Bambasi (woreda)

Bambasi (also spelled Bambeshi) is one of the 21 woredas in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Asosa Zone, it is bordered by the Mao-Komo special woreda on the southwest, Asosa in the northwest, by Menge in the north, by Oda Godere in the northeast, and by the Oromia Region in the south.

This woreda and its only town, Bambasi, are named for the tallest point in this zone, Mount Bambasi. Rivers include the Dabus, which originates in this woreda.

Demographics

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 47,374, of whom 23,863 are men and 23,511 are women; 7,166 or 15.1% of the population are urban dwellers.^[1] With an estimated area of 2,210.16 square kilometers, Bambasi has a population density of 21.4 people per square kilometer which is greater than the Zone average of 19.95.

The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 34,475 in 8,117 households, of whom 17,419 were men and 17,056 were women; 4,164 or 12.08% of its population were urban dwellers. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Bambasi were the Amhara (42%), the Berta (33.8%), the Oromo (12.4%), 12.3% Fadashi, the Tigray (5.7%), and the Mao (3.7%). Amharic is spoken as a first language by 42.7%, 33.7% speak Berta, 13.4% Fadashi 12.2% Oromiffa, 5.6% Tigrinya, and 3.7% speak Mao one of the northern group of Omotic languages. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim, with 72.3% of the population reporting they belonged to that faith, while 26.3% observed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. Concerning education, 17.1% of the population were considered literate, which is less than the Zone average of 18.49%; 8.68% of children aged 7-12 were in primary school; 1.06% of the children aged 13-14 were in junior secondary school; and 0.14% of the inhabitants aged 15-18 were in senior secondary school. Concerning sanitary conditions, 56.8% of the urban houses and 26% of all houses had access to safe drinking water at the time of the census; 72.7% of the urban and 34.9% of the total had toilet facilities.^[2]

Notes