Bale Robe
Robe, more commonly known as Bale Robe (in order to differentiate it from other towns in Ethiopia which are also called Robe), is a town and separate woreda in south-central Ethiopia. Located in the Bale Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of 7°7′N 40°0′E with an elevation of 2,492 metres (8,176 ft) above sea level.
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It is located about 430 kilometres by road from Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.
Robe shares Robe Airport (ICAO code HAGB, IATA GOB) with neighboring Goba. Ethiopian Airlines has a scheduled flight four times a week connecting it to the capital Addis Ababa and to the southern city Arba Minch.
The main market day is Thursday, with a smaller market working on Tuesdays and Sundays at another place in the town. Notable tourist attractions include the Sof Omar Caves, which lie to the east.[1]
Demographics
The 2007 national census reported a total population for Robe of 44,382, of whom 22,543 were men and 21,839 were women. The plurality of inhabitants said they were Muslim, with 48.08% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 45.02% of the population practised Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity and 6.13% were Protestant.[2]
The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 21,516 of whom 10,462 were males and 11,054 were females.
Education
Records at the Nordic Africa Institute website provide details of a primary school in Robe in 1968.[1]
As of 2013, there are schools for secondary education in Bale Robe. There is also a teachers-training college, and university here called Madawalabu University.
Transportation
The main mode of transport within the town is called ''Auto rickshaw''(Bajaj).
Notes
- "Local History in Ethiopia" Archived 2011-05-28 at the Wayback Machine (pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 26 November 2007)
- 2007 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Oromia Region, Vol. 1 Archived November 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Tables 2.1, 2.5, 3.4 (accessed 13 January 2012)