Kuraz is one of the
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 ...
s in the
of
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 ...
. It is the homeland of
Daasanach people. Part of the
Debub Omo Zone
South Omo Zone (or Debub Omo Zone) is a zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region (SNNPR). Debub Omo is bordered on the south by Kenya, on the southwest by the South Sudan, on the west by Bench Maji, on the northwe ...
, Kuraz is bordered on the south by
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
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, largest_city = Nairobi
...
, on the west by the
Ilemi Triangle
The Ilemi Triangle, sometimes called only Ilemi, is an area of disputed land in East Africa. Arbitrarily defined, it measures about . Named after Anuak chief Ilemi Akwon, the territory is claimed by South Sudan and Kenya. The territory also b ...
(claimed by Ethiopia, Kenya and
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...
), on the north by
Nyangatom, and on the east by
Hamer
Hamer may refer to:
People with the surname Hamer:
*Hamer (surname)
In places:
* Hamer, woreda in Ethiopia
* Hamer, Iran
* Hamer, Idaho, United States
* Hamer, Ohio, United States
* Hamer, South Carolina, Unite ...
. The
Omo River
The Omo River (also called Omo-Bottego) in southern Ethiopia is the largest Ethiopian river outside the Nile, Nile Basin. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and it empties into Lake Turkana on the border with Keny ...
is flowing through Kuraz to
Lake Turkana at the border of Kenya. The administrative center of this woreda is
Omorate. Nyangatom woreda was separated from Kuraz.
Overview
This woreda is located in part of the semi-arid lowlands which support agro-pastoral groups who are at various stages of transition from nomadic to sedentary livelihoods.
["Field Trip Report to South Omo zone and Konso wereda (SNNPRS)"]
, UNDP-EUE, May 1996 (accessed 19 February 2009) High points in this woreda include
Mount Kuraz (912 meters), which is part of the
Korath Range. According to a 2004 report, Kuraz had 55 kilometers of all-weather roads and 48 kilometers of dry-weather roads, for an average road density of 20 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers.
Kuraz was greatly affected by the August 2006 Omo River floods, which drowned at least 364 people and isolated tens of thousands more. A team led by Regional President
Shiferaw Shigute visited the affected sites on 16 August to assess the impact of the flooding and identify the immediate humanitarian needs.
Located in this woreda is the Fejej archeological site, which a team led by Henry de Lumley, Professor Emeritus at the National Museum of Natural History, and Yonas Beyene, Head of the Archaeological and Anthropological Department of the Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage of the
Ethiopian Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport found rich with remains of animals and artifacts perfectly intact and particularly well conserved, which were dated as being 1.96 million years old. These excavations were conducted between 1992 and 2002, and the findings published in 2004.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the CSA, this woreda has a total population of 52,708, of whom 26,935 are men and 25,773 women; 2,361 or 4.48% of its population are urban dwellers. The majority of the inhabitants practiced traditional beliefs, with 81.93% of the population reporting that belief, 6.8% 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 Chri ...
, 5.7% were
Protestants, and 3.12% were
Muslim.
In the 1994 national census Kuraz had a population of 48,165, of whom 24,489 were men and 23,676 women; 1,857 or 3.86% of its population were urban dwellers. The three largest ethnic groups reported in this woreda were the
Daasanach (66.44%), the
Nyangatom (29.38%), and the
Amhara (1.31%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.87% of the population.
Daasanach was spoken as a first language by 66.42% of the inhabitants, 29.36% spoke
Nyangatom, and 2.46% spoke
Amharic; the remaining 1.87% spoke all other primary languages reported.
Concerning
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...
, 3.77% of the population were considered literate. Concerning
sanitary conditions, about 64% of the urban and 6% of the total had toilet facilities.
''1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples, Vol. 1, part 2
, Table 6.11 (accessed 17 April 2009)
Notes
{{Districts of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region
Districts of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region