Were Ilu (woreda)
Were Ilu (meaning "family of Ilu" in Afaan
Oromo), is one of the woredas in the
Amhara Region of Ethiopia. This woreda is
named for one of the "Houses" or
subgroups of the Wollo Oromo that used
to govern the area and is still located
there.[1] Part of the Debub Wollo Zone,
Were Ilu is bordered on the southwest by
Jama, on the west by Legahida, on the
northwest by Legambo, on the north by
Dessie Zuria, on the east by the Abuko,
and on the southeast by the Wanchet
which separates it from the Semien Shewa
Zone. Towns in Were Ilu include Kabe,
Were Ilu and Weyin Amba; a historic
landmark is Mekane Selassie, the site of a
church destroyed by Imam Ahmad Gragn.
The woreda of Legahida was separated
from Were Ilu.
Were Ilu stretches over a number of the
ridges and valleys on the southern side of
the massif which includes Mount Amba
Ferit. Elevations range from about 1700
meters above sea level at the confluence
of the Wanchet with its tributary the
Sawan at the woreda's southmost point to
about 3200 meters on its northern
border.[2]
Demographics
Based on the 2007 national census
conducted by the Central Statistical
Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has
a total population of 109,244, an increase
of -9.11% over the 1994 census, of whom
54,252 are men and 54,992 women;
11,434 or 10.47% are urban inhabitants.
With an area of 740.96 square kilometers,
Were Ilu has a population density of
147.44, which is roughly equal than the
Zone average of 147.58 persons per
square kilometer. A total of 25,212
households were counted in this woreda,
resulting in an average of 4.33 persons to
a household, and 24,216 housing units.
The majority of the inhabitants were
Muslim, with 73.96% reporting that as their
religion, while 25.77% of the population
said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox
Christianity.[3]
The 1994 national census reported a total
population for this woreda of 120,193 in
26,594 households, of whom 58,542 were
men and 61,651 were women; 8,908 or
7.41% of its population were urban
dwellers. The largest ethnic group
reported in Were Ilu was the Amhara
(99.91%). Amharic was spoken as a first
language by 99.93%. The majority of the
inhabitants were Muslim, with 80.04% of
the population reported as practicing that
belief, while 19.83% of the population said
they professed Ethiopian Orthodox
Christianity.[4]
Notes
1. Journals of the Rev. Messrs. Isenberg
and Krapf, Missionaries of the Church
Missionary Society, Detailing their
proceedings in the kingdom of Shoa,
and journeys in other parts of
Abyssinia, in the years 1839, 1840,
1841 and 1842 , (London, 1843), pp.
324f
2. Svein Ege, "South Wälo 1:100,000.
Topographic and administrative map
of South Wälo Zone, Amhara Region,
Ethiopia"
3. Census 2007 Tables: Amhara Region ,
Tables 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 3.1, 3.2 and 3.4.
4. 1994 Population and Housing Census
of Ethiopia: Results for Amhara
Region, Vol. 1, part 1 , Tables 2.1, 2.7,
2.10, 2.13, 2.17, Annex II.2 (accessed
9 April 2009)
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