Metekel-Zone
The Metekel Zone is one of the three zones of Benishangul - Gumuz Region in Ethiopia. It is named after the former province Metekkel.
Geography
The zone is bordered on the south by Kamashi, on the southwest by Asosa, in the west to Sudan and to the north and east by the Amhara region. The river forms the border with Abbai Kamashi and Asosa, the river Dinder forms the border with Amhara.
The capital of the zone is Gilgil Beles, the largest city is Manbuk. The highest point is Mount Belaya with 3131 meters of altitude.
Administrative Divisions
The Metekel zone is divided into six woredas:
Demography
According to the Central Statistics Agency of Ethiopia from 2005 this zone has an estimated 225 284 inhabitants, of whom 111 986 men and 113 299 women. 10.72 percent of the population live in urban areas. The Metekel zone has an area of about 26272.38 square kilometers and a population density of 8.57 inhabitants per square kilometer.
After a protocol of the World Bank of 24 May 2004 eight percent of the population have access to electricity. The zone has a road density of 28.4 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. An agricultural household owns on average 1.4 hectares of land. 93 percent of children attend primary school and 25 percent then go to secondary schools.