Bahir Dar Zuria

Bahir Dar Zuria (Amharic "Greater Bahir Dar Area") is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Mirab Gojjam Zone, this woreda is bordered on the south by Adet, on the southwest by Merawi, on the northwest by the Lesser Abay River which separates it from Achefer, on the north by Lake Tana, on the northeast by the city and special zone of Bahir Dar, and on the east by the Abay River which separates it from the Debub Gondar Zone. Towns in Bahir Dar Zuria include Meshenti, Tis Abay and Zege.

Points of interest include the Tis Issat falls, and the old Portuguese bridge over the Abbay at Alata. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 21% is arable or cultivable, 9% pasture, 8% forest or shrubland, 36% covered with water, and the remaining 26% is considered degraded or other. Teff, corn, sorghum, cotton and sesame are important cash crops.

Demographics

Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 270,013, of whom 132,634 are men and 137,379 are women; 13,915 or 5.15% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 7.6%. With an estimated area of 2,062.62 square kilometers, Bahir Dar Zuria has an estimated population density of 130.9 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 174.47.

The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 198,284 in 40,391 households, of whom 101,939 were men and 96,345 were women; 8,045 or 4.06% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Bahir Dar Zuria was the Amhara (99.91%). Amharic was spoken as a first language by 99.93%. The majority of the inhabitants practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 98.22% reporting that as their religion, while 1.74% were Muslim.