The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) in Ethiopia is a vibrant tapestry of cultures, landscapes, and traditions. This region is a haven for those seeking an authentic and immersive travel experience. It was a multinational regional state of Ethiopia.
It was formed from the merger of five kililoch, called Regions 7 to 11, following the regional council elections on 21 June 1992. The SNNPR was one of the most diverse regions in the country, containing dozens of ethnicities and language groups. The region was bordered by Kenya to the south, South Sudan to the west, the Gambela Peoples’ region to the northwest, the Oromia region to the north and east, and the Sidama region to the east.
The South Ethiopia Regional State was established on the 19th of August, 2023, through a successful referendum after years of deliberation and negotiation. It covers the southern region of Ethiopia and was carved out of one of the largest and most diverse regions in the country, the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR). The formation of this new regional state is a significant milestone towards decentralization and regional autonomy, responding to the long-standing demand of the people.
Ethiopia is Africa’s oldest independent country and one of the fastest growing economies today.
Ethiopia is a Federal Democratic Republic composed of 9 National Regional States (NRS) - Tigray, Afar, Amhara, Oromia, Somali, Benishangul-Gumuz, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR), Gambella and Harari - and two administrative councils - Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa.
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Historical Context
Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world. What are believed to be the oldest remains of a human ancestor ever found, which have been dated as being some five million years old, were discovered in the Awash Valley in Ethiopia. The Greek historian Herodotus, of the fifth century BC, describes ancient Ethiopia in his writings, while the Bible’s Old Testament records the Queen of Sheba’s visit to Jerusalem where “she proved Solomon with hard questions”.
Missionaries from Egypt and Syria reached Ethiopia in the fourth century and introduced Christianity. In the seventh century, the rise of Islam meant Ethiopia was then isolated from European Christianity. The Portuguese re-established contact with Ethiopia in the 1500s primarily to strengthen their control over the Indian Ocean and to convert Ethiopia to Roman Catholicism.
From the 1700s, for roughly 100 years, there was no central power in Ethiopia. This “Era of the Princes” was characterized by the turmoil caused by local rulers competing against each other. In 1869, however, Emperor Tewodros brought many of the princes together and was a significant unifying force.
In 1916, the Christian nobility deposed the sitting king, Lij Iyassu because of his Muslim sympathies and made his predecessor’s, (King Menelik 11 1889 - 1913), daughter, Zewditu, Empress. Zewditu died in 1930, after which the regent - adopting the name Haileselassie - became Emperor. His reign was interrupted in 1936 when Italian forces briefly invaded and occupied Ethiopia.
Haileselassie then reigned until 1974 when he was deposed and a provisional council of soldiers (the Derg, meaning committee) seized power and installed a government which was socialist in name and military in style. Major Mengistu Haile Mariam assumed power as head of state and Derg chairman after having his two predecessors killed. Insurrections occurred throughout Ethiopia, particularly in the northern regions of Tigray and Eritrea.
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In 1989, the Tigrayan People’s Liberation front (TPLF) merged with the Amhara and Oromo liberation fronts (EPDM & OPDO) to form the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). Meanwhile, in May 1991, The Eritrean People’s Liberation front (EPLF), led by Isaias Afworki assumed control of Eritrea after 30 years of struggle and established a provisional government. In Ethiopia, President Meles Zenawi and members of the TGE pledged to oversee the formation of a multi-party democracy.
The election for a 548 member constituent assembly was held in June 1994. This assembly adopted the constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in December 1994. A general election was held in 1995 to elect the Parliament which also elected Meles Zenawi as Prime Minister and Negasso Gidada as president. Ethiopia’s second multiparty election was held in 2000 and Meles was re-elected as Prime Minister. Following the death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawei in August 2012, Hailemariam Desalegn succeeded him as Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chairman of the ruling coalition on September 2012 until he resigned, as a consequence of popular uprising in the country, in an unprecedented manner in Africa.
The popular uprisings brought about a change in leadership and reform of the ruling EPRDF coalition. Consequently, Dr. Abiy Ahmed was declared Prime Minister on 2 April 2018 and was seen as a hope of change across the country. The Parliament also appointed Sahle-Wok Zewde as Ethiopia’s first female president. Prime Minister Abiy has brought significant reforms particularly strengthening the democratic process, improving the economy, opening up the political space, releasing thousands of political prisoners, removing opposition groups from the government’s list of terrorists and many more.
