Misraq Shewa Zone

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Misraq Shewa (or "East Shewa") is one of the 12 Zones of the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. This zone takes its name from the kingdom or former province of Shewa.

Misraq Shewa is located in the middle of Oromia, connecting the western regions to the eastern ones. This zone is bordered on the south and southwest by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on the west by Mirab Shewa, on the northwest by Semien Shewa, on the north by the Amhara Region, on the northeast by the Afar Region, and on the southwest by Arsi; its westernmost reach is defined by the course of the Bilate River. Towns and cities in Misraq Shewa include Adama, Debre Zeit, Metehara, Shashamane, and Ziway.

With the intent to rehabilitate degraded forests, the Zonal Agriculture and Rural Development Office announced 2 October 2006 that it had planted over 36.3 seedlings in 10 of the Zone's 12 woredas, covering 4,000 hectares of land.^[1]

[edit] Demographics

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this zone has an estimated total population of 2,475,945, of whom 1,246,576 were males and 1,229,369 were females; 794,683 or 32.1% of its population are urban dwellers. With an estimated area of 13,624.09 square kilometers, Misraq Shewa has an estimated population density of 181.73 people per square kilometer.^[2]

According to a May 24, 2004 World Bank memorandum, 9% of the inhabitants of Misraq Shewa have access to electricity, this zone has a road density of 54.7 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers (compared to the national average of 30 kilometers),^[3] the average rural household has 1.2 hectare of land (compared to the national average of 1.01 hectare of land and an average of 1.14 for the Oromia Region)^[4] and the equivalent of 1.0 heads of livestock. 14.5% of the population is in non-farm related jobs, compared to the national average of 25 % and a Regional average of 24%. 61% of all eligible children are enrolled in primary school, and 19% in secondary schools. 21% of the zone is exposed to malaria, and 49% to Tsetse fly. The memorandum gave this zone a drought risk rating of 372.^[5]