Mesela (woreda)

Mesela is one of the woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Mirab Hararghe Zone, Mesela is bordered on the southwest by the Galetti River which separates it from Chiro, on the northwest by Tulo, and on the east by the Misraq Hararghe Zone. Towns in Mesela include Goro Reye and Mesela.

Coffee is an important cash crop of this woreda; over 50 square kilometers are planted with this crop.[1] Coffee grown in Mesela is well known for its high quality.[2]

Demographics

The 2007 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 151,698, of whom 76,864 were men and 74,834 were women; 4,590 or 3.03% of its population were urban dwellers. The majority of the inhabitants said they were Muslim, with 90.86% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 8.69% of the population practised Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.[3]

Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 154,502, of whom 75,881 are men and 78,621 are women; 5,841 or 3.78% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 9.6%. With an estimated area of 686.57 square kilometers, Mesela has an estimated population density of 225 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 101.8.[4]

The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 111,478, of whom 57,012 were men and 54,466 women; 3,262 or 2.93% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Mesela were the Oromo (91.04%), and the Amhara (8.72%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.24% of the population. Oromiffa was spoken as a first language by 91.4%, and 8.54% spoke Amharic; the remaining 0.06% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Moslem, with 90.11% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 9.77% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.[5]

Notes

1. "Coffee Production" Oromia Coffee Cooperative Union website
2. "Hararghe farmers on the cross-roads between subsistence and cash economy", UNDP Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia report, dated September 1998 (accessed 4 January 2009)
3. 2007 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Oromia Region, Vol. 1 Archived 2011-11-13 at the Wayback Machine, Tables 2.1, 2.5, 3.4 (accessed 13 January 2012)
4. CSA 2005 National Statistics Archived 2008-07-31 at the Wayback Machine, Tables B.3 and B.4
5. 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Oromia Region, Vol. 1, part 1 Archived 2009-11-15 at the Wayback Machine, Tables 2.1, 2.13, 2.16, 2.20 (accessed 6 April 2009)