Arba Minch Zuria (Amharic "Greater Arba Minch Area") is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. A part of the Gamo Gofa Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Arba Minch Zuria is bordered on the south by the Dirashe special woreda, on the west by Bonke, on the north by Chencha, on the northeast by Boreda Abaya, on the east by the Oromia Region, and on the southeast by the Amaro special woreda. This woreda also includes portions of two lakes and their islands, Abaya and Chamo. The largest settlement in Arba Minch Zuria is the city of Arba Minch.
According to a 2004 report, Arba Minch Zuria had 31 kilometers of asphalt roads, 69 kilometers of all-weather roads and 51 kilometers of dry-weather roads, for an average road density of 90 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers.[1]
Arba Minch Zuria 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 3,754 heads of households and 15,016 total family members.[2]
Heavy rains on the nights of 21-22 May 2005 caused the Sile and Sego Rivers to burst their banks, which displaced over 12,000 farmers. An unknown number of livestock were killed and an extensive area of crop fields destroyed.[3]
Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 232,432, of whom 114,370 are men and 118,062 are women; 72,507 or 31.19% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 8.5%. With an estimated area of 1,681.72 square kilometers, Arba Minch Zuria has an estimated population density of 138 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 156.5.[4]
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 153,550 of whom 78,158 were men and 75,392 were women; 40,020 or 26.06% of its population were urban dwellers. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Arba Minch Zuria were the Gamo (69.53%), the Amhara (7.94%), the Welayta (6.75%), the Zayse (6.02%), and the Oromo (3.64%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.28% of the population. Gamo is spoken as a first language by 65.77%, 16.97% Amharic, 5.93% Zergula, 5.13% Welayta, and 2.46% spoke Oromiffa; the remaining 3.74% spoke all other primary languages reported.[5]