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Hawassa ( am, አዋሳ; ʾäwasa, also spelled Awassa or Awasa) known historically as Adare is a city in Ethiopia, on the shores of Lake Awassa in the Great Rift Valley. It is south of Addis Ababa via Bishoftu, east of Sodo, and north of
Dilla Dilla is a town located in the western Awdal region of Somaliland. It lies between the city of Borama and Kalabaydh Kalabaydh is a town which is part of the Maroodi Jeex Marodi Jeh ( so, Maroodi Jeex, ar, مرودي جيح) is an adminis ...
. The town serves as the capital of the Sidama Region. It lies on the Trans-African Highway 4 Cairo- Cape Town and has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of above sea level. Its name comes from a Sidamic word meaning "wide body of water". The city is home to
Hawassa University Hawassa University (HU) ( am, ሀዋሳ ዩኒቨርሲቲ) is a residential national university in Hawassa, Sidama Region, Ethiopia. It is approximately south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education admits qualif ...
a major university in the country (which includes Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources, an Agricultural College, the Main Campus, and a Health Sciences College), Awasa Adventist College, and a major market. The city is served by Awasa Airport (
ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...
code HALA,
IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff ...
AWA), opened in 1988. Postal service is provided by the main branch; electricity and telephone service are also available. Important local attractions include the St. Gabriel Church and the Awassa Kenema Stadium. Fishing is a major local industry. Hawassa was capital of the former Sidamo Province from about 1978 until the province was abolished with the adoption of the 1995 Constitution. It then became the capital of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region. When the Sidama Region was formed in June 2020, the city became part of that region. Hawassa currently serves as the capital of both the Sidama Region and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region. Hawassa will continue to serve as the seat of government of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region for two national electoral cycles, after which the regional government will move to a city within the region's boundaries.


History

In 1957, with Ras Mengesha Seyoum at the head of the Sidamo Governorate General (Sidamo Teklay Gizat), Emperor Haile Selassie became greatly interested in establishing a new town in the area where the city is now located. The area appealed to the emperor on many levels. It was located on the important Addis Abeba– Moyale (Kenya) highway; its flat, expansive topography was conducive to city building; and the nearby tourist attractions of Lake Hawassa and the Dume hill (later named Tabor) provided a dramatic backdrop to the area. In 1958, upon the order of the emperor, a seasonal palace for him was built along Lake Awasa in an area called Kutuwa. The building of the palace intensified interest in the area among many people, most notably the empress herself proceeded to lay claim to extensive hectares of land in the name of the emperor. As the town grew, more than three thousand people who were living in the area were displaced. Dubale (2010) also notes that a political dispute accompanied the displacement of the Sidama from the Hawassa area. Governor Ras Mengesha Seyoum (r.1955–1960) enthusiastically supported the urbanization of the area, regardless of its impact on the Sidama who had been living there, while succeeding Governor Ras Andargachew Mesay (r. 1960–1965) was much more concerned with the impact of this displacement on the Sidama people. Ras Andargachew Mesay refused to endorse the implementation of a large mechanized farming project in and around the Hawassa area by the Ministry of National Development unless he was guaranteed alternative land for the thousands of Sidama households. Their houses were simply bulldozed without any prior notification and compensation. However, despite his efforts to delay or block the displacement of the Sidama by the emerging city plan and the mechanized farming scheme, the government was not deterred from its intentions and many Sidama were pushed out of the city and its surrounding areas. Following the displacement, about four hundred heads of families who served in the war against the Italian aggression from 1936–1941 were brought from Wukro and
Korem Korem (Agewugna: ኮረ/ Sun) (alternative forms include Quoram, Kworam) is a town and separate woreda in Tigray, Ethiopia. Located on the eastern edge of the Ethiopian highlands in the Debubawi (Southern) Zone of the Tigray Region, this town ...
(northern Ethiopia), Harar (eastern Ethiopia) and Addis Ababa and awarded land to settle in Hawassa. The places they settled still bear the names of their places of origin. In 1960 the office of the vice district governorate moved from Hawella Tulla to Hawassa. In 1962 a municipality was founded. The shift of the political center to Hawassa was not an immediate or easy decision, as there was significant opposition from the landlords in
Yirgalem Yirgalem ( am, ይርጋለም, ''Yïrgaläm'') locally known as Diko Dalle alternate names include Yirgalem, Abosto, Dalle) is a town in southern Ethiopia. Surrounded by Lakes Woyima and Gidawo, it is located 260 kilometers south of Addis Aba ...
who benefited substantially from having the political center in their city. Initially, when Sidamaland was incorporated into the ‘modern Ethiopian empire’, the political center had been at Hagereselam (85 kilometres from Hawassa); during Ras Desta Damtew’s reign the center shifted to
Yirgalem Yirgalem ( am, ይርጋለም, ''Yïrgaläm'') locally known as Diko Dalle alternate names include Yirgalem, Abosto, Dalle) is a town in southern Ethiopia. Surrounded by Lakes Woyima and Gidawo, it is located 260 kilometers south of Addis Aba ...
in 1941. In the brief period of the Italian occupation, the Italians shifted the center to Aposto, a small roadside town located at the entrance of Yirgalem town and along the paved road connecting Addis Abeba and Moyale (Kenya). Finally, the political center shifted to Hawassa in 1968; until the fall of the imperial regime in 1974, it served as a capital of the Sidamo Governorate General (Sidamo Teklay Gizat), which included Sidama, Wolayta, Gedeo, Jemjem, Borena and Arero. In 1974, the
Derg The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...
military regime established Hawassa as the capital of its Sidamo district (Kifle Hager). Later on during the transitional government Hawassa became a capital of region 8 and soon after as a capital of Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region and later the Sidama Region.


