The Oromia Zone (Oromo: Godina Oromiyaa; Amharic: ኦሮሚያ ዞን) is a special zone inside Ethiopia’s Amhara Region, with its administrative centre at Kemise. It covers 3,470.04 square kilometres and holds five woredas plus the Kemise town administration. The 2007 census counted 457,278 residents; the Ethiopian Statistics Service projects 602,869 for 2022.
This is not Oromia Region. It is a much smaller unit, sometimes called the Oromia Special Zone of Amhara, created for the Oromo communities of eastern Wollo. Oromia Region is a separate regional state several hundred kilometres to the south and west, with its own administration.
| Administrative centre | Kemise |
|---|---|
| Region | Amhara (special zone) |
| Woredas | 5 plus Kemise town |
| Area | 3,470.04 km2 |
| Population (2007 census) | 457,278 |
| Population (2022 projection) | 602,869 |
| Main languages | Oromo, Amharic |
Woredas (Districts)
| Woreda | 2007 census | 2022 projection |
|---|---|---|
| Artuma Fursi | 82,842 | 105,619 |
| Bati | 107,387 | 146,317 |
| Dawa Chefa | 133,388 | 162,982 |
| Dawe Harewa | 41,359 | 51,399 |
| Jile Timuga | 72,882 | 92,761 |
| Kemise town | 19,420 | 43,791 |
Major Towns
| Town | Woreda | Population (2022 proj.) |
|---|---|---|
| Kemise | Town administration | 43,800 |
| Bati | Bati | 37,600 |
Smaller centres include Senbete, whose Sunday market is one of the largest in eastern Amhara, and the hamlets of Dewe Rahmedo, Shonke and Tiru Sina in the hills east of Kemise, reached on foot paths and known for their Muslim scholarly communities and stone-built houses.
Geography
The zone lies on the eastern edge of the highlands where they break down towards the Rift. It borders North Shewa to the south-west, South Wollo and the Argobba special woreda to the north-west, and Afar Region to the east.
Kemise sits at 1,424 metres, well below the Wollo highlands, and Bati lower still on the lip of the Afar plain. The centre of the zone is the Chefa valley, a broad wetland-fringed plain drained by the Borkena River, which floods in the summer rains and supports year-round grazing. East of Bati the land falls away to hot, semi-arid rangeland.
Demographics
The 2007 census recorded 457,278 people, 227,328 men and 229,950 women, in 101,442 households. The count was 1.23 per cent below the 1994 figure of 462,951, an unusual decline explained mainly by boundary changes. Urban residents were 11.31 per cent and about 2,000 people were recorded as pastoralists.
The Oromo were 86.07 per cent of the population and the Amhara 12.54 per cent. Oromo was the first language of 82.13 per cent, with Amharic in wide use as a second language and as the language of trade. Islam was reported by 97.07 per cent, the highest share of any Amhara zone, and Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity by 2.4 per cent. The 2022 figure of 602,869 is a projection, not a count.
Economy & Local Life
The zone lives on the exchange between highland farming and lowland herding. Sorghum, maize, teff and pulses are grown in the Chefa valley, with cotton and sesame on the warmer margins, while cattle, camels, goats and sheep come in from Afar.
Bati’s Monday market is the anchor of that trade and one of the largest livestock markets in Ethiopia, drawing Afar pastoralists, Oromo and Amhara farmers and traders from as far as Dessie. Senbete holds the equivalent Sunday market. The old salt caravan route from the Afar depression passed through these towns, and much of the current road freight to Djibouti still does.
Getting There
Kemise is about 224 kilometres north-east of Addis Ababa on Ethiopian highway 2, the Dessie road, and roughly 55 kilometres south of Kombolcha. Bati is about 40 kilometres east of Kombolcha on the road to Mille and Djibouti, which carries most of Ethiopia’s import freight. The nearest airport is at Kombolcha, with flights to Addis Ababa.
Road travel across the Amhara Region has been disrupted since 2023 by fighting between federal forces and Fano militias, including on the Addis Ababa to Dessie highway. Check conditions before travelling.
FAQ
Where is the Oromia Zone of Amhara?
In the east of the Amhara Region, around Kemise and Bati, between South Wollo and North Shewa on one side and Afar Region on the other.
Is the Oromia Zone the same as Oromia Region?
No. The Oromia Zone is a special zone inside the Amhara Region with about 600,000 people. Oromia Region is a separate regional state with tens of millions of residents and its own capital.
What is the capital of the Oromia Zone?
Kemise, a town at 1,424 metres about 224 kilometres from Addis Ababa.
How many woredas are in the Oromia Zone?
Five: Artuma Fursi, Bati, Dawa Chefa, Dawe Harewa and Jile Timuga, plus the Kemise town administration.
When was the Oromia Zone created?
In late 1994, from four woredas taken from South Wollo and two from North Shewa, with Kemise appointed as the zonal seat.
What language is spoken in the Oromia Zone?
Oromo, the first language of 82.13 per cent of residents at the 2007 census, with Amharic widely used alongside it.