Arba Minch Zuria

Arba Minch Zuria (Amharic "Greater Arba Minch Area") is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. A part of the Semien Omo Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Arba Minch Zuria is bordered on the south by the Dirashe special woreda, on the west by Bonke, on the north by Chencha, on the northeast by Boreda Abaya, on the east by the Oromia Region, and on the southeast by the Amaro special woreda. This woreda also includes portions of two lakes and their islands, Abaya and Chamo. The largest settlement in Arba Minch Zuria is the city of Arba Minch.

This woreda covers part of the homeland of the Gamo-Goffa people.

Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 232,432, of whom 114,370 were males and 118,062 were females; 72,507 or 31.19% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 8.5%. With an estimated area of 1,681.72 square kilometers, Arba Minch Zuria has an estimated population density of 138. 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]

Arba Minch 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 3754 heads of households and 15,016 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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