Awasa


Awassa is a city in Ethiopia, on the shores of Lake Awasa in the Great Rift Valley. It is located south of Addis Ababa via Bishoftu, east of Sodo, and north of Dilla. The town serves as the capital of the Sidama Region and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' 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, Awasa Adventist College, and a major market. The city is served by Awasa Airport, 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.
Awasa 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 Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region. When the Sidama Region was formed in June 2020, the city became part of that region. Awasa currently serves as the capital of both the Sidama Region and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region. Awasa 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 September 1994 alone, 194 members of the Sidama Liberation Movement were arrested and held in Awasa prison. The chairman of SLM1, Woldeamanuel Dubale, had fled to the United Kingdom after an unsuccessful attempt in 1992 to assassinate him.
The Addis Tribune reported 31 May 2002 that government security forces in Awasa on Friday, 24 March, killed 38 farmers who were attempting to demonstrate against the government decided to move the capital of the Sidama Zone from Awasa and make it a chartered city, similar to Dire Dawa. Three thousand demonstrators of the Sidama people, the ethnic group that so far had control of the regional capital, had taken to the streets when police declared their demonstration illegal and opened fire. The regional government recently announced their decision to move the administrative center to Aleta Wendo. Human Rights Watch had documented the deaths of 25 protesters, 12 of whom were children, and identified 26 more injured. These deaths came shortly after police shootings in Shambu, Ambo, and other towns in Oromia, resulting in five acknowledged student deaths. Rapid deployment forces of the federal and regional police also killed two at a meeting in Seraro the previous year.

Population

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia, this zone has a total population of 258,808, of whom 133,123 are men and 125,685 women. While 157,879 or 61% are living in the city of Awassa, the rest of the population of this zone is 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. In 2016, a new Industrial Park was built in Awassa to accommodate 60,000 jobs at a site.
The five largest ethnic groups reported in Awasa were the Amhara, the Sidama, the Welayta, the Oromo, and the Gurage ; all other ethnic groups made up 12.46% of the population. Amharic is spoken as a first language by 47.97% of the inhabitants, 21.01% speak Sidamo, 9.58% speak Welayta, and 2.07% Oromiffa; the remaining 9.37% spoke all other primary languages reported.
The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 69,169 of whom 35,029 were men and 34,140 were women.

Economy

Awassa Industrial Park, situated on the outskirts of a city flanked by a picturesque Rift Valley lake. The park that got 18 leading global apparel and textile companies by the end of 2017 is inaugurated by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 20 June 2017. Construction of the park is led by Industrial Parks Development Corporation, which is chaired by Arkebe Oqubay. The park is the first in its kind in the country, consumed more than US$250 million and built in a time of less than one year. The park is implementing Zero Liquid Discharge 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.

Religion

59.71% of the population said they were Protestants, 26.99% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 8.14% were Muslim and 3.78% embraced Catholicism.
The Latin Catholic minority is pastorally served by the missionary Apostolic Vicariate of Awasa, which has its Cathedral of Kidane-Meheret here.

Climate

Awassa has a tropical savanna climate though it borders on a subtropical highland climate. 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.

Sport

Football and swimming are the most played games in Awassa, but other sports like basketball and skateboarding are becoming popular among the youth. Biking and running competitions are occasionally held on the main streets of the town. Awassa City S.C. is an Ethiopian football club based in Hawassa, and the club is 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.

Education

, 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 Awassa City.
Africa Beza College campus is also in the city. Hawassa University is the first university in Ethiopia to offer a Hotel Management degree program.