Wondo Genet (also transliterated Wendo Genet) is a

resort town A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...

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 ...

located southeast of Shashemene in the

Sidama Region The Sidama Region (Sidama: Sidaamu Qoqqowo; ) is a regional state in southern Ethiopia. It was formed on 18 June 2020 from the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) and transformation of the Sidama Zone after a 98.52% vote ...

with an elevation of 1723 meters. Wondo Genet is connected to Shashamene by way of Wendo Wosha, by newly improved paved road; the last three kilometers from Wendo Wosha is a gravel road but in fairly good condition.Ali Mohammed (2007)
Recreation use value of Wondo Genet wetland ecosystem - Ethiopia
Masters' Thesis, submitted to the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Based on figures from the

Central Statistical Agency The Central Statistical Agency (CSA; Amharic: ማዕከላዊ ስታቲስቲክስ ኤጀንሲ) is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth ...

of Ethiopia published in 2005, Wondo Genet has an estimated total population of 5,792 consisting of 2,857 men and 2,935 women. The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 3,197 of whom 1,582 were males and 1,615 were females. It is the main town in

Wondo Genet Wondo Genet (also transliterated Wendo Genet) is a resort town in Ethiopia located southeast of Shashemene in the Sidama Region with an elevation of 1723 meters. Wondo Genet is connected to Shashamene by way of Wendo Wosha, by newly improved ...

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 ...

. Wondo Genet is known for its

hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...

s and is surrounded by primary Ethiopian forests. It is home to an

arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...

and a

College of Forestry This is a list of tertiary educational institutions around the world offering bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees in forestry or related fields. Where noted, the country's accreditation board standard has been used and cited. They are gro ...

which was founded in 1977 with Swedish assistance."Local History in Ethiopia"
(pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 4 June 2008) Also located in this resort town is the

Essential Oils Research Sub Center Essential or essentials may refer to: Biology *Essential amino acid, one that the organism cannot produce by itself Groups and organizations * EQ Media Group, formerly Essential Media Group, a global television production company * Essential Me ...

, where spices, aromatic and medicinal plants are conserved and their qualities researched.

History

The Swedish Philadelphia Church Mission opened a mission in this town in 1961, which included a medical clinic. The Wondo Genet hotel was established in 1964, on land used as recreation site for the royal family until 1975. Emperor

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

bequeathed its name, meaning "Wondo Paradise", in reference to the beautiful panorama with a rich endowment of forests, wildlife and abundant water. Title to the hotel was transferred to the then Hotels Corporation, and currently it is a subsidiary of the Wabe Shebelle Hotels Enterprise. The hotel facilities include 54.4 ha area of land and possesses 40 bed rooms, restaurant and a bar, as well as swimming pools and access to the hot springs. The Wendo Genet

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

of 1983 was among the most significant in Ethiopia in the 20th century. Its magnitude has not been determined, but was severe enough that the frightened inhabitants gathered at the

Ethiopian Orthodox 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 ...

church below the hotel to sing and pray the whole day and the whole night. A later disaster was a complex of

forest fires A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...

which erupted in 17 places in southern Ethiopia on 10 February 2000 including the vicinity of the College. On 3 April 2008, 18 people were killed in clashes near Wondo Genet between the

Guji Oromo The Guji Oromo are an Oromo clan living Guji Zone in southern Oromia of Ethiopia. They are distinguished by their agro- pastoral lifestyle. According to a population projection from 2007, the total population of the Guji Oromo is above 5 million. ...

and

Sidama people The Sidama ( am, ሲዳማ) are an ethnic group traditionally inhabiting the Sidama Region, formerly part of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. On 23 November 2019, the Sidama Zone became the 10th regional sta ...

over ownership to grazing and farm land."Land clashes kill 18 in Ethiopia"
Australian Broadcasting Corporation website, posted 9 April 2008 (accessed 1 June 2008)

Notes

{{Commons category, Wondo Genet Populated places in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region