Meinit
Encyclopedia
Meinit is one of the 77 woreda
s in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia
. Part of the Bench Maji Zone
, Meinit is bordered on the south by Dizi
, on the west by Sheko
, on the north by Bench
, on the east by the Keficho Shekicho Zone
, and on the southeast by the Omo River
which separates it from the Debub Omo Zone
. Towns in Meinit include Bachuma, Kela Ketema and Jemu.
The part of this woreda which lies within 15 kilometers of the Omo is included in the Omo National Park
.
Meinit was selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
in 2004 as one of several woredas for voluntary resettlement for farmers from overpopulated areas, becoming the new home for a total of 6610 heads of households and 26,440 total family members.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 51,213, of whom 25,561 are men and 25,652 women; 5,162 or 10.08% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 9.1%. With an estimated area of 4,333.69 square kilometers, Meinit has an estimated population density of 11.8 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 20.
In the 1994 national census this woreda had a population of 35,541, of whom 17,824 were men and 17,717 women; 2,848 or 8.01% of its population were urban dwellers. The four largest ethnic groups reported in Meinit were the Me'en (87.97%), the Bench (3.77%), the Amhara
(3.14%), and the Dizi
(3.08%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.04% of the population. Me'en was spoken as a first language by 87.82% of the inhabitants, 5.21% spoke Amharic
, 3.51% spoke Bench
, and 2.91% spoke Dizin
; the remaining 0.55% spoke all other primary languages reported. Concerning education
, 6.18% of the population were considered literate; 4.33% of children aged 7-12 were in primary school; 2.14% of the children aged 13-14 were in junior secondary school, and 0.69% of the inhabitants aged 15-18 were in senior secondary school. Concerning sanitary conditions
, about 48% of the urban and 5% of the total had toilet facilities.
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 Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' 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 Bench Maji Zone
Bench Maji Zone
Bench Maji is one of the 13 Zones of the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region . Bench Maji is bordered on the south by the Ilemi Triangle, on the west by Sudan, on the northwest by the Gambela Region, on the north by Keficho Shekicho and on the east by Debub Omo...
, Meinit is bordered on the south by Dizi
Dizi (woreda)
Dizi is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the Dizi people, whose homeland lies in the northern part of this district; a different ethnic group, the Surma, inhabit the southern part...
, on the west by Sheko
Sheko (woreda)
Sheko is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It is named for the Sheko people, whose homeland lies in the eastern part of the woreda; a different ethnic group, the Me'en, dominate the southeastern part...
, on the north by Bench
Bench (woreda)
Bench is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It is named for the Bench people, whose homeland lies in the northern part of the woreda. Part of the Bench Maji Zone, Bench is bordered on the south and east by Meinit, on the west by Sheko, and...
, on the east by the Keficho Shekicho Zone
Keficho Shekicho Zone
Keficho Shekicho is a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region . While in their latest population estimates the Central Statistical Agency includes it as a single Zone, the list of second administrative level bodies maintained by the United Nations Geographic...
, and on the southeast by the Omo River
Omo River
The Omo River is an important river of southern Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and empties into Lake Turkana on the border with Kenya...
which separates it from the Debub Omo Zone
Debub Omo Zone
Debub Omo is a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region . Debub Omo is bordered on the south by Kenya, on the southwest by the Ilemi Triangle, on the west by Bench Maji, on the northwest by Keficho Shekicho, on the north by Semien Omo, on the northeast by the...
. Towns in Meinit include Bachuma, Kela Ketema and Jemu.
The part of this woreda which lies within 15 kilometers of the Omo is included in the Omo National Park
Omo National Park
Omo National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region on the west bank of the Omo River, the park covers approximately 4,068 square kilometers, about 870 kilometers southwest of Addis Ababa; across the Omo is the Mago National...
.
Meinit was selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ethiopia)
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is the Ethiopian government ministry which oversees the agricultural and rural development policies of Ethiopia on a Federal level...
in 2004 as one of several woredas for voluntary resettlement for farmers from overpopulated areas, becoming the new home for a total of 6610 heads of households and 26,440 total family members.
Demographics
Based on figures published by 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 51,213, of whom 25,561 are men and 25,652 women; 5,162 or 10.08% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 9.1%. With an estimated area of 4,333.69 square kilometers, Meinit has an estimated population density of 11.8 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 20.
In the 1994 national census this woreda had a population of 35,541, of whom 17,824 were men and 17,717 women; 2,848 or 8.01% of its population were urban dwellers. The four largest ethnic groups reported in Meinit were the Me'en (87.97%), the Bench (3.77%), 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...
(3.14%), and the Dizi
Dizi people
Dizi is the name of an ethnic group living in southern Ethiopia. They share a number of somatic similarities with certain culturally related peoples of south-western Ethiopia, which include the Sheko and Nao, the Gimira , the Tsara, the Dime, the Aari and certain sub-groups of the Basketo people....
(3.08%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.04% of the population. Me'en was spoken as a first language by 87.82% of the inhabitants, 5.21% spoke 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...
, 3.51% spoke Bench
Bench language
Bench is a Northern Omotic language of the "Gimojan" subgroup, spoken by about 174,000 people in the Bench Maji Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, in southern Ethiopia, around the towns of Mizan Teferi and Shewa Gimira...
, and 2.91% spoke Dizin
Dizin language
Dizin is an Omotic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken in the Dizi woreda of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, located in southwestern Ethiopia...
; the remaining 0.55% spoke all other primary languages reported. 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...
, 6.18% of the population were considered literate; 4.33% of children aged 7-12 were in primary school; 2.14% of the children aged 13-14 were in junior secondary school, and 0.69% of 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...
, about 48% of the urban and 5% of the total had toilet facilities.