List of Towns, Villages and Cities in Konso Zone

Konso Zone is a zone of the South Ethiopia Region in the Great Rift Valley, with its capital at Karati, also called Konso town. The 2007 census recorded 235,087 people across 2,273.79 square kilometres, and the 2022 projection is about 318,800. Its terraced hillsides and walled towns are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Konso was a special woreda for most of its modern history. It was folded into the Segen Area Peoples Zone in 2011, became a zone in its own right in November 2018 after sustained local protest, and passed into the South Ethiopia Region when that was created in August 2023.

Woredas (Districts)

All four woredas were within the single Konso unit counted in 2007, which is why the census reports one figure of 235,087 for the whole zone rather than separate woreda totals.

Major Towns

Konso settlement is unusual: people live in large, dense, stone-walled hilltop towns rather than scattered homesteads, so the zone has relatively few named places for its population. Other recorded settlements include Dokatu, Duraiti, Gatonale, Golele and Giarso.

Geography

Konso lies on dry, steep hill country on the eastern side of the Rift Valley, centred on about 5°20′N 37°20′E. Rainfall is low and comes in short, heavy bursts, which strips soil off unprotected slopes. The Segen River drains the zone southeast towards Lake Chew Bahir.

The zone borders Gardula Zone and Ale Zone to the north, Burji Zone to the northeast, South Omo Zone to the west, and Oromia Region to the south and east.

Demographics

The 2007 census counted 235,087 people in 44,902 households, 4.00 per cent of them urban. The 2022 figure of about 318,800 is a Central Statistical Agency projection.

The Konso people make up 87.04 per cent of residents. Konso is the first language of 86.18 per cent and Gawwada of 9.73 per cent. Protestants account for 50.34 per cent of the population, with Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, Muslims and followers of traditional religion making up the rest.

Economy & Local Life

Konso farming is built on stone terracing. Dry-stone walls hold soil and water on slopes too steep to cultivate otherwise, and the terraces have been maintained continuously for centuries. Sorghum is the main grain, grown alongside the endemic Moringa stenopetala tree, whose leaves are a daily vegetable. Cotton and livestock supply cash income.

The Konso Cultural Landscape was inscribed by UNESCO in 2011, the first site in Ethiopia listed as a cultural landscape. It covers 23,000 hectares and takes in the terraces, the walled towns whose oldest inner walls stand up to four metres high, the ceremonial squares known as moras, the sacred forests, and the carved wooden waga statues raised to commemorate the dead.

Getting There

Karati sits on the surfaced road from Arba Minch south towards Yabelo and the Kenyan border, and it is the junction for the western road into South Omo through Weyto and Key Afer. Buses run from Arba Minch daily. The nearest airports with scheduled flights are at Arba Minch to the north and Jinka to the west.

FAQ

Where is Konso Zone?

In the South Ethiopia Region, in the Rift Valley south of Arba Minch, at the junction of the roads to South Omo and to the Kenyan border.

What is the capital of Konso Zone?

Karati, also known as Konso town or Pakawle.

When did Konso become a zone?

In November 2018. Before that it was a special woreda, and from 2011 part of the Segen Area Peoples Zone.

How many woredas are in Konso Zone?

Four: Karat Zuria, Kena, Kolme and Segen Zuria.

Why is Konso a World Heritage Site?

The Konso Cultural Landscape was inscribed in 2011 for its stone agricultural terraces, walled hilltop towns, ceremonial moras and waga grave sculptures.