Wanchi, also sometimes erroneously spelt as "Wonchi", is one of the woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is located in the South Western Shawa Zone; bordered on the southwest by Amaya, on the north by Western Shawa Zone, and on the southeast by Waliso and Goro District. The administrative centre of Wanchi is Chitu. Dariyan and Haro have emerged as rapidly growing rural towns. The highest point in Wanchi is Wonchi volcano, which is about above sea level. The volcano contains a caldera and crater lake with islands and an ancient monastery, all which makes the caldera a popular tourist destination. Warqee is by far the most important staple crop in the area.
Demographics
The 2007 national census reported a total population for this woreda of, of whom were men and were women; or 2.04% of its population were urban dwellers. The majority of the inhabitants said they practised Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 70.12% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 28.41% of the population were Protestant, and 1.28% were Muslim. Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of, of whom are men and are women; or 1.45% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of square kilometers, Wonchi has an estimated population density of people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of. The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of, of whom were men and women; or 1.12% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Wonchi were the Oromo, and the Amhara ; all other ethnic groups made up 0.29% of the population. Oromiffa was spoken as a first language by 99.46%. The majority of the inhabitants professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 93.18% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 5.23% of the population said they were Protestant, and 1.1% were Muslim.
