Dera, Ethiopia
Encyclopedia
Dera is a town in southeastern Ethiopia
. Located in the Arsi Zone
of the Oromia Region
, this town has a latitude and longitude of 08°20′N 39°19′E. It is the administrative center of Dodotana Sire
woreda
.
By the late 1960s, Dera was provided with electricity from a dam on the Awash River
. In October 1969, Emperor Haile Selassie inaugurated a water supply system for the town built at a cost of Birr
170,000. The system drew water from the Awash II dam 10 kilometers away. A weekly market is held on Mondays, where grain and livestock can be bought and sold. According to the Oromia Regional government, this town is currently supplied with electricity 24 hours a day, and has telephone service. Construction on the 99 kilometer road between Chole and Dera was completed and opened for traffic 15 August 2009, at a cost of over 146 million Birr
. The Ethiopian Roads Authority reported that the new road would reduce the distance between the two towns by ahalf.
On 17 May 1974, an official in Dera had a dispute with local farmers regarding land 7 kilometers away. The official returned with some city men and two police, and a fight with the locals ensued, in which two of the farmers and one of the police were killed. The local police at Asella
wanted to occupy the site of the fight and place the inhabitants under military rule. The Governor General of Arsi Province
refused to allow them to do this, but was himself soon arrested and removed.
in 2005, Dera has an estimated total population of 16,731, of whom 8,367 are men and 8,364 are women. The 1994 national census reported a total population for this town of 9,356, of whom 4,538 were men and 4,818 women. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Dera were the Oromo
(56.78%), the Amhara
(37.9%), and the Silt'e
(2.62%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.7% of the population. Amharic
was spoken as a first language by 50.21%, 46.63% spoke Oromiffa
, and 2.04% spoke Silt'e
; the remaining 1.12% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 60.5% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 37.78% of the population said they were Moslem
, and 1.51% were Protestant
.
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...
. Located in the Arsi Zone
Arsi Zone
Arsi is one of the 12 zones of the Oromia Region in Ethiopia. Arsi is also the name of a former province. Both the Zone and the former province are named after a subgroup of the Oromo, who inhabit both...
of the Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
, this town has a latitude and longitude of 08°20′N 39°19′E. It is the administrative center of Dodotana Sire
Dodotana Sire
Dodotana Sire is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Arsi Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Dodotana Sire is bordered on the south by Tena, on the southwest by Hitosa, on the north by the Misraq Shewa Zone, on the east by Jeju, and on the southeast by Sude...
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...
.
By the late 1960s, Dera was provided with electricity from a dam on the Awash River
Awash River
The Awash is a major river of Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and empties into a chain of interconnected lakes that begin with Lake Gargori and end with Lake Abbe on the border with Djibouti, some 100 kilometers from the head of the Gulf of Tadjoura...
. In October 1969, Emperor Haile Selassie inaugurated a water supply system for the town built at a cost of Birr
Ethiopian birr
The birr is the unit of currency in Ethiopia. Before 1976, dollar was the official English translation of birr. Today, it is officially birr in English as well....
170,000. The system drew water from the Awash II dam 10 kilometers away. A weekly market is held on Mondays, where grain and livestock can be bought and sold. According to the Oromia Regional government, this town is currently supplied with electricity 24 hours a day, and has telephone service. Construction on the 99 kilometer road between Chole and Dera was completed and opened for traffic 15 August 2009, at a cost of over 146 million Birr
Ethiopian birr
The birr is the unit of currency in Ethiopia. Before 1976, dollar was the official English translation of birr. Today, it is officially birr in English as well....
. The Ethiopian Roads Authority reported that the new road would reduce the distance between the two towns by ahalf.
On 17 May 1974, an official in Dera had a dispute with local farmers regarding land 7 kilometers away. The official returned with some city men and two police, and a fight with the locals ensued, in which two of the farmers and one of the police were killed. The local police at Asella
Asella
Asella also Asela is a city in central Ethiopia. Located in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region about 175 kilometers from Addis Ababa, this city has a latitude and longitude of , with an elevation of 2430 meters. Asella hosts an airport...
wanted to occupy the site of the fight and place the inhabitants under military rule. The Governor General of Arsi Province
Arsi Province
Arsi was a province of Ethiopia with its capital at Asella. The province was reduced to a Zone of the Oromia Region with the adoption of the new constitution in 1995....
refused to allow them to do this, but was himself soon arrested and removed.
Demographics
Based on figures from the Central Statistical AgencyCentral 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...
in 2005, Dera has an estimated total population of 16,731, of whom 8,367 are men and 8,364 are women. The 1994 national census reported a total population for this town of 9,356, of whom 4,538 were men and 4,818 women. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Dera were 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...
(56.78%), 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...
(37.9%), and the Silt'e
Silt'e people
The Silt'e people are an ethnic group in southern Ethiopia. They inhabit today's Silt'e Zone which is part of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region. A considerable number of Silt'e live in Addis Ababa, Adama and other cities and smaller urban centres of southern Ethiopia where...
(2.62%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.7% of the population. 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...
was spoken as a first language by 50.21%, 46.63% spoke 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...
, and 2.04% spoke Silt'e
Silt'e language
Silt'e is a Semitic language spoken in central Ethiopia, mainly within the Silte Zone, in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region and by speakers of the language , who have settled in Ethiopian cities, especially Addis Ababa.-Speakers and dialects:Dialects of the language include:...
; the remaining 1.12% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 60.5% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 37.78% of the population said they were Moslem
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 1.51% 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...
.