Turmi is a market town

Market town

Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...

 in southwestern 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...

. Located in 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...

 of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region

Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region

Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. It was formed from the merger of the former Regions 7-11 following the 1994 elections...

, the town has a latitude and longitude of 4°58′N 36°29′E with an elevation of 925 metres above sea level.

Home to many of the Hamer people, Turmi has a weekly market on Mondays. One product available at this market is incised gourd

Gourd

A gourd is a plant of the family Cucurbitaceae. Gourd is occasionally used to describe crops like cucumbers, squash, luffas, and melons. The term 'gourd' however, can more specifically, refer to the plants of the two Cucurbitaceae genera Lagenaria and Cucurbita or also to their hollow dried out shell...

s, used by local women as shopping baskets. Turmi is also notable for its traditional dances and the Jumping of the Bulls.

In January, 2005, Turmi was the location for global conference of pastoralists. This was the largest meeting of its type, attended by about 200 pastoralists, government representatives and UN and donor organisations from 23 countries on four continents. Conferees discussed common problems and possible strategies for continuing their way of life in an evolving world.

Demographics

Based on figures from 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...

 in 2005, Turmi has an estimated total population of 1,087 of whom 576 are men and 511 are women. It is the largest settlement in Hamer Bena

Hamer Bena

Hamer Bena is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Omo Zone, Hamer Bena is bordered on the south by Kenya, on the southwest by Kuraz, on the northwest by the Usno River which separates it from Selamago, on the north by Bako...

 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...

.

The 1994 census reported Turmi had a total population of 600 of whom 319 were men and 281 were women. The five largest ethnic groups reported for this town were 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...

 (33.33%), the Hamer (12.5%), the Goffa (12.17%), the Gamo

Gamo people

Gamo is the name of the Ethiopian ethnic group who speak the Gamo language. The name "Gamo" means a lion, which refers to their legacy; along with the Goffa, they gave their names to the former Gamo-Gofa province of Ethiopia. The 2007 Ethiopian national census reported that 1,107,163 people ...

 (9.83%), 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...

 (9.5%); all other ethnic groups made up 22.67% 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...

 is spoken as a first language by 52.67%, 11% Hamer, 7.17% 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 6.67% spoke Konso

Konso language

The Konso language is an East Cushitic language spoken in southwest Ethiopia. Native speakers of Konso number about 200,000...

; the remaining 22.49% spoke all other primary languages reported.

External links

• "Rain, Prosperity and Peace, Reporting from the Global Pastoralist Gathering", UN OCHA-PCI and the Institute of Development Studies, 2005. Report on the Global Pastoralist Gathering at Turmi