Wolqayt
Encyclopedia
Wolqayt is a woreda
and region in northwestern Ethiopia
. Located in Mi'irabawi Zone
in Tigray Region
, this woreda is bordered on the northwest and north by Kafta Humera
, then separated on the northeast by Tahtay Adiyabo
and on the east by Asigede Tsimbela
by the Tekezé River
, on the southeast by Tselemti
, and on the south by Tsegede
. The administrative center of Wolqayt is Addi Remets
; other towns in this woreda include Mai'gaba and Awura.
, cotton
and also sorghum
. It is also known for the production of essence
. Because this region has long and strong historical ties with Sudan, Tigray
, Eritrea and Gonder, it has become a hot spot for all people from all the parts of Ethiopia and neighbouring countries.
Until the 1996 administrative reorganization, Wolqayt was part of Semien
and Begemder
provinces
. Wolqayt was allocated within the Tigray Region once ethnic federalism was established in Ethiopia. The wife of Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi
, Woizero Azeb Mesfin
, was born in Wolqayt; since the 2005 election, she has represented Wolqayt.
In May 2010 construction was underway on a road segment connecting Adi Remets with a 98 kilometer road west to Dejena Densha; construction of the segment east to Dedebit
awarded that month to Sur Construction for 801 million Birr
.
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 138,926, an increase of 90,186 over the 1994 national census, of whom 70,504 are men and 68,422 women; 10,758 or 7.74% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 3,374.52 square kilometers, Wolqayt has a population density of 41.17, which is greater than the Zone average of 28.94 persons per square kilometer. A total of 30,375 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.57 persons to a household, and 29,336 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 90,186, of whom 45,657 were men and 44,529 were women; 4,597 or 5.1% of its population were urban dwellers. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Wolqayt were the Tigrayan
(96.58%), and the Amhara
(3.03%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.39% of the population. Tigrinya
is spoken as a first language by 97.14%, and 2.75% speak Amharic
; the remaining 0.11% spoke all other primary languages reported. 96.75% of the population said they were Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 3.09% were Muslim
. Concerning education
, 3.9% of the population were considered literate, which is less than the Zone average of 9.01%; 3.36% of children aged 7–12 were in primary school, which is less than the Zone average of 11.34%; a negligible number of the children aged 13–14 were in junior secondary school, which is also less than the Zone average of 0.65%; and a negligible number of children aged 15–18 were in senior secondary school, which is less than the Zone average of 0.51%. Concerning sanitary conditions
, about 1% of the urban houses and about 8% of all houses had access to safe drinking water at the time of the census; about 4% of the urban and about 4% of all houses had toilet facilities.
, and 1.65% was devoted to other uses. For the land under cultivation in this woreda, 63.29% was planted in cereals, 4.19% in pulses, 18.24% in oilseeds, and 0.17% in vegetables is missing. The area planted in gesho was 25 hectares; the area in fruit trees is missing. 79.64% of the farmers both raised crops and livestock, while 10.96% only grew crops and 9.4% only raised livestock. Land tenure in this woreda is distributed amongst 73.93% owning their land, 25.09% renting, and 0.98% reported as holding their land under other forms of tenure. The intensive agriculture is necessary to feed people of the region due to the burgeoning human population
, but continuing conversion of natural lands to agriculture is taking a toll on biodiversity
in the area.
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...
and region in northwestern 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 Mi'irabawi Zone
Mi'irabawi Zone
Mi'irabawi is one of four Zones in the Ethiopian Tigray Region. Mi'irabawi is bordered on the east by the Mehakelegnaw Zone, the south by the Amhara Region, the west by Sudan and on the north by Eritrea...
in Tigray Region
Tigray Region
Tigray Region is the northernmost of the nine ethnic regions of Ethiopia containing the homeland of the Tigray people. It was formerly known as Region 1...
