Overview
The altitude of Momina in 1927, which embraces a syncretism of Christian and Moslem beliefs and rituals, is an important local landmark.[1] A lesser one is the Arbagugu state forest. Linseed and teff are important cash crops.[2]
Industry in the woreda includes quarrying and pottery making, 61 small scale industries (including grain mills) that employ 178 people, as well as 727 registered traders 17.6% of whom were wholesalers, 42.4% retailers and 40% service providers. There were 25 Farmers Associations with 14,179 members and 4 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 6958 members. Merti has 148 kilometers of dry-weather and 105 of all-weather road, for an average road density of 197 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 22.7% of the total population has access to drinking water.[2]
Demographics
The 2007 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 90,408, of whom 46,759 were men and 43,649 were women; 14,655 or 16.21% of its population were urban dwellers. The majority of the inhabitants said they were Muslim, with 60.74% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 37.68% of the population practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 1.37% of the population were Protestant.[3]
Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 135,023, of whom 67,257 are men and 67,766 are women; 26,053 or 19.30% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 1,282.19 square kilometers, Merti has an estimated population density of 105.3 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 132.2.[4]
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 93,895, of whom 47,201 were men and 46,694 women; 14,575 or 15.52% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Merti were the Oromo (71.29%), and the Amhara (26.3%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.41% of the population. Oromiffa was spoken as a first language by 65.38%, and 33.79% spoke Amharic; the remaining 0.83% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim, with 59.71% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 39.91% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.[5]
