Kalu (woreda)

Kalu (also known as Harbu) is one of the woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Wollo Zone, Kalu is bordered on the west by Dessie Zuria, on the north by Were Babu, on the south and east by the Oromia Zone, on the southeast by Argobba special woreda, and on the southwest by Abuko. The administrative center for this woreda is Harbu; other towns in Kalu include Ancharo, Gerba and Degan. A highway linking Kombolcha and Afar bisects Kalu to two parts.

The altitude of this woreda ranges from 800 metres above sea level in the lowlands bordering the Oromia Zone to 1,750 metres at the foot of the mountains north of Kombolcha; the climate of Kalu varies from dry sub-humid to semi-arid. Important rivers include the Cheleleka and Borkana. Forested area includes Yegof forest, 180 square kilometres of native trees and plantations of exotic species covering the steep slopes of Mount Yegof northeast of Kombolcha, which regenerated after the 1973-1974 famine.

In 2002, a number of kebeles were taken from Kalu and Dessie Zuria to create the new woreda of Abuko.Argobba special woreda was separated from Kalu. Pottery shards were recovered from tombs near Atatiya in Harbu, pointing to the presence of the Kingdom of Axum as far south as the area this woreda now covers.

Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 186,181, an increase of 9.18% over the 1994 census, of whom 94,187 are men and 91,994 women; 19,810 or 10.64% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 851.54 square kilometers, Kalu has a population density of 218.64, which is greater than the Zone average of 147.58 persons per square kilometre. A total of 41,648 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.47 persons to a household, and 40,115 housing units. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim, with 98.73% reporting that as their religion, while 1.17% of the population said they practised Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.

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