Abiy’s new cabinet, distinguished not only for its smaller size but also for the number of women that Abiy appointed, meant that the country had its first gender-balanced cabinet.
Geography and Climate
With an area of 114 million square kilometres, Ethiopia is as large as France and Spain combined and is five times the size of the UK. From the north and running down the centre are the Abyssinian highlands. To the west of the chain the land drops to the grasslands of Sudan, to the east to the deserts of the Afar.
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Ethiopia’s central plateau varies in height between 2,000 and 3,000 meters.
The most famous Ethiopian river is the Blue Nile or Abbay, which flows a distance of 1,450 kilometers from its source to join the White Nile at Khartoum.
There are two seasons in Ethiopia: in most of the country the dry season prevails from October until May with short rains in March; the wet season runs from June until the end of September. Although Ethiopia lies within 15 degrees north of the equator, owing to the moderating influence of high altitude, the central highlands, where most Ethiopian people live, generally enjoy a temperate and pleasant climate. In the highlands above 2,000 meters the temperature rarely exceeds 25°C in most of the country. In the lower lying areas (Awash, Omo and Mago parks), which experience sub-tropical and tropical climates, it can get considerably hotter.
Ethiopia is in the +3 hrs GMT time zone. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that in addition to this Ethiopia also has its own time. This is based on the conception that the Ethiopian day is constituted of roughly 12 hours of daylight, starting at 6.00am and roughly 12 hours of darkness, starting at 6.00pm. Urban Ethiopians often use both systems as appropriate.
Map of Ethiopian Regions
Demographics
Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), the SNNPR regional state had an estimated total population of 17,929,548, of whom 8,425,918 were men and 8,503,630 women. 13,433,991 or 89.98% of the population are estimated to be rural inhabitants, while 1,495,557 or 10.02% are urban; this makes the SNNPR Ethiopia's most rural region. With an estimated area of 105,887.18 square kilometers, this region has an estimated density of 141 people per square kilometer.
In the previous census, conducted in 1994, the region's population was reported to be 10,377,028 of whom 5,161,787 were men and 5,215,241 were women. At the time of the census, the rural population of the Region accounted for 93.2% of the total population. Semien Omo, Wolayita, and Gurage were the three zones with the highest population.
The SNNPR Water Resources Bureau announced that as of the fiscal year ending in 2006, they had increased the area of the region that had access to drinkable water to 54% from 10 to 15% 15 years ago. In August 2008, the head of public relations for the Bureau, Abdulkerim Nesru, announced that 94 million birr had been spent to further increase the availability of drinkable water in the region from 58% in the previous year to 63.6%.
With a population of about 110.14 million, Ethiopia represents a melting pot of ancient cultures with Middle Eastern and African cultures evident in the religious, ethnic and language composition of its Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic and Nilotic peoples. The Ethiopian peoples comprise about eighty nationalities of which the Amhara and the Oromo constitute the majority, with about 60 percent of the total population. Approximately 85 percent of the population live in the rural areas. The annual population growth rate is about 3.09 percent, and the economically active segment, between ages 14 and 60, is about 50 percent of the total population.
Ethnic Diversity and Languages
The SNNPR is home to more than 45 different ethnic groups. This makes it a very diverse region.
Ethiopia is a land of enormous diversity and as a result Ethiopia has more than 80 languages and over 200 dialects. Amharic or Amharigna is the official language of Ethiopia although the government encourages local languages to be taught in schools. The working languages of the national/regional governments may differ according to regions. Because there are so many different languages, Amharic is used as the official working language for the state government. Most students learn in their home language for the first eight years of school.
The 2007 census reported that the predominantly spoken mother tongue languages include Sidama (19.59%), Welayta (34.48%), Hadiya (8%), Gurage (7.13%), Gamo (6.9%), Kafa (5.36%) and Amharic (4.10%).
The 1994 census reported that the predominantly spoken languages include Sidamo (16%), Gurage (14.72%), Welayta (18.53%), Hadiya (8.53%), Kafa (5.22%), and Kambaata (4.35%).
Economy and Agriculture
Economically, in 1992, immediately after assuming power, the Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TGE) chose a new economic orientation different from its socialist predecessor.
