Sasiga

Sasiga is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraq Welega Zone, Sasiga is bordered on the south by Diga Leka, on the west by the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the northwest by Limmu, on the north by an exclave of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, and on the east by Guto Wayu.

The administrative center of this woreda is Galo; other towns in Sasiga include Arb Gebeya, Ehud Gebeya, Gute and Tsige. Local landmarks include Kolobo Cave, and the Bereda and Cumbi Falls.

Part of this woreda are characterized by undulating hills. Rivers include the Kersa, Gumbi, Hare, Didiga, Kobo and Bege Rivers. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 11.9% is arable or cultivable, 2.8% pasture, 1.6% forest, and the remaining 83.7% is considered swampy, marshy or otherwise unusable. Forested land is organized into the Danbi, Laga Ayya, Baloo, Bareda and Gumbi natural forests, and the Tsige State Forest. [ [http://oromiagov.org/Socio%20Economic%20Profile/East%20Wellega/East%20Wellega.pdf "Socio-economic profile of the East Wellega Zone"] Government of Oromia Region (last accessed 1 August 2006).] . Sasiga is the best-known source of coffee in this Zone, with over 5,000 hectares planted in this cash crop. [ [http://www.oromiacoffeeunion.org/production.htm "Coffee Production"] Oromia Coffee Cooperative Union website]

Industry in the woreda includes 3 grain mills. There were 7 Farmers Associations with 5272 members and 5 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 4727 members. Sasiga has 54 kilometers of dry weather road and no all-weather road, for an average of road density of 57.6 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 11% of the total population has access to drinking water. [Government of Oromia Region, "Socio-economic profile."]

Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 62,680, of whom 31,768 were males and 30,912 were females; 4330 or 6.91% of its population are urban dwellers, which is about the same as the Zone average of 13.9%. With an estimated area of 938.13 square kilometers, Sasiga has an estimated population density of 66.8 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 81.4. [ [http://www.csa.gov.et/text_files/2005_national_statistics.htm CSA 2005 National Statistics] , Tables B.3 and B.4]

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