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'Oromia' (sometimes spelled 'Oromiya' and spelled 'Oromiyaa' in the Oromo language) is one of the nine ethnic divisions (''kililoch'') of Ethiopia. Covering 353,632 km² from the east to the southwest of the country, its population was estimated in 2002 at about twenty-four million, making it the largest state in terms of both population and land area. It includes the former Arsi Province along with portions of the former Bale, Hararghe, Illubabor, Kaffa, Shewa, Sidamo, and Welega provinces. Its current capital is Adama; other important cities and towns include Ambo, Asella, Debre Zeit, Dembidolo, Fiche, Gimbi, Goba, Jimma, Metu, Negele Boran, Nekemte, Shashamane and Waliso.
Prior to the twenty-first century, the Regional capital of Oromia was Addis Ababa, also known as Finfinne (the original name in the Oromo language). The relocation of the regional capital to Adama sparked considerable controversy. Critics of the move believed the Ethiopian government wished to deemphasize Addis Ababa's location within Oromia.^[1][2] On the other hand, the government maintained that Addis Ababa "has been found inconvenient from the point of view of developing the language, culture and history of the Oromo people."^[3]
On June 10, 2005, the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization (OPDO), part of the ruling EPRDF coalition, officially announced plans to move the state capital back to Finfinne.^[4]

Contents

Demographics

Economy

Presidents of the Executive Committee

Zones

See also

References

External links

Demographics

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA) published in 2005, Oromia has an estimated total population of 26,553,000, consisting of 13,249,999 men and 13,303,001 women. 23,030,000 or 86.7% of the population are estimated to be rural inhabitants, while 3,523,000 or 13.3% are urban. With an estimated area of 353,006.81 square kilometers, this region has an estimated density of 75.22 people per square kilometer.^[5]
These estimates are based on the 1994 census, in which the region's total population was reported to be 18,732,525, of which 9,371,228 were males and 9,361,297 females. The rural residents of the State accounted for 89.5% of the total. 44.3% were Muslims, 41.3% Orthodox Christians, 8.6% Protestants, and 4.2% followers of traditional religions. The remaining 1.6% constitute other religious groups; in urban areas, Orthodox Christians constitute 67.8% of the population, followed by Muslims at 24.0%, and Protestants 7%.
The major ethnic groups within the State include the Oromo (85%), Amhara (9.1%), and Gurage (1.3% - some of Sebat Bet Gurage, Soddo Gurage, and Silt'e). The remaining 4.6% constitute other ethnic groups.
Oromo (Oromiffa), presently written with Latin characters, is the most commonly spoken language, constituting 83.5% of the spoken language. Other major languages are Amharic (11%), Gurage languages (Sebat Bet Gurage, Soddo, Silt'e), Hadiya, Gedeo (0.98%) and Tigrigna (0.25%).

Economy

The CSA reported that for 2004-2005 115,083 tons of coffee were produced in Oromia, based on inspection records from the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea authority. This represents 50.7% of the total production in Ethiopia. Farmers in the Region had an estimated total of 17,214,540 cattle (representing 44.4% of Ethiopia's total cattle), 6,905,370 sheep (39.6), 4,849,060 goats (37.4%), 959,710 horses (63.25%), 63,460 mules (43.1%), 278,440 asses (11.1%), 139,830 camels (30.6%), 11,637,070 poultry of all species (37.7%), and 2,513,790 beehives (57.73%).^[6]
According to a March 2003 World Bank publication, the average rural household has 1.14 hectares of land compared to the national average of 1.01 hectares, 24% of the population is in non-farm related jobs compared to the national average of 25%.^[7]

Presidents of the Executive Committee

★ Hassen Ali (1992? - 1995)

★ Kuma Demeksa (OPDO) (1995 - 24 July 2001)

★ Juneidi Sad (28 October 2001 - 6 October 2005)

★ Abadula Gemeda OPDO (6 October 2005 - present)
(This list is based on information from Worldstatesmen.org.)

Zones

★ Arsi Zone

★ Bale Zone

★ Borena Zone

★ Illubabor Zone

★ Jimma Zone

★ Mirab (West) Hararghe Zone

★ Mirab (West) Shewa Zone

★ Mirab (West) Welega Zone

★ Misraq (East) Hararghe Zone

★ Misraq (East) Shewa

★ Misraq (East) Welega

★ Semien (North) Shewa

See also

★ List of woredas of the Oromia Region

★ Black Gold (film)

References

1. Ethiopia: A New Start? Hameso, Seyoum and Tilahun Ayanou Nebo
2. Letter to U.N. Secretary-General Mosisa, Abraham T.
3. Nazareth Selected as Oromiya's Capital
4. Chief Administrator of Oromia says decision to move capital city based on study
5. 2005 National Statistics, Tables B.3 and B.4
6. CSA 2005 National Statistics, Tables D.3 - D.5
7. Klaus Deininger et al. "Tenure Security and Land Related Investment", WP-2991 (accessed 23 March 2006).

External links

★ Map of Oromia Region at UN-OCHA (PDF file)

★ Map of Oromia Region at DPPA of Ethiopia (PDF file)

★ FDRE States: Basic Information - Oromia

★ Oromia State Government