Dihun

Dihun is one of the woredas in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Fiq Zone, Dihun is bordered on the south by the Gode Zone, on the west by the Shebelle River which separates it from Salahad, on the northwest by Hamero, on the northeast by Segeg, and on the east by Gerbo. The major town in Dihun is Geresley.

The average elevation in this woreda is 859 meters above sea level.^[1] As of 2008, Dihun has neither all-weather gravel roads nor community roads; about 9.11% of the total population has access to drinking water.^[2]

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 25,082, of whom 14,304 are men and 10,778 women. While 2,216 or 8.84% are urban inhabitants, a further 9,340 or 37.24% are pastoralists. 99.16% of the population said they were Muslim.^[3] This woreda is primarily inhabited by the Darod clan of the Somali people.The werada is mainly dominated by ogaden_subclans of reer cabdille. the most important natural features in dihun werada are qarri_juqod mountains which are avery long chian of mountains,garbo arah(NATURAL SALT SOURCE), dhoobaale(water source mostly for CAMELS).The highest points in qarri juqood mountains are cirey and qul_qul.some well_known features in the mountain chains of qarri-Juqood are dulhawd,goglan(jiir),golhabreed,xankey,dulmaadh, golnabaadiino,golhuur,golshabeeel,dhooray,yuuca, laas galool, guban, xagaray,yucubdheer, etc.

The 1997 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 28,259, of whom 15,572 were men and 12,687 were women; 1,148 or 4.06% of its population were urban dwellers. (This total also includes an estimate for the inhabitants of 8 rural kebeles, which were not counted; they were estimated to have 8,135 inhabitants, of whom 4,484 were men and 3,651 women.) The largest ethnic group reported in Dihun was the Somali (99.84%).^[4]

Dihun contains several kebeles such as garaslay, abesale, dawadiid, qarjajabo, cayuun, barmiil, xaraaray and others. The major and largest kebele in Dihun is garasley. Garaslay is the most well-known town in Dihun woreda and locates 28 km away from Dihun and is very suitable for human life due best weather conditions in the woreda and having best temperature and environmental sanitations and high quality natural water source of samane which is good for both drinking and health.

Samane is a seasonal river near garaslay about 300 m away. Garaslay has several agro-pastoralist villages like Maroodigangan, Xidhlibaax and Alaankhayre. Garaslay has close relative location to mountains of Qarri Joqoood mountain chains. A single mountain called dooya khadaro is near to garaslay. some near natural positions or features are caana malax, balbalaaadh, wayla wad, cumar cadaan, samane, dhoobaaale shimbiray, and others. Some water bodies are garbo yeylay, garbo cabdi, garbo carab, qoon dhurwaa, garbo jawhar, timaqora.

Garaslay has a school containing 1_8 classes known as Sayid Nuur and when students finish these classes they will be transferred to other schools in the region such as Jigjiga, Gode, and Dire Dawa.

Notes

1. Hailu Ejara Kene, Baseline Survey of 55 Weredas of PCDP Phase II, Part I (Addis Ababa: August 2008), Annex 1 (accessed 23 March 2009)
2. Hailu Ejara Kene, Baseline Survey, Annexes 16, 17
3. Census 2007 Tables: Somali Region, Tables 2.1, 2.4, 3.1 and 3.4.
4. 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Somali Region, Vol. 1 Tables 2.1, 2.2, 2.13 (accessed 12 January 2009). The results of the 1994 census in the Somali Region were not satisfactory, so the census was repeated in 1997.

Coordinates: 7°15′N 42°35′E / 7.250°N 42.583°E