Dendi (woreda)

The highest point in this woreda is Mount Dendi (3260 meters), located on the border with Wonchi woreda. Notable landscape features include the Chilimo forest, a wooded area 2400 hectares in size near Ginchi, which is a remnant of the dry afromontane forest on the Ethiopian Central Plateau.[1]

The major micro-finance institutions operating in Dendi are the Oromiyaa Credit and Saving SC, Busa Gonofa and Saving Institution SC, and the Africa Mender Association. These institutions reported 9 April 2008 that for the previous fiscal year they extended loans totaling 11,106,190 Birr to 8,571 low income individuals in the woreda.[2] On 2 August 2009, ANMOL Products, an Indian corporation, inaugurated a paper mill in Ginchi. Ethiopian demand for paper is estimated at more than 70,000 tons per year, while production inside the country is less than 20,000 tons; the new paper mill has the capacity to produce 15,000 tons of paper a year, substantially narrowing the gap, while employing 200 people.[3]

The 2007 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 165,803, of whom 83,988 were men and 81,815 were women; 25,322 or 15.27% of its population were urban dwellers. The majority of the inhabitants said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 84.98% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 8.47% of the population practiced traditional beliefs, and 5.11% were Protestant.[4]

Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 255,896, of whom 129,226 are men and 126,670 are women; 29,602 or 11.57% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 1,549.07 square kilometers, Dendi has an estimated population density of 165.2 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 152.8.[5]

The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 181,288, of whom 90,132 were men and 91,156 women; 16,581 or 9.15% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Dendi were the Oromo (91.97%), and the Amhara (6.9%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.12% of the population. Oromiffa was spoken as a first language by 93.17%, and 6.37% spoke Amharic; the remaining 0.46% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 88.42% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 7.34% practiced traditional beliefs, and 3.06% of the population said they were Protestant[6]