Afdem (woreda)

Afdem (Somali: Afdam) is one of the woredas in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Shinile Zone, this woreda is bordered on the southwest by Mieso, on the north by the Afar Region and on the east by Erer, and on the south by the Oromia Region. The administrative center of this woreda is Afdem; other towns in Afdem include Alejer and Bike.

The track of the Addis Ababa - Djibouti Railway crosses the southern part of this woreda along the lower slopes of the Amhar mountains. High peaks in Afdem include Mount Afdem (about 2000 meters).

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 65,031, of whom 33,246 are men and 31,785 women. While 9,286 or 14.28% are urban inhabitants, a further 49,776 or 76.54% are pastoralists. 98% of the population said they were Muslim, and 1.29% said they practiced Orthodox Christian.^[1] This woreda is primarily inhabited by the Issa clans of the Somali people.

The 1997 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 28,845 of whom 15,341 were men and 13,504 were women; 8,186 or 28.38% were urban inhabitants. The largest ethnic group reported in Shinile was the Somali people (94.3%).^[2]

Notes

1. Census 2007 Tables: Somali Region, Tables 2.1, 2.4, 3.1 and 3.4.
2. 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Somali Region, Vol. 1, Tables 2.1, 2.7, 2.13 (accessed 10 January 2009). The results of the 1994 census in the Somali Region were not satisfactory, so the census was repeated in 1997.

Coordinates: 10°15′N 41°10′E / 10.250°N 41.167°E