Sirba Abbay
Encyclopedia
Sirba Abbay is one of the 21 woreda
s in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia
. Part of the Kamashi Zone
, Sirba Abbay is bordered by the Oromia Region
on the southwest, by Oda Godere
on the west, by the Dabus River
on the northwest which separates it from the Asosa Zone
, by the Abay River on the northeast which separates it from the Metekel Zone
, and by Agalo Mite
on the east and south.
The book Mystery of the Nile narrates how one of the authors, Pasquale Scaturro, had been detained at the administrative center of Sirba Abay by the woreda administrator, Faisa Ayana, while travelling down the Abay in 2004. Near the administrative center there was a missionary station run by a Norwegian church.
This woreda is located on the southern slopes of the Abay River, with elevations ranging from approximately 2500 meters above sea level in the south to just under 1000 meters at the bottom of the Abay valley.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 12,230, of whom 6,341 are men and 5,889 are women. With an estimated area of 1,308.44 square kilometers, Sirba Abbay has a population density of 9.3 people per square kilometer which is greater than the Zone average of 7.61. Information is lacking on the towns of this woreda.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 9,221 in 1,818 households, of whom 4,802 were men and 4,419 were women; no urban inhabitants were reported for this woreda. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Sirba Abbay were the Gumuz (75.6%), and the Oromo
(22.7%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.3% of the population. Gumuz
is spoken as a first language by 68%, and Oromiffa
by 29.6%; the remaining 0.2% spoke all other primary languages reported. Most of the inhabitants were Protestant
, with 43.6% of the population reporting they professed that religion, while 31.7% were Muslim
, and 25.4% observed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. Concerning education
, 8.49% of the population were considered literate, which is less than the Zone average of 11.36%; 7.52% of children aged 7-12 were in primary school, a negligible number of the children aged 13-14 were in junior secondary school, and none of the inhabitants aged 15-18 in senior secondary school. Concerning sanitary conditions
, 0.6% of all houses had access to safe drinking water, and 0.8% 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...
, Sirba Abbay is bordered by the Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
on the southwest, by Oda Godere
Oda Godere
Oda Godere is one of the 21 woredas in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Asosa Zone, it is bordered by the Kamashi Zone in the north and east, by Oromia Region in the south, by Bambasi and Menge in the west, and by Sherkole in the north...
on the west, by the Dabus River
Dabus River
The Dabus River is a north-flowing tributary of the Abay River in southwestern Ethiopia; it joins its parent stream at . The Dabus has a drainage area of about 21,032 square kilometers....
on the northwest which separates it from the Asosa Zone
Asosa Zone
Asosa is one of the three Zones in Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia. This Zone was named after the Asosa Sultanate, which had approximately the same boundaries. Asosa is bordered on the south by the Mao-Komo special woreda, on the west by Sudan, on the northeast by the Abay River which...
, by the Abay River on the northeast which separates it from the Metekel Zone
Metekel Zone
Metekel is one of the three Zones in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia, named after the former Metekkel province. It is bordered on the south by Kamashi, on the southwest by Asosa, on the west by Sudan, and on the north and east by the Amhara Region...
, 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 east and south.
The book Mystery of the Nile narrates how one of the authors, Pasquale Scaturro, had been detained at the administrative center of Sirba Abay by the woreda administrator, Faisa Ayana, while travelling down the Abay in 2004. Near the administrative center there was a missionary station run by a Norwegian church.
This woreda is located on the southern slopes of the Abay River, with elevations ranging from approximately 2500 meters above sea level in the south to just under 1000 meters at the bottom of the Abay valley.
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 12,230, of whom 6,341 are men and 5,889 are women. With an estimated area of 1,308.44 square kilometers, Sirba Abbay has a population density of 9.3 people per square kilometer which is greater than the Zone average of 7.61. Information is lacking on the towns of this woreda.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 9,221 in 1,818 households, of whom 4,802 were men and 4,419 were women; no urban inhabitants were reported for this woreda. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Sirba Abbay were the Gumuz (75.6%), 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...
(22.7%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.3% 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 68%, 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 29.6%; the remaining 0.2% spoke all other primary languages reported. Most of the inhabitants 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 43.6% of the population reporting they professed that religion, while 31.7% 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 25.4% observed 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...
, 8.49% of the population were considered literate, which is less than the Zone average of 11.36%; 7.52% of children aged 7-12 were in primary school, a negligible number of the children aged 13-14 were in junior secondary school, and none of the inhabitants aged 15-18 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...
, 0.6% of all houses had access to safe drinking water, and 0.8% had toilet facilities at the time of the census.