West Shewa Zone
West Shewa (Amharic: Mirab Shewa; Afaan Oromo: Shawaa Lixaa/Dhihaa) is one of the zones of the Oromia Region in Ethiopia. This zone takes its name from the kingdom or former province of Shewa. West Shewa is bordered on the south by the Southwest Shewa Zone and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on the southwest by Jimma, on the west by East Welega, on the northwest by Horo Gudru Welega, on the north by the Amhara Region, on the northeast by North Shewa, and on the east by Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Finfinne. Its highest point is Mount Wanchi (3386 meters); other notable peaks include Mount Menagesha and Mount Wachacha. Towns and cities in West Shewa include Ambo.
Between 2002 and 2005, a number of woredas were separated from West Shewa to create South West Shewa Zone.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this Zone has a total population of 2,058,676, of whom 1,028,501 are men and 1,030,175 women; with an area of 14,788.78 square kilometers, West Shewa has a population density of 139.21. While 242,352 or 6.10% are urban inhabitants, a further 53 individuals are pastoralists. A total of 428,689 households were counted in this Zone, which results in an average of 4.80 persons to a household, and 415,013 housing units. The two largest ethnic groups reported in West Shewa were the Oromo (93.82%) and the Amhara (5.15%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.03% of the population. Oromiffa was spoken as a first language by 93.99% and 5.47% spoke Amharic; the remaining 0.54% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 53.84% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 32.93% of the population professed Protestantism and 9.85% of the population said they held traditional beliefs.
Shewa
Shewa (Ge'ez: ሽዋ, Šawā; Amharic: Šewā?), formerly romanized as Shoa, is a historical region of Ethiopia, formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The Ethiopian modern capital Addis Ababa is located at its center.
The nucleus of Shewa is part of the mountainous plateau in what is currently the central area of Ethiopia, but prior to the Zemene Mesafint and after the loss of Bale with the invasion of Ahmed Al-Ghazi, Shewa was part of Ethiopia's southeasternmost frontier. Shewa was as defensible as any highland, and its government traced an administrative continuity with this earlier period despite the loss of neighboring lands to the Ethiopian Empire. At times, it was a safe haven; at other times, it was isolated from the rest of Ethiopia by hostile peoples.
The towns of Debre Berhan, Antsokia, Ankober, Entoto and, after Shewa became a province of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa have all served as the capital of Shewa at various times. Most of northern Shewa, made up of the districts of Menz, Tegulet, Yifat, Menjar, Bulga is populated mostly by Christian Amharas and Oromos, while southern and eastern Shewa have large Oromo and Muslim populations. The important monastery of Debre Libanos, founded by Saint Tekle Haymanot, is located in the district of Selale in northern Shewa (the modern woreda of Yaya Gulelena Debre Liban in the Semien Shewa Zone).
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