List of Towns, Villages and Cities in Gedeo Zone

Gedeo Zone is a narrow strip of the South Ethiopia Region running along the eastern escarpment of the Ethiopian Highlands, with Dilla as its capital. The 2007 census counted 847,434 people in 1,210.89 square kilometres, a density of 699.84 per square kilometre and one of the highest rural densities in Africa. The 2022 projection is about 1.25 million.

Gedeo is an exclave: it is separated from the rest of the South Ethiopia Region by Sidama Region and Oromia Region, which surround it. It joined the new region on 18 August 2023.

Woredas (Districts)

Raphe and Chorso woredas were created after the 2007 census and have no separate census figures. The zone also has town administrations at Dilla, Yirgachefe, Wonago, Gedeb and Chelelektu.

Major Towns

Chelelektu and Fisiha Genet are the other named urban centres.

Geography

The zone is a long, thin band of escarpment. Altitude runs from 1,268 metres near Lake Abaya at the southwestern edge to 2,993 metres at the Haro Wolabu pond in the highlands, and the whole strip tilts from the ridge down to the Rift Valley floor. Rainfall is high and reliable, which is why the slopes carry continuous coffee and enset garden agriculture rather than open fields.

Gedeo is bordered on all sides by Sidama Region to the north and Oromia Region to the east and south, with Lake Abaya to the west.

Demographics

The 2007 census recorded 847,434 people, 424,742 men and 422,692 women, of whom 107,781 or 12.72 per cent lived in towns. The 2022 projection of about 1,251,600 is a Central Statistical Agency estimate, not a count.

Gedeo is the first language of 86.82 per cent of residents, followed by Amharic at 5.82 per cent and Oromiffa at 4.12 per cent. Protestants make up 73.21 per cent of the population, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians 10.67 per cent, followers of traditional religion 7.96 per cent, Muslims 2.44 per cent and Catholics 2.11 per cent.

Economy & Local Life

Gedeo runs on coffee. Yirgachefe is one of the best-known coffee names in the world, and the zone’s washed arabicas are sold as a distinct origin. Coffee is grown in multi-storey gardens under shade trees, above a lower layer of enset, which feeds the household while the coffee earns the cash. In 2005 Sidama and Gedeo together produced 63,562 tonnes of coffee, about 28 per cent of Ethiopia’s crop.

That farming system is itself the zone’s second distinction. The Gedeo Cultural Landscape, the terraced agroforestry belt along the escarpment together with its sacred forests and Waga wooden grave markers, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023.

Getting There

Dilla sits directly on the surfaced Addis Ababa–Hawassa–Moyale highway, the main road to the Kenyan border, which makes Gedeo one of the easiest zones in the region to reach. Buses run daily from Addis Ababa and Hawassa. Yirgachefe, Wonago and Gedeb are all strung along the same road. The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Hawassa.

FAQ

Where is Gedeo Zone?

In the South Ethiopia Region, on the eastern escarpment above the Rift Valley, on the Addis Ababa–Moyale highway. It is an exclave surrounded by Sidama and Oromia regions.

What is the capital of Gedeo Zone?

Dilla, projected at about 158,800 people for 2022.

How many woredas are in Gedeo Zone?

Eight: Bule, Chorso, Dila Zuria, Gedeb, Kochere, Raphe, Wenago and Yirgachefe, plus five town administrations.

What language is spoken in Gedeo?

Gedeo, a Cushitic language, spoken as a first language by 86.82 per cent of residents.

Why is Gedeo famous for coffee?

Its escarpment slopes, high rainfall and shade-grown garden farming produce Yirgachefe and Kochere coffees, sold worldwide as single origins.