Welega Province

Welega was a province in the western part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Nekemte. It was named for the Welega Oromo, who are the majority of the population within its boundaries.

Welega was bordered on the west by Sudan, on the north by the Abbay River which separated it from Gojjam, on the east by Shewa, on the southeast by Kaffa, and on the south by Illubabor.

History

Following the liberation of Ethiopia from Italian occupation in 1941, the following provinces were added to Welega to simplify administration: the semi-autonomous areas of Asosa, Beni Shangul, Leqa Nekemte, and Leqa Qellam, and the province of Sibu. [Paul B. Henze, "Layers of Time" (New York: Palgrave, 2000), pp. 237f.]

The boundaries of Welega remained unchanged until the adoption of the constitution in 1995, when Welega was divided, with part of its territory becoming the Asosa and Kamashi Zones of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, and the rest becoming part of the Mirab Welega, Misraq Welega and Illubabor Zones of the Oromia Region.

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