East Hararghe Zone


East Hararghe is one of the Zones of the Region of Oromia. East Hararge takes its name from the former province of Hararghe. East Hararge is bordered on the southwest by the Shebelle River which separates it from Bale, on the west by Mirab Hararge, on the north by Diredhawa and on the north and east by the Somali Region. The Harari Region is an enclave inside this zone. The Administrative center of this zone is Harar.
Towns and cities in East Harerge include Deder, Haramaya, Awaday, Babille and Funyan Bira. Its highest point is Gara Muleta. Local landmarks include the Harar Wildlife Sanctuary and Haramaya University.
The Central Statistical Agency reported that 3,654.00 tons of coffee were produced in East Hararge in the year ending in 2005, based on inspection records from the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea authority. This represents 3.17% of the Region's output and 1.6% of Ethiopia's total output.

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia, this Zone has a total population of 2,723,850, an increase of 48.79% over the 1994 census, of whom 1,383,198 are men and 1,340,652 women; with an area of 17,935.40 square kilometers, East Hararge has a population density of 151.87. While 216,943 or 8.27% are urban inhabitants, a further 30,215 or 1.11% are pastoralists. A total of 580,735 households were counted in this Zone, which results in an average of 4.69 persons to a household, and 560,223 housing units. The two largest ethnic groups reported were the Oromo and the Amhara ; all other ethnic groups made up 1.31% of the population. Oromo was spoken as a first language by 94.6%, Somali was spoken by 2.92% and Amharic by 2.06%; the remaining 0.42% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim, with 96.51% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 3.12% of the population professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this Zone of 1,830,631 in 346,117 households, of whom 933,677 were men and 896,954 women; 98,012 or 5.35% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The three largest ethnic groups reported in East Hararge were the Oromo, the Amhara, and the Somali ; all other ethnic groups made up 0.31% of the population. Oromiffa was spoken as a first language by 92.57%, 4.02% spoke Amharic, and 3.05% spoke Somali; the remaining 0.36% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim, with 95.28% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 4.51% professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.
According to a May 24, 2004 World Bank memorandum, 3% of the inhabitants of East Harerge have access to electricity, this zone has a road density of 39.6 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers, the average rural household has 0.5 hectare of land and the equivalent of 0.6 heads of livestock. 13% of the population is in non-farm related jobs, compared to the national average of 25% and a Regional average of 24%. Concerning education, 53% of all eligible children are enrolled in primary school, and 10% in secondary schools. Concerning health, 44% of the zone is exposed to malaria, and none to Tsetse fly. The memorandum gave this zone a drought risk rating of 367.