Hosaena (also spelled Hossana) is a town and separate

woreda Districts of Ethiopia, also called woredas ( am, ወረዳ; ''woreda''), are the third level of the administrative divisions of Ethiopia – after ''zones'' and the '' regional states''. These districts are further subdivided into a number of ...

in southern

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

, and the administrative center of the

Hadiya Zone Hadiya (also transliterated Hadiyya) is a zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. This zone is named after the Hadiya of the Hadiya Kingdom, whose homeland covers part of the administrative division. Hadiya ...

. Located in the

Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (often abbreviated as SNNPR; am, የደቡብ ብሔር ብሔረሰቦችና ሕዝቦች ክልል, Yädäbub Bḥer Bḥeräsäbočna Hzboč Kllə) is a regional state in southwestern E ...

(SNNPR), Hosaena has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2177 meters above sea level. It was part of Limo woreda and is surrounded by it. A nearby landmark is the rock-hewn Dawabelo Cave, whose rock-hewn pillars suggest that it is an unfinished

monolithic church A monolithic church or rock-hewn church is a church made from a single block of stone. Because freestanding rocks of sufficient size are rare, such edifices are usually hewn into the ground or into the side of a hill or mountain. They can be of ...

. An all-weather road was built in 1963 by the Gurage Road Association, which connected Hosaena to

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

by way of

Welkite Welkite (also transliterated Wolkite) () is a town and separate woreda in south-western Ethiopia. The administrative center of the Gurage Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region (SNNPR), this town has a latitude and longi ...

and

Endibir Emdibir is a town south-west of Addis Ababa, in the central part of Ethiopia. Located in the Gurage Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation between 2130 and 2164 ...

."Ethiopian Village Studies: Imbdibir"
, Centre for the Study of African Economies (accessed 5 July 2009) According to the SNNPR's Bureau of Finance and Economic Development, Hosaena's amenities include digital telephone access, postal service, 24-hour electrical service, a bank and a hospital.

History

In 1910 Hosaena became the administrative center of the province of Hadiya. The town was occupied by the Italians on 11 February 1937. By 1958 Hosaena was one of 27 places in Ethiopia ranked as First Class Township."Local History of Ethiopia"
The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 3 December 2007) In 1929, a pair of missionaries settled in the town, their efforts leading to Hosaena becoming a center of

Protestant Christianity Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

in southern Ethiopia; as early as December 1949, the town hosted a Bible conference, attended by 800 persons. In April 1970, the administrative center of the Kembata Synod of the

Mekane Yesus Church The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY; also called Mekane Yesus Church) is a Lutheran denomination in Ethiopia. It is the largest individual member church of the Lutheran World Federation. It is a Lutheran denomination with some ...

was officially moved from

Durame Durame is a town in southeastern Ethiopia. The administrative center of the Kembata Tembaro Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR), this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2101 meters above s ...

to Hosaena; the synod was later renamed the "South Central Synod." Hosaena currently is one of the nineteen reform cities of the SNNPR.

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the CSA, this woreda has a total population of 69,995, of whom 35,523 are men and 34,472 women. The majority of the inhabitants were

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, with 65.74% of the population reporting that belief, 24.6% practiced

Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chris ...

, 6.57% were

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, and 1.99% were

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 31,701 of whom 15,593 were men and 16,108 were women.

Notes

{{Authority control Populated places in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region