Somali

Somali (Somali: Gobolka Soomaali; Amharic: ሶማሌ ክልል) is the eastern-most of the nine ethnic divisions (kililoch) of Ethiopia. It is often called Somalia, though it is not to be confused with the independent country of the same name. Formerly known as Region 5, the capital of Somali is Jijiga. Other major towns and cities include (the Somali spelling in brackets) Dagabur (Dhagaxbuur), Shilaabo, , Geladi, Kebri Dar (Qabridahare), K'elafo (Qalaafe) and Werder (Wardheer). The Region borders Kenya to the south-west, the Ethopian regions of Oromia, Afar and Dire Dawa to the west, Djibouti to the north and Somalia to the north, east and south.

Much of the Region covers the traditional territory of Ogaden and it formed a large part of the pre-1995 province of Hararghe. The region has a very high Somali population, and in the past has been claimed by Somalia as part of a Greater Somalia. In the 1970s, Somalia invaded Ethiopia in support of local Somali rebels, particularly during the Ogaden War, but was defeated.

In late April 2005, heavy rains generated widespread flooding throughout Somali Region as well as Somalia, and caused the Shebelle River to burst its banks. As of May 2005, the flooding in Somali region alone has caused over 100 confirmed deaths and widespread property damage affecting over 100,000 persons. The floods have also destroyed shelters housing 25,000 Somali refugees in Kenya.

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA) published in 2005, the Somali Region has an estimated total population of 4,329,001, consisting of 2,325,001 men and 2,004,000 women. 3,594,000 or 83% of the population are estimated to be rural inhabitants, while 735,000 or 17% are urban. With an estimated area of 279,252 square kilometers, this region has an estimated density of 15.5 people per square kilometer.^[1]

These estimates are based on the September 1997 census, in which the Region's population was reported to be 3,439,860, of which 1,875,996 were males and 1,563,864 were females. The urban residents of the Somali region numbered 492,710 households, with an average of 6.6 persons per household; a high sex ratio of 120 males to 100 females was reported.

The ethnic groups include Somalis (96.23%), Oromo (2.25%), Amhara (0.69%), and Gurages (0.14%). Somali is the working language and is predominantly spoken within the State, constituting 95.9% of languages spoken in the State. Other major languages include Oromifa (2.24%), Amharic (0.92%), and Gurage (0.033%). 98.7% of the population is Muslim, 0.9% Orthodox Christian, and 0.3% are followers of other religions.^[2]