, this woreda is bordered on the northwest and north by Kafta Humera
Kafta Humera
Kafta Humera is one of the 36 woredas in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Mi'irabawi Zone, Kafta Humera is bordered on the south by Tsegede, on the west by Sudan, then by the Tekezé River which separates Kafta Humera from Eritrea on the north and Tahtay Adiyabo on the east, and on the...
, then separated on the northeast by Tahtay Adiyabo
Tahtay Adiyabo
Tahtay Adiyabo is one of the 36 woredas in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Mi'irabawi Zone, Tahtay Adiyabo is bordered on the south by the Asigede Tsimbela, then by the Tekezé River which separates Tahtay Adiyabo from Wolqayt and Kafta Humera on the southwest, on the north by Eritrea,...
and on the east by Asigede Tsimbela
Asigede Tsimbela
Asegede Tsimbela is one of the 36 woredas in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Mi'irabawi Zone, Asegede Tsimbela is bordered along the south by the Tekezé River which separates the woreda on the south from Tselemti and to the west by Wolqayt, then on the northwest by La'ilay Adiyabo, on...
by the Tekezé River
Tekezé River
The Tekezé River, also known as the Takkaze River, is a major river of Ethiopia, and forms a section the westernmost border of Ethiopia and Eritrea for part of its course. The river is also known as the Setit in Eritrea, western Ethiopia, and eastern Sudan. According to materials published by the...
, on the southeast by Tselemti
Tselemti
Tselemti is one of the 36 woredas in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The woreda name is derived from the name of the former province Tselemt, which also lay between the Tekezé River and the Semien Mountains....
, and on the south by Tsegede
Tsegede
Tsegede is one of the 36 woredas in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the historic province of Tsegede. Part of the Mi'irabawi Zone, Tsegede is bordered on the south and west by the Amhara Region, on the northwest by Kafta Humera, and on the north by Wolqayt...
. The administrative center of Wolqayt is Addi Remets
Addi Remets
Addi Remets is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Mi'irabawi Zone of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 1870 meters above sea level...
; other towns in this woreda include Mai'gaba and Awura.
Overview
Wolqayt is known for its fertile alluvial soil, which grows cash crops such sesameSesame
Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
and also sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
. It is also known for the production of essence
Essence
In philosophy, essence is the attribute or set of attributes that make an object or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it loses its identity. Essence is contrasted with accident: a property that the object or substance has contingently, without...
. Because this region has long and strong historical ties with Sudan, Tigray
Tigray Province
Tigray was a province of Ethiopia. The Tigray Region superseded the province with the adoption of the new constitution in 1995. The province of Tigre merged with its neighboring provinces, including Semien, Tembien, Agame and the prominent Enderta province and towards the end of 19th century it...
, Eritrea and Gonder, it has become a hot spot for all people from all the parts of Ethiopia and neighbouring countries.
Until the 1996 administrative reorganization, Wolqayt was part of Semien
Semien province
Semien Province was a historical province of northwest Ethiopia, often called Gondar. It was located south and west of the Tekezé River, and north of Lake Tsana. It was south west of Enderta Province, west of Tembien Province, and east of the Sudan. To some extent it covered the territory of the...
and Begemder
Begemder
Begemder was a province in the northwestern part of Ethiopia. There are several proposed etymologies for this name...
provinces
Provinces of Ethiopia
Until 1995 Ethiopia was divided into provinces, further subdivided into awrajjas or districts. They were replaced by regions and two chartered cities with the adoption of a new constitution that year...
. Wolqayt was allocated within the Tigray Region once ethnic federalism was established in Ethiopia. The wife of Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi Asres is the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Since 1985, he has been chairman of the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front , and is currently head of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front .Meles was born in Adwa, Tigray in Northern Ethiopia, to an Ethiopian father from...
, Woizero Azeb Mesfin
Azeb Mesfin
Azeb Mesfin is an Ethiopian women's right activist, businesswoman, member of parliament, and a political spouse. She is also the vice-president of Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS and founder and patron of Ethiopia's National Initiative for Mental Health...
