Teltele (woreda)

The altitude of this woreda ranges from 710 to 1460 meters above sea level; the landscape consists mainly of lowlands and isolated hills. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 25% is arable (2.5% was under cultivation), 48% pasture, 5% forest, 20% shrub and brush, and the remaining 2% is considered swampy, degraded or otherwise unusable. Lake Chew Bahir is a notable local landmark. Sorghum, corn, teff, haricot beans, chickpeas, wheat and barley are important crops.[1]

Industry in the woreda includes 8 grain mills. There were 14 Farmers Associations and 2 Farmers Service Cooperatives; most of the farmers as pastoralists. Teltele has 65 kilometers of dry-weather road, for an average road density of 6.1 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers; at the time the Oromia Regional government wrote its report, an additional 100 kilometers of gravel road was under construction to link the towns of Teltele and Yabelo. About 26.6% of the rural and 13.9% of the urban population has access to drinking water.[1]

The 2007 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 70,501, of whom 36,246 were men and 34,255 were women; 4,874 or 6.91% of its population were urban dwellers. The majority of the inhabitants said they practiced traditional beliefs, with 67.59% of the population reporting they observed these beliefs, while 14% of the population were Protestant, 7.66% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 6.77% were Muslim and 2.2% were Catholic.[2]

Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 49,638, of whom 24,156 are men and 25,482 are women; 5,956 or 12.00% of its population are urban dwellers, which is roughly equal to the Zone average of 11.6%. With an estimated area of 10,627.82 square kilometers, Teltele has an estimated population density of 4.7 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 21.1.[3] Although the Borena Oromo are the predominant ethnic group in this woreda, members of the Konso, Arbore and Hamer peoples also reside there.[4]

The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 35,128, of whom 18,084 were men and 17,044 women; 3,328 or 9.47% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The four largest ethnic groups reported in Teltele were the Oromo (67.14%), the Konso (28.98%), the Amhara (1.4%), and the Burji (1.13%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.35% of the population. Oromiffa was spoken as a first language by 74.94%, 24.07% spoke Konso, and 0.47% spoke Amharic; the remaining 4.39% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants practiced traditional beliefs, with 67.36% of the population reported having beliefs that fell under that classification, while 8.21% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 6.81% were Muslim, and 2.23% were Protestant.[5]

4°50′N 37°25′E