 2006, at theWayback Machine,Tables B.3 and B.4
  6. ^1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Oromia Region,Vol. 1, part 1ArchivedNovember 15, 2009, at theWayback Machine,Tables 2.1, 2.13, 2.16, 2.20 (accessed 6 April 2009)

8°45′N39°50′E/ 8.750°N 39.833°E/8.750; 39.833