Were Ilu is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Wollo Zone, Were Ilu is bordered on the southwest by Jama, on the west by Kelala, on the northwest by Legambo, on the north by Dessie Zuria, on the east by the Oromia Zone, and on the southeast by the Wanchet which separates it from the Semien Shewa Zone. Towns in Were Ilu include Kabe, Were Ilu and Weyin Amba; a historic landmark is Mekane Selassie, the site of a church destroyed by Imam Ahmad Gragn.
Were Ilu stretches over a number of the ridges and valleys on the southern side of the massif which includes Mount Amba Ferit. Elevations range from about 1700 meters above sea level at the confluence of the Wanchet with its tributary the Sawan at the woreda's southmost point to about 3200 meters on its northern border.[1]
Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 109,244, an increase of -9.11% over the 1994 census, of whom 54,252 are men and 54,992 women; 11,434 or 10.47% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 740.96 square kilometers, Were Ilu has a population density of 147.44, which is roughly equal than the Zone average of 147.58 persons per square kilometer. A total of 25,212 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.33 persons to a household, and 24,216 housing units.[2]
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 120,193 in 26,594 households, of whom 58,542 were men and 61,651 were women; 8,908 or 7.41% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Were Ilu was the Amhara (99.91%). Amharic was spoken as a first language by 99.93%. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim, with 80.04% of the population reported as practicing that belief, while 19.83% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.[3]
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