Semien Wollo Zone

Semien Wollo (Amharic: ሰሜን ወሎ) (or North Wollo) is one of 10 zones of the Amhara Region of northern Ethiopia. It is bordered on the south by Debub Wollo (South Wollo), on the west by Debub Gondar (South Gondar), on the north by Wag Hemra, on the northeast by Tigray Region, and on the east by Afar Region; part of its southern border is defined by the Mille River. Its highest point is Mount Abuna Yosef. Its towns include Lalibela (known for its rock-cut churches) and Weldiya (also spelled Woldia). Semien Wollo acquired its name from the former province of Wollo.

" All eight rural woredas of this Zone have been grouped amongst the 48 woredas identified as the most drought prone and food insecure in the Amhara Region.

Most of this Zone is mountainous and characterized by steep slopes, which are unsuitable for agriculture and severely limits the cultivated area. A survey of the land in this Zone shows that 24% is arable or cultivable, 4.6% pasture, 0.37% forest, 17.4% shrubland, 47.3% degraded or unusable, and the remaining 6.3% all other uses. To combat increasing droughts and improve crop yields, 12 irrigation projects have been undertaken in five woredas, affecting 1.64 square kilometers and benefiting 6,783 households.

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this Zone has a total population of 1,500,303, an increase of 19.04% over the 1994 census, of whom 752,895 are men and 747,408 women; with an area of 12,172.50 square kilometers, Semien Wollo has a population density of 123.25. While 155,273 or 10.35% are urban inhabitants, a further 2 persons are pastoralists. A total of 355,974 households were counted in this Zone, which results in an average of 4.21 persons to a household, and 343,504 housing units. The largest ethnic group reported in Semien Wollo was the Amhara (99.38%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.62% of the population. Amharic is spoken as a first language by 99.28%; the remaining 0.72% spoke all other primary languages reported. 82.74% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 17.08% of the population said they were Muslim.

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