Halaba Zone, also written Alaba, is a zone of Ethiopia’s Central Ethiopia Region with its administrative centre at Halaba Kulito. It recorded 232,325 people at the 2007 census across 994.66 square kilometres, a density of about 234 people per square kilometre. Halaba was a woreda inside the old Kembata, Alaba and Tembaro Zone, became a special woreda in 2002, and was raised to zone status in 2023 when the Central Ethiopia Region was created.
| Region | Central Ethiopia |
| Administrative centre | Halaba Kulito |
| Area | 994.66 km2 |
| Population (2007 census) | 232,325 |
| Population (2022 proj.) | 339,423 |
| Main language | Halaba (Alaaba) |
| Main religion | Islam |
Woredas (Districts)
The zone is administered as four districts. The 2007 census counted them together as a single special woreda, so district-level census figures are not published separately.
| Woreda | Administrative centre |
|---|---|
| Atoti Ullo | Atoti |
| Wera | Wera |
| Wera Jido | Jido |
| Halaba Kulito town | Halaba Kulito |
Major Towns
| Town | Population (2022 proj.) |
|---|---|
| Halaba Kulito | 72,200 |
| Bedene | Not published |
| Gacheno | Not published |
Halaba Kulito is the only substantial town. The rest of the zone is farmland and dispersed hamlets served by weekly markets.
Geography
Halaba sits on the western floor and lower slopes of the Rift Valley, mostly between 1,700 and 2,200 metres, dropping lower towards Lake Shala on the north-east. Mount Bubisa is the main high point. Tree cover is sparse and erosion gullies cut the southern farmland, a legacy of dryland cropping on light volcanic soils.
The zone borders Hadiya Zone to the west and north, including a Hadiya exclave on the south, Kembata Zone to the south-west, SiltΚΌe Zone to the north-west and the Oromia Region to the east.
Demographics
The 2007 census recorded 232,325 people, 117,291 men and 115,034 women. The CSA’s 2022 projection is 339,423.
Halaba, a Highland East Cushitic language close to Kambaata, was the first language of 77.23% of residents, followed by Kambaata at 7.7% and Amharic at 5.91%. Islam was reported by 90.9% of the population, Protestant Christianity by 5.02% and Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity by 3.79%.
Economy & Local Life
Farming here is dryland cropping and livestock rather than the enset systems of the wetter highlands to the west. Pepper is the signature cash crop and Halaba’s red pepper reaches markets across southern Ethiopia. Maize, teff, sorghum, haricot beans and wheat make up the food crops. Cattle, goats and sheep are widely kept, and oxen do the ploughing. Rainfall is unreliable, so households spread risk across several crops and depend on the Halaba Kulito market for grain in poor years.
History
The Halaba trace their origins to communities that settled the eastern edge of the Kambaata highlands and adopted Islam early. Under the federal system introduced in 1995, Halaba was a woreda within the Kembata, Alaba and Tembaro Zone of the former SNNPR. It was detached as a special woreda in 2002, reporting directly to the regional government, and held that status for two decades. When the SNNPR was divided on 19 August 2023 and the Central Ethiopia Region was created, Halaba was raised again, this time to a zone with its own subordinate districts. The spelling shifted with it: official use now favours Halaba over the older Alaba, though both appear in census and mapping records.
Getting There
Halaba Kulito lies on the asphalt road between Shashamane and Hosaena, about 85 km west of Shashamane and 55 km east of Hosaena. From Addis Ababa the drive is roughly 310 km via Ziway and Shashamane, or a similar distance through Butajira. Buses and minibuses run daily on both routes. The nearest scheduled airport is at Hawassa, about 120 km south-east.
FAQ
Where is Halaba Zone?
In the Central Ethiopia Region, on the western side of the Rift Valley between Hosaena and Shashamane.
What is the capital of Halaba Zone?
Halaba Kulito, often called simply Kulito.
How many woredas are in Halaba Zone?
Four: Atoti Ullo, Wera, Wera Jido and the Halaba Kulito town administration.
When did Halaba become a zone?
In 2023, at the creation of the Central Ethiopia Region. It had been a special woreda since 2002, and before that a woreda of the Kembata, Alaba and Tembaro Zone.
What language is spoken in Halaba?
Halaba, also called Alaaba, a Cushitic language related to Kambaata. Amharic is the common second language.
What is Halaba known for?
Red pepper. The zone’s dryland farms supply pepper to markets across southern Ethiopia.