Kamashi (woreda)
Encyclopedia
Kamashi is one of the 21 woreda
s in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia
. Part of the Kamashi Zone
, it is bordered by the Didessa River
on the northeast which separates it from Yaso
and Belo Jegonfoy
, by the Oromia Region
on the south and west, and by Agalo Mite
on the northwest.
This woreda is located on the western slopes of the Didessa River, with elevations ranging from approximately 2000 meters above sea level in the west to just under 1000 meters at the bottom of the Didessa valley. Notable high points in Kamashi include Mount Dade.
The administrative center of this woreda is named Kamashi; population details of this town are not available. Local tradition reports that the first mosque in what is now Benishangul-Gumuz was founded in Kamashi during the early 19th century by a Bidari trader, 'Ummad wad al-Hajj. Ethiopia Call Ministry, an NGO, has announced that they will begin construction of a modern hospital in Kamashi, starting January 2007. Budgeted at 35 million Birr
, construction of the hospital is expected to take three years. On 24 July 2009, the Ethiopian Roads Authority announced that it had completed a gravel road 72 kilometers in length between Kamashi and Yaso woredas at a cost of 149 Birr.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 11,055, of whom 5,679 are men and 5,376 are women. With an estimated area of 1,622.50 square kilometers, Kamashi has a population density of 6.8 people per square kilometer which is less than the Zone average of 7.61.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 8,335 in 1,611 households, of whom 4,301 were men and 4,034 were women. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Kamashi woreda were the Gumuz (81.4%), and the Oromo
(17.4%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.2% of the population. Gumuz
is spoken as a first language by 81%, and Oromiffa
by 17.8%; the remaining 1.2% spoke all other primary languages reported. The largest group of the inhabitants practiced traditional religions, with 43.6% of the population reporting beliefs reported under that category, while 29.5% are Protestant
, and 19.3% were Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. Concerning education
, 17.83% of the population were considered literate, which is more than the Zone average of 11.36%; 9.24% of children aged 7-12 were in primary school, while a negligible number of the children aged 13-14 were in junior secondary school and the inhabitants aged 15-18 were in senior secondary school. Concerning sanitary conditions
, 0.9% of all houses had access to safe drinking water, and 2.2% had toilet facilities at the time of the census.
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 Benishangul-Gumuz Region 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 Kamashi Zone
Kamashi Zone
Kamashi is one of the three Zones in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia. It covers part of the southern bank of the Abay and the valley of the Didessa Rivers...
, it is bordered by the Didessa River
Didessa River
The Didessa River is a river in western Ethiopia. A tributary of the Abay River, it rises in the mountains of Gomma, flowing in a northwestern direction to its confluence where the course of the Abay has curved to its southernmost point before turning northwards at about...
on the northeast which separates it from Yaso
Yaso
Yaso is one of the 21 woredas in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Kamashi Zone, Yaso is bordered by the Abay River on the north which separates it from the Metekel Zone and the Amhara Region, by the Oromia Region in the southeast, by the Hanger River on the south which...
and Belo Jegonfoy
Belo Jegonfoy
Belo Jegonfoy is one of the 21 woredas in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Kamashi Zone, it is bordered on the west by the Didessa River, which separates it from Kamashi, on the north by the Hanger River which separates it form Yaso, and by Oromia Region in the south; parts of...
, by the Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
on the south and west, and by Agalo Mite
Agalo Mite
Agalo Mite is one of the 21 woredas in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Kamashi Zone, it is bordered by Kamashi woreda on the southeast, the Oromia Region on the southwest, Sirba Abbay on the northwest, the Abay River on the north , and by the Didessa River on the northeast...
on the northwest.
This woreda is located on the western slopes of the Didessa River, with elevations ranging from approximately 2000 meters above sea level in the west to just under 1000 meters at the bottom of the Didessa valley. Notable high points in Kamashi include Mount Dade.
The administrative center of this woreda is named Kamashi; population details of this town are not available. Local tradition reports that the first mosque in what is now Benishangul-Gumuz was founded in Kamashi during the early 19th century by a Bidari trader, 'Ummad wad al-Hajj. Ethiopia Call Ministry, an NGO, has announced that they will begin construction of a modern hospital in Kamashi, starting January 2007. Budgeted at 35 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....
, construction of the hospital is expected to take three years. On 24 July 2009, the Ethiopian Roads Authority announced that it had completed a gravel road 72 kilometers in length between Kamashi and Yaso woredas at a cost of 149 Birr.
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, this woreda has an estimated total population of 11,055, of whom 5,679 are men and 5,376 are women. With an estimated area of 1,622.50 square kilometers, Kamashi has a population density of 6.8 people per square kilometer which is less than the Zone average of 7.61.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 8,335 in 1,611 households, of whom 4,301 were men and 4,034 were women. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Kamashi woreda were the Gumuz (81.4%), and 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...
(17.4%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.2% of the population. Gumuz
Gumuz language
Gumuz is a dialect cluster spoken along the border of Ethiopia and Sudan. Most Ethiopian speakers live in the Metekel Zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, although a group of 1,000 live outside the town of Welkite...
is spoken as a first language by 81%, and 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...
by 17.8%; the remaining 1.2% spoke all other primary languages reported. The largest group of the inhabitants practiced traditional religions, with 43.6% of the population reporting beliefs reported under that category, while 29.5% are 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...
, and 19.3% were Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. Concerning education
Education in Ethiopia
Education in Ethiopia has been dominated by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church for many centuries until secular education was adopted in the early 1900s. Prior to 1974, Ethiopia had an estimated illiteracy rate well above 90% and compared poorly with the rest of Africa in the provision of schools and...
, 17.83% of the population were considered literate, which is more than the Zone average of 11.36%; 9.24% of children aged 7-12 were in primary school, while a negligible number of the children aged 13-14 were in junior secondary school and the inhabitants aged 15-18 were in senior secondary school. Concerning sanitary conditions
Water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia
Access to water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia is amongst the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa and the entire world. While access has increased substantially with funding from external aid, much still remains to be done to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving the share of people...
, 0.9% of all houses had access to safe drinking water, and 2.2% had toilet facilities at the time of the census.