Melokoza

Melokoza is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Gamo Gofa Zone, Melokoza is bordered on the south by Basketo special woreda, on the southwest by the Debub (South) Omo Zone, on the northwest by the Konta special woreda, on the north by the Dawro Zone, and on the east by Loma Bosa; the Omo River defines its northwestern boundary separating the woreda from Konta and the Dawro Zone. The major town in Melokoza is Leha.

Overview

Food crops in Melokoza include enset, sweet potatoes and yams, maize and horse beans, while coffee and the cardamom-like spice aframomum are significant cash crops.^[1] According to a 2004 report, this woreda had no reported roads or tracks.^[2]

A September 2007 landslide in Melokoza was reported to have killed three people, displaced 42 households, and damaged 15 hectares of crops.^[3]

Demographics

Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 106,086, of whom 53,221 were men and 52,865 were women; 2,448 or 2.31% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 8.5%. With an estimated area of 1,614.85 square kilometers, Melokoza has an estimated population density of 65.7 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 156.5.^[4]

The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 74,992 of whom 37,349 were males and 37,573 were females; 1,351 or 1.8% of its population were urban dwellers. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Melokoza were the Goffa (49.75%), the Melo (24.74%), the Basketo (21.9%), the Amhara (1.99%), and the Dime (0.75%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.87% of the population. Goffa is spoken as a first language by 40.49%, 30.94% Basketo, 26.33% Melo, and 0.85% speak Amharic; the remaining 1.39% spoke all other primary languages reported.^[5] However, Ralph Siebert's local research in 1995 led him to believe that this woreda was predominantly inhabited by the Goffa people, although in the same report he notes that "Laha is one of the main places in the Melo area, and the variety [of language] spoken there is similar to Gofa".^[6] Concerning religious beliefs, the 1994 census reported that 37.47% of the population said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 29.04% were Protestants, and 28.03% observed traditional religions.^[5]

Notes

1. ^ "Southern Nation, Nationalities and People’s Region, Ethiopia Livelihood Profiles: January 2006", USAID/FEWSNET, p. 27 (accessed 11 January 2011)
2. ^ "Detailed statistics on roads", SNNPR Bureau of Finance and Economic Development website (accessed 15 September 2009)
3. ^ "Focus on Ethiopia, October 2007", UN-OCHA Archive (accessed 24 February 2009)
4. ^ CSA 2005 National Statistics, Tables B.3 and B.4
5. ^ ^{a b} 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region, Vol. 1, part 1, Tables 2.1, 2.12, 2.15, 2.19 (accessed 30 December 2008)
6. ^ Ralph Siebert, "Recent Developments Regarding Education Policy and Languages in the North Omo Administrative Region" SIL Electronic Survey Reports SILESR 2002-058, p.6

Coordinates: 6°30′N 36°40′E / 6.5°N 36.667°E / 6.5; 36.667