Gursum, Oromia (woreda)

:For|the woreda in the Somali Region|Gursum, Somali (woreda)

Gursum is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraq (East) Hararghe Zone, Gursum is bordered on the south by Babille, on the west by the Harari Region, on the north by Jarso, and on the east by the Somali Region. [The Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency [http://www.dppc.gov.et/downloadable/map/administrative/Atlas_Oromiya.pdf map for Oromia] (copyright 2006) shows a woreda of the Oromia Region named Chenaksen east of Gursum, inside the Somali Region.] The administrative center of the woreda is Fugnan Bira.

The altitude of this woreda ranges from 1200 to 2950 meters above sea level; Kondudo and Medero are amongst the highest points. Perennial rivers include the Hariro, Goro Obole, Bombas, Ejerti, and Agemsa. A survey of the land in this woreda (reported in 1996) shows that 15.7% is arable or cultivable, 8.9% pasture, 13.2% forest, 22.4% built-up, and the remaining 39.8% is considered degraded or otherwise unusable. [ [http://oromiagov.org/Socio%20Economic%20Profile/East%20Hararghe/East%20Hararghe.pdf "Socio-economic profile of the East Hararghe Zone"] Government of Oromia Region (last accessed 1 August 2006).] Coffee is an important cash crop for this woreda; between 20 and 50 km² are planted with it. [ [http://www.oromiacoffeeunion.org/production.htm "Coffee Production"] Oromia Coffee Cooperative Union website]

Industry in the woreda includes 10 grain mills and one brick factory employing 44 people, as well as 314 registered business including wholesalers, retailers and service providers; although feldspar, quartz and garnet deposits are known to exist, only dolomite and granite are quarried. There were 36 Farmers Associations with 25,727 members and one Farmers Service Cooperatives with 1336 members. Gursum has 75 kilometers of gravel and 30 kilometers of road, for an average road density of 119.7 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 4.2% of the rural and 21.2% of the urban 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 211,593, of whom 105,509 were males and 106,084 were females; 15,478 or 7.31% of its population are urban dwellers, which is about the same as the Zone average of 6.9%. With an estimated area of 876.57 square kilometers, Gursum has an estimated population density of 241.4 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 102.6. [ [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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