Basketo

Basketo is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the Basketo people, whose homeland lies in this woreda. While in their latest population estimates the Central Statistical Agency (CSA) includes it one of the woredas of the Semien Omo Zone, the list of second administrative level bodies maintained by the United Nations Geographic Information Working Group categorizes Basketo as a "special woreda", that is one that is not part of any Zone. [ [http://www.who.int/whosis/database/gis/salb/salb_coding.htm Names and codes for January 2000, Ethiopia] (WHO website). The information in the WHO spreadsheet is built on information received 18 September 2002 from the Ethiopian Ministry of Federal Affairs.]

Basketo is bordered on the south and west by the Debub Omo Zone, on the north by Melokoza, and on the east by Gofa Zuria. The major town in Basketo is Laska.

Based on figures published by the CSA in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 48,316, of whom 23,990 were males and 24,326 were females; 3,970 or 8.22% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 8.5%. With an estimated area of 114.8 square kilometers, Basketo has an estimated population density of 420.94 people per square kilometer, which is less 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]

Basketto 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 7000 heads of households and 28,000 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)]

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