Abobo (woreda)

Abobo is one of the woredas in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Anuak Zone, Abobo is bordered on the southeast by the Mezhenger Zone, on the south by Gog, on the southwest by Jor, on the northwest by Itang special woreda, on the north by Gambela Zuria, and on the northeast by the Oromia Region; part of its northern boundary is defined by the Alwero River. The major town in Abobo is Abobo.

Overview

The terrain of Abobo is dominated by comparatively high ground extending on a southeast-northwest axis; the elevations range 400 – 600 meters above sea level. Major bodies of water in this woreda include Lake Alwero. According to the Atlas of the Ethiopian Rural Economy published by the Central Statistical Agency (CSA), around 20% of the woreda is forest.[1] A notable landmark is the Gambela National Park, which occupies the land west of the Fugnido - Gambela road.

The economy of Abobo is predominantly agricultural. Estimated road density is reported to be between 5.1 and 10 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers.[2]

At the start of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Abobo was part of the Administrative Zone 2; however between 2001 and 2007 the Zone was reorganized and this woreda became part of the Anuak Zone.[3]

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the CSA, this woreda has a total population of 15,741, an increase of 12.65% over the 1994 census, of whom 8,184 are men and 7,557 women; with an area of 3,116.17 square kilometers, Abobo has a population density of 5.05, which is greater than the Zone average of 4.83 persons per square kilometer. The census reported 4,090 or 25.98% are urban inhabitants. A total of 3,867 households were counted in this woreda, which results in an average of 4.1 persons to a household, and 3,663 housing units. The majority of the inhabitants said they were Protestant, with 71.41% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 10.77% were Catholic, 9.98% of the population practised Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 6.12% were Muslim.[4]

According to the 1994 national census, the woreda's population was reported to be 13,973 in 3,597 households, of whom 7,223 were men and 6,750 women; 1,222 or 8.75% of the population were urban inhabitants. The five largest ethnic groups in Abobo were the Anuak (44.05%), the Kambaata (20.1%), the Amhara (12.57%), the Oromo (6.31%), and the Mezhenger (5.99%); all other ethnic groups made up 10.98% of the population. Anuak is spoken as a first language by 44.08%, 20.45% speak Kambaata, 13.5% Amharic, 5.93% Majang, and 5.65% speak Oromiffa; the remaining 10.39% spoke all other primary languages reported. The largest group of the inhabitants said they were Protestant, with 32.2% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 29.66% professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 16.01% practiced traditional religions, 13.71% were Muslim, and 6.46% were Catholic.[5]

Notes

1. Atlas of the Ethiopian Rural Economy Archived 2007-07-01 at the Wayback Machine, p. 18
2. Atlas of the Ethiopian Rural Economy, pp. 30f
3. According to Dereje Feyissa this reorganization, which happened in 2003, was done to align territories inside the Gambela Region with the presence of local ethnic groups. (Dereje, "The Experience of the Gambela Regional State", in Ethnic Federalism: The Ethiopian Experience in Comparative Perspective [Oxford: James Currey, 2006], p. 223)
4. Census 2007 Tables: Gambela Region Archived 2010-11-14 at the Wayback Machine, Tables 2.1, 2.4, 2.5,and 3.4.
5. 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Gambela Region, Vol. 1 Archived 2008-11-19 at the Wayback Machine, Tables 2.1, 2.7, 2.16, 2.19, 2.21 (accessed 1 September 2009)