Abobo is one of the 12 woreda

Woreda

Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...

s in the Gambela Region

Gambela Region

Gambela is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. Previously known as "Region 12", its capital is Gambela. Lying between the Baro and Akobo Rivers, the western part of Gambela includes the Baro salient....

 of Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

. Part of the Anuak Zone, Abobo is bordered on the southwest by the Mezhenger Zone

Mezhenger Zone

The Mezhenger Zone is one of the three zones of the Ethiopian Region of Gambela; it is named for one of the three largest indigenous groups in Gambela, the Majangir. This zone is bordered on the south and east by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region , on the west by the Anuak...

, on the south by Gog

Gog (woreda)

Gog is one of the 12 woredas in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Anuak Zone, Gog is bordered on the south by the Akula or Chiarini River which separates it from the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on the southwest by the Akobo River which separates it from South...

, on the southwest by Jor

Jor (woreda)

Jor is one of the eight woredas in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Anuak Zone, Jor is bordered on the south by the Akobo River which separates it from South Sudan, on the west and north by the Nuer Zone, on the northeast by Abobo, and on the east by Gog; the Alwero River defines part of...

, on the west by the Administrative Zone 3

Administrative Zone 3 (Gambela)

Administrative Zone 3 is a former administrative subdivision of the Ethiopian Region of Gambela. This zone was bordered by Sudan on the south, west and north, by Administrative Zone 1 on the east and Administrative Zone 2 on the southeast; the Pibor defines the border on the south and west, while...

, on the northwest by Itang

Itang (woreda)

Itang is one of the 12 woredas in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia. Because Itang is not part of any Zone in the Gambela Region, it is considered a Special woreda, an administrative subdivision which is similar to an autonomous area...

, on the north by Gambela

Gambela (woreda)

Gambela is one of the 12 woredas in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Anuak Zone, Gambela is bordered on the south by Abobo, on the west by Itang, and on the north and east by the Oromia Region...

, and on the east by the Oromia Region

Oromia Region

Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...

; part of its northern boundary is defined by the Alwero River. The major town in Abobo is Abobo.

Overview

The terrain of Abobo is dominated by comparatively high ground extending on a southeast-northwest axis; the elevations range 400 – 600 meters above sea level. Major bodies of water in this woreda include Lake Alwero. According to the Atlas of the Ethiopian Rural Economy published by the Central Statistical Agency

Central Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)

The Central Statistical Agency is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. It is part of the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and...

 (CSA), around 20% of the woreda is forest

Forestry in Ethiopia

In the late nineteenth century, about 30% of Ethiopia was covered with forest. The clearing of land for agricultural use and the cutting of trees for fuel gradually changed the scene, and today forest areas have dwindled to less than 4% of Ethiopia's total land. The northern parts of the highlands...

. A notable landmark is the Gambela National Park

Gambela National Park

Gambela National Park is a proposed National Park, but the steps needed to fully protect it by the government of Ethiopia have not been completed as of 2002...

, which occupies the land west of the Fugnido - Gambela

Gambela, Ethiopia

Gambela is a city in Ethiopia and the capital of the Gambela Region or kilil. Located in Administrative Zone 1, at the confluence of the Baro River and its tributary the Jajjaba, the city has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 526 meters....

 road.

The economy of Abobo is predominantly agricultural. Estimated road density is reported to be between 5.1 and 10 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers.

At the start of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Abobo was part of the Administrative Zone 2

Administrative Zone 2 (Gambela)

Administrative Zone 2 is one of the three zones of the Ethiopian Region of Gambela; none of the zones of Gambela have names. This zone is bordered by South Sudan and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region on the south, Administrative Zone 3 on the west, Administrative Zone 1 on the...

; however between 2001 and 2007 the Zone was reorganized and this woreda became part of the Anuak Zone.

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the CSA, this woreda has a total population of 15,741, an increase of 12.65% over the 1994 census, of whom 8,184 are men and 7,557 women; with an area of 3,116.17 square kilometers, Abobo has a population density of 5.05, which is greater than the Zone average of 4.83 persons per square kilometer. The census reported 4,090 or 25.98% are urban inhabitants. A total of 3,867 households were counted in this woreda, which results in an average of 4.1 persons to a household, and 3,663 housing units.

According to the 1994 national census, the woreda's population was reported to be 13,973 in 3,597 households, of whom 7,223 were men and 6,750 women; 1,222 or 8.75% of the population were urban inhabitants. The five largest ethnic groups in Abobo were the Anuak (44.05%), the Kambaata (20.1%), the Amhara

Amhara people

Amhara are a highland people inhabiting the Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Numbering about 19.8 million people, they comprise 26% of the country's population, according to the 2007 national census...

 (12.57%), the Oromo

Oromo people

The Oromo are an ethnic group found in Ethiopia, northern Kenya, .and parts of Somalia. With 30 million members, they constitute the single largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and approximately 34.49% of the population according to the 2007 census...

 (6.31%), and the Mezhenger (5.99%); all other ethnic groups made up 10.98% of the population. Anuak

Anuak language

Anuak or Anywa is a Nilotic language of the Nilo-Saharan language family. It is spoken primarily in the Western part of Ethiopia by the Anuak. Other names for this language include: Anyuak, Anywa, Yambo, Jambo, Yembo, Bar, Burjin, Miroy, Moojanga, Nuro.Anywa does not have phonemic fricatives.-...

 is spoken as a first language by 44.08%, 20.45% speak Kambaata

Kambaata language

Kambaata is a Highland East Cushitic language, part of the larger Afro-Asiatic family and spoken by the Kambaata. Dialects are Donga, Kambaata and Tambaro. It is one of the official languages of Ethiopia. The language has a large number of verbal affixes. When these are affixed to verbal roots,...

, 13.5% Amharic

Amharic language

Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...

, 5.93% Majang, and 5.65% speak Oromiffa

Oromo language

Oromo, also known as Afaan Oromo, Oromiffa, Afan Boran, Afan Orma, and sometimes in other languages by variant spellings of these names , is an Afro-Asiatic language, and the most widely spoken of the Cushitic family. Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by more than 25 million Oromo and...

; the remaining 10.39% spoke all other primary languages reported. The largest group of the inhabitants said they were Protestant

P'ent'ay

P'ent'ay or Pentay is a slang term widely used in modern Ethiopia, and among Ethiopians living abroad, to describe Ethiopian Christians who are not members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo, Ethiopian Orthodox Tehadeso, Roman Catholic or Ethiopian Catholic churches...

, with 32.2% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 29.66% professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 16.01% practiced traditional religions, 13.71% were Muslim

Islam in Ethiopia

According to the latest 2007 national census, Islam is the second most widely practised religion in Ethiopia after Christianity, with over 25 million of Ethiopians adhering to Islam according to the 2007 national census, having arrived in Ethiopia in 615...

, and 6.46% were Catholic

Roman Catholicism in Ethiopia

The Catholic Church in Ethiopia is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.The Ethiopian Catholic Church, the primary organization of Catholicism in the country, is especially close to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, whose doctrine and...

.