Sodo Zuria

Sodo Zuria (Amharic "Greater Sodo Area") is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Omo Zone, Sodo Zuria is bordered on the southwest by Offa, on the west by Kindo Koysha, on the north by Boloso Sore, on the northeast by Damot Gale, and on the east by Damot Weyde. The major town in Sodo Zuria is Sodo.

This woreda covers part of the homeland of the Welayta people.

Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 297,576, of whom 149,275 were males and 148,301 were females; 65,737 or 22.09% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 8.5%. With an estimated area of 481.25 square kilometers, Sodo Zuria has an estimated population density of 618.3 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 156.5. [ [http://www.csa.gov.et/text_files/2005_national_statistics.htm CSA 2005 National Statistics] , Tables B.3 and B.4]

History

Sodo Zuria was selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2004 as one of several woredas for voluntary resettlement for farmers from overpopulated areas, becoming the new home for a total of 1268 heads of households and 5072 total family members. [ [http://www.dppc.gov.et/downloadable/map/Thematic%20maps/resettlement/Resettlement%202004.pdf "Resettlement 2004"] , Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency (DPPA) (accessed 26 November 2006)]

In 2006 the Woreda Agriculture and Rural Development Office announced that they had begun development projects that included the creation or maintenance of 105 kilometers of road in 34 kebeles of Sodo Zuria woreda. This would cost 2.5 million Birr. [ [http://www.waltainfo.com/EnNews/2006/Nov/28Nov06/21089.htm "Office undertakes 2.5mln birr dev't works in Special Woreda in quarter year"] Walta Information Center (last accessed 30 November 2006)]

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