Population


Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by 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, this zone had a total population of 258,808, of whom 133,123 were male and 125,685 female. While 157,879 or 61% were living in the city of Hawassa, the rest of the population of this zone was living in surrounding rural kebeles. A total of 61,279 households were counted in this zone, which results in an average of 4.22 persons to a household, and 57,469 housing units. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Awasa were the Sidama (48.68%), the Amhara (15.43%), the Welayta (13.90%), the Oromo (5.21%), and the Gurage (4.33%); all other ethnic groups made up 12.45% of the population. Sidamo is spoken as a first language by 47.97% of the inhabitants, 31.01% speak
Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
, 9.58% speak Welayta, 2.53%
Oromiffa Oromo ( or ; Oromo: ''Afaan Oromoo''), in the linguistic literature of the early 20th century also called Galla (a name with a pejorative meaning and therefore rejected by the Oromo people), is an Afroasiatic language The Afroasiatic languag ...
,1.98% Gurage, and 1.82% Kambatta; the remaining 5.09% spoke all other primary languages reported. The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 69,169 of whom 35,029 were male and 34,140 were female.


Economy

Hawassa Industrial Park The Hawassa Industrial Park (HIP) is an eco-industrial park in Hawassa, Sidama Region, Ethiopia. Inaugurated on 13 July 2016, the park is a flagship of the Ethiopian government responsible for garment, apparel and textile manufacturing. The indust ...
(HIP) is situated on the outskirts of the city flanked by the picturesque Rift Valley Lake Awassa. The park that got 18 leading global apparel and textile companies by the end of 2017 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 20 June 2017. Construction of the park is led by Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC), which is chaired by
Arkebe Oqubay Arkebe Oqubay ( ti, ኣርከበ ዑቕባይ; born 1957) is an Ethiopian politician who is serving as Senior Minister and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. He is a Tigrayan descent. Background Arkebe is a member of the Tigray ...
. The park is the first in its kind in the country, consumed more than US$250 million and was built in a time of less than one year. The zone implements Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) that enables to recycle 90 percent of sewerage disposal water and fulfills international standards. Covering an area of , of which is factory shed build-up area, the park have additional area allocated for shared facilities. As of 2020, about 30,000 people work there, and it's growing rapidly, albeit somewhat slower than expected.


Religion

59.71% of the population said they 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 ...
, 26.99% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 8.14% 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 3.78% embraced Catholicism.Census 2007 Tables: Southern Peoples, Nations and Nationalities Region
, Tables 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 3.1, 3.2 and 3.4.
The Latin Catholic minority is pastorally served by the missionary
Apostolic Vicariate of Awasa The Apostolic Vicariate of Awasa ( la, Vicariatus Apostolicus Avasanus) is a Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate in central Ethiopia. It is exempt, i.e. directly dependent on the Holy See (notably the Roman missionary Congregation for the Evange ...
, which has its Cathedral of Kidane-Meheret here.


Sport

Football (soccer) and swimming are the most played games in Hawassa.
Hawassa City S.C. Hawassa City Sport Club (Amharic: ሀዋሳ ከተማ ስፖርት ክለብ), also known as Hawassa Kenema, is a professional Ethiopian football and basketball club based in Hawassa. The football team plays in the Ethiopian Premier League, the ...
(), a football club based in Hawassa—like
Debub Police S.C. Debub Police Sport Club (Amharic:ደቡብ ፖሊስ ስፖርት ክለብ) is an Ethiopian football club based in Hawassa. They play in the Ethiopian Higher League, the second division of Ethiopian football. History Debub Police S.C. was fou ...
and
Sidama Coffee S.C. Sidama Coffee Sport Club (Amharic: ሲዳማ ቡና ስፖርት ክለብ, Sidama Buna Sport Club), also known as Dara kenema, is a professional football Club based in Sidama Municipality of Ethiopia. The club plays in the Ethiopian Premier Lea ...
—and using the Awassa Kenema Stadium, was the first to win the Ethiopian Premier League from outside of Addis Ababa, the capital. In addition to winning the league twice, the club took part twice in
CAF Champions League The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club competition organized by the Confederation of African Football and co ...
. Other sports like basketball—represented by
Hawassa City BC Hawassa City Basketball Club is an Ethiopian basketball club from Hawassa. The team plays in the Ethiopian Basketball Premier League. In October 2019, Hawassa City made their debut in the qualifying tournaments for the Basketball Africa League. ...
—and skateboarding are becoming popular among the youth. Biking and running competitions are occasionally held on the main streets of the town.


Education

Hawassa University Hawassa University (HU) ( am, ሀዋሳ ዩኒቨርሲቲ) is a residential national university in Hawassa, Sidama Region, Ethiopia. It is approximately south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education admits qualif ...
, established in 1999 through the merger of a number of higher education institutions, is based in the city. Info link College is the first private engineering college found in Hawassa.
Africa Beza College Africa Beza College is a private university college in Ethiopia, founded on November 20, 2005, in Awassa, the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region state capital. It initially had an enrollment of 450 students. Shortly thereafter, ...
campus is also in the city. Hawassa University is the first university in Ethiopia to offer a Hotel Management degree program.


Climate

Hawassa has a tropical savanna climate ( Köppen ''Aw'') though it borders on a subtropical highland climate ( Köppen ''Cwb''). There are two seasons: a lengthy though not intense wet season from March to October and a short dry season from November to February. The extra cloudiness of the wet season is sufficient to make it substantially cooler than the dry season despite a higher sun angle; however, the coolest morning temperatures, often close to freezing, occur during the dry season.


Notes


External links


Hawassa/Awassa City Administration Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in the Great Rift Valley Sidama Region Populated lakeshore places in Ethiopia Cities and towns in Ethiopia