Boset

Boset is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraq Shewa Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Boset is bordered on the south by the Arsi Zone, on the west by the Awash River which separates it from Adama, on the north by the Afar Region, and on the east by Fentale. The administrative center of the woreda is Welenchiti; other towns in Boset include Bofe, Bole and Doni.

This woreda is predominantly level land with undulating features; almost 90% is less than 1500 meters above sea level; Boset Guddo is the highest point. Rivers include the Tebo. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 26.2% is arable or cultivable, 30% pasture, 15.8% forest, and the remaining 28% is considered barren, degraded or otherwise unusable. The Nura Era and Tibila State Farms are major agricultural centers, and fruits and vegetables are important cash crops. [ [http://oromiagov.org/Socio%20Economic%20Profile/East%20Shewa/East%20Shewa.pdf "Socio-economic profile of East Shewa"] Government of Oromia Region (last accessed 1 August 2006).] .

Industry in the woreda includes 19 small scale industries that employed 28 people, as well as 576 legally registered business enterprises which include 69 wholesalers, 318 retailers and 189 service providers of differing types. There were 31 Farmers Associations with 6208 members and 7 Farmers Service Cooperatives with the same number of members. Boset has 97 kilometers of dry-weather and 103 of all-weather road, for an average of road density of 136.8 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 87% of the urban, 36% of the rural and 45% of the total population have 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 158,253, of whom 76,410 were males and 81,843 were females; 33,348 or 21.07% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 32.1%. With an estimated area of 1,461.88 square kilometers, Boset has an estimated population density of 108.3 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 181.7. [ [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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