Farming is a big part of life in the SNNPR. In 2004-2005, the region produced over 100,000 tons of coffee. Farmers in the region also raise many animals. They have millions of cattle, sheep, and goats. They also have horses, mules, donkeys, and lots of chickens. One very important local plant grown in the SNNPR is called Enset.
The CSA reported that for 2004-2005 100,338 tons of coffee were produced in the SNNPR, based on inspection records from the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea authority.
Administrative Divisions
The SNNPR was divided into different administrative areas called zones and special woredas. A special woreda is like a smaller, self-governing area.
SNNPR was divided into 14 ethnic-based zones and four special woredas, which were accountable to the Regional Council, and within 131 woredas, and 3,926 kebeles. This number of administrative levels may vary as there are different new restructuring in the region. Hence, please note that this number for each level of administration is pre-2018.
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region Facts for Kids.
Recent Political Developments
Since the implementation of ethnic federalism, different ethnic groups in the region have expressed the desire for greater autonomy in the form of their own regional state (e.g. Gurage, Sidama, and Welayta), special woreda (e.g. Ale ethnic group), or zone (e.g.
Since 2018, the government has been addressing several of these requests in the form of referendums and administrative changes. For instance, the Ale ethnic group received the status of special woreda; Konso and Silte became zones; and Gamo-Gofa Zone split into two and became Gamo and Gofa zones. Bigger changes have also occurred.
In November 2019, residents of Sidama voted overwhelmingly in favor of creating a regional state. In November 2021, a new South West Ethiopia Peoples Region (SWEPR) was formed following a successful referendum held on 30 September 2021. SWEPR consists of 12 ethnic groups in five zones - West Omo, Bench Sheko, Kefa, Dawero, and Sheka zones - and one special woreda - Konta special woreda.
Conflicts and political movements in the SNNPR were often administrative contests, with regional elites pushing for more autonomy and control over resources (see map below).
In July 2022, reports indicated that SNNPR will be divided into two other cluster regions. According to the new proposed arrangement, the first cluster region will consist of six zones and five special woredas - Wolayta, Gedio, Gamo, Gofa, South Omo, and Konso zones, as well as Amaro, Basketo, Burji, Derashe, and Ale special woredas. The second cluster region will consist of five zones and one special woreda - Hadiya, Kembata, Halaba, Gurage, and Silte zones, and Yem special woreda.
Except for the Gurage Zone Council, the remaining 10 zones and six special woreda councils voted to join new cluster regions on 30 and 31 July 2022.
Subsequently, the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) held a referendum in these areas on 6 February 2023. The voting process proceeded smoothly in most areas, with no major incidents reported.
On 19 August 2023, two new regions - South Ethiopia and Central Ethiopia regions - were established. The South Ethiopia region was established with six zones and five special woredas as per the referendum outcome, which decided to create a new region separate from SNNPR.
Plans to include Gurage zone in a new ‘cluster-based administrative structure’ in July 2022 sparked violent riots, with rioters demanding to be given the status of a regional state and not be grouped into a cluster with other ethnicities.
The Konso and Segen Area Peoples zones conflict emerged over the fallout of the Konso woreda becoming a zone in 2018. It once belonged to the ‘Segen Area Peoples zone’ which consisted of Amaro, Burji, Derashe, Konso, and Ale woredas. In this zone, eight ethnic groups including the Ale, Burji, Dirasha, Konso (also known as Xonsita), Kore, Kusumie, Mashole and Moseye live together with other ethnic groups (like Oromo, Wolayta, Amhara, Gurage).
Wolaita Sodo is the region’s political and administrative center.
Travel Tips for Visiting SNNPR
The best time to visit SNNPR is during the dry season, which runs from October to March.
Yes, most travelers will need a visa to enter Ethiopia.
While SNNPR is generally safe for tourists, it's important to stay informed about the current political situation and follow local advice.
Pack lightweight, breathable clothing for the daytime and warmer layers for the evenings. Don't forget essentials like sunscreen, insect repellent, a hat, and comfortable walking shoes.
The local cuisine in SNNPR is diverse and flavorful. You can expect to enjoy dishes like injera (a type of sourdough flatbread), doro wat (spicy chicken stew), and various vegetarian options.
Respecting local culture is crucial. Dress modestly, ask for permission before taking photos of people, and learn a few basic phrases in Amharic or the local languages.
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