Soqota (woreda)

Soqota is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Located on the eastern escarpment of the Ethiopian highlands in the Wag Hemra Zone, Soqota is bordered on the south by the Semien Wollo Zone, on the southwest by Dehana, on the northwest by the Tekezé River which separates it from Zikuala, and on the north and east by the Tigray Region. Towns in Soqota include Nirak and Soqota.

The predominantly hilly terrain of the woreda serves to isolate the inhabitants of Soqota, and their steep slopes are highly degraded limiting crops yields. Crops and animal husbandry are practiced together by local farmers. High points include Mount Biala (3,810 meters).

Demographics

Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 112,396 of whom 56,245 are men and 56,151 women no urban inhabitants were reported. With an area of 1,722.43 square kilometers, Soqota has a population density of 65.25, which is greater than the Zone average of 47.15 persons per square kilometer. A total of 26,903 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.18 persons to a household, and 25,941 housing units.

The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 130,229 in 31,606 households, of whom 65,253 were men and 64,976 were women; 8,878 or 6.82% of its population were urban dwellers. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Soqota were the Agaw/Kamyr (74.24%), the Amhara (22.57%), and the Tigrayan (3.06%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.19% of the population. Kamyr was spoken as a first language by 68.67%, 26.72% Amharic, and Tigrinya was spoken by 4.56%; the remaining 0.05% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 99.34% reporting that as their religion.