, was born in Wolqayt; since the 2005 election, she has represented Wolqayt.
In May 2010 construction was underway on a road segment connecting Adi Remets with a 98 kilometer road west to Dejena Densha; construction of the segment east to Dedebit
Dedebit
Dedebit is an association football club from Ethiopia. They play games at the Addis Ababa Stadium, which has a capacity of 35,000.-Achievements:*Ethiopian Premier League: 0*Ethiopian Cup: 1*Ethiopian Super Cup: 0...
awarded that month to Sur Construction for 801 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....
.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 Census conducted 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...
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 138,926, an increase of 90,186 over the 1994 national census, of whom 70,504 are men and 68,422 women; 10,758 or 7.74% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 3,374.52 square kilometers, Wolqayt has a population density of 41.17, which is greater than the Zone average of 28.94 persons per square kilometer. A total of 30,375 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.57 persons to a household, and 29,336 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 90,186, of whom 45,657 were men and 44,529 were women; 4,597 or 5.1% of its population were urban dwellers. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Wolqayt were the Tigrayan
Tigray-Tigrinya people
Tigray-Tigrinya are an ethnic group who live in the southern, central and northern parts of Eritrea and the northern highlands of Ethiopia's Tigray province. They also live in Ethiopia's former provinces of Begemder and Wollo, which are today mostly part of Amhara Region, though a few regions...
(96.58%), and 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...
(3.03%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.39% of the population. Tigrinya
Tigrinya language
Tigrinya , also spelled Tigrigna, Tigrnia, Tigrina, Tigriña, less commonly Tigrinian, Tigrinyan, is a Semitic language spoken by the Tigrinya people in central Eritrea , where it is one of the two main languages of Eritrea, and in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia , where it...
is spoken as a first language by 97.14%, and 2.75% speak 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...
; the remaining 0.11% spoke all other primary languages reported. 96.75% of the population said they were Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 3.09% 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...
. 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...
, 3.9% of the population were considered literate, which is less than the Zone average of 9.01%; 3.36% of children aged 7–12 were in primary school, which is less than the Zone average of 11.34%; a negligible number of the children aged 13–14 were in junior secondary school, which is also less than the Zone average of 0.65%; and a negligible number of children aged 15–18 were in senior secondary school, which is less than the Zone average of 0.51%. 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 1% of the urban houses and about 8% of all houses had access to safe drinking water at the time of the census; about 4% of the urban and about 4% of all houses had toilet facilities.
Agriculture
A sample enumeration performed by the CSA in 2001 interviewed 24,417 farmers in this woreda, who held an average of 0.99 hectares of land. Of the 24,286 hectares of private land surveyed, over 86.69% was in cultivation, 1.27% pasture, 10.37% fallow, 0.03% in woodlandForestry in Ethiopia
In the late nineteenth century, about 30% of Ethiopia was covered with forest. The clearing of land for agricultural use and the cutting of trees for fuel gradually changed the scene, and today forest areas have dwindled to less than 4% of Ethiopia's total land. The northern parts of the highlands...
, and 1.65% was devoted to other uses. For the land under cultivation in this woreda, 63.29% was planted in cereals, 4.19% in pulses, 18.24% in oilseeds, and 0.17% in vegetables is missing. The area planted in gesho was 25 hectares; the area in fruit trees is missing. 79.64% of the farmers both raised crops and livestock, while 10.96% only grew crops and 9.4% only raised livestock. Land tenure in this woreda is distributed amongst 73.93% owning their land, 25.09% renting, and 0.98% reported as holding their land under other forms of tenure. The intensive agriculture is necessary to feed people of the region due to the burgeoning human population
Overpopulation
Overpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. The term often refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment, the Earth...
, but continuing conversion of natural lands to agriculture is taking a toll on biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
in the area.