Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region is one of the nine ethnically based regional states (kililoch) 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. Its capital is Awasa.
The Omo River in southern Ethiopia is the largest Ethiopian river outside the Nile Basin. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and it empties into Lake Turkana on the border with Kenya. The river is the principal stream of an endorheic drainage basin, the Turkana Basin.
The Mursi are a Nilotic pastoralist ethnic group in Ethiopia. They principally reside in the Debub Omo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region, close to the border with South Sudan. According to the 2007 national census, there are 7,500 Mursi, 448 of whom live in urban areas; of the total number, 92.25% live in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region (SNNPR).
The Hamar are an Omotic community inhabiting southwestern Ethiopia. They live in Hamer woreda, a fertile part of the Omo River valley, in the Debub Omo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR). They are largely pastoralists, so their culture places a high value on cattle.
Mago National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region about 782 kilometers south of Addis Ababa and north of a large 90° bend in the Omo River, the 2162 square kilometers of this park are divided by the Mago River, a tributary of the Omo, into two parts. To the west is the Tama Wildlife Reserve, with the Tama river defining the boundary between the two. To the south is the Murle Controlled Hunting Area, distinguished by Lake Dipa which stretches along the left side of the lower Omo. The park office is 115 kilometers north of Omorate and 26 kilometers southwest of Jinka. All roads to and from the park are unpaved.
Omo National Park is one of the national parks of Ethiopia. Located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region on the west bank of the Omo River, the park covers approximately 4,068 square kilometers, about 870 kilometers southwest of Addis Ababa; across the Omo is the Mago National Park. Although an airstrip was recently built near the park headquarters on the Mui River, this park is not easily reachable; the Lonely Planet guide Ethiopia and Eritrea describes Omo National Park as "Ethiopia's most remote park."
The Omo Kibish Formation or simply Kibish Formation is a rock formation in southern Ethiopia. It is named after the archaeological site of Omo Kibish on the Omo River, where it was first studied.
The Daasanach are an ethnic group inhabiting parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Sudan. Their main homeland is in the Debub Omo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region, adjacent to Lake Turkana. According to the 2007 national census, they number 48,067 people, of whom 1,481 are urban dwellers.
Debub Omo is a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region (SNNPR). Debub Omo is bordered on the south by Kenya, on the southwest by the Ilemi Triangle, on the west by Bench Maji, on the northwest by Keffa, on the north by Konta, Gamo Gofa and Basketo, on the northeast by Dirashe and Konso, and on the east by the Oromia Region. The administrative center of Debub Omo is Jinka.
Kuraz is one of the woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It is the homeland of Daasanach people. Part of the Debub Omo Zone, Kuraz is bordered on the south by Kenya, on the west by the Ilemi Triangle, on the north by Nyangatom, and on the east by Hamer. The Omo River is flowing through Kuraz to Lake Turkana at the border of Kenya. The administrative center of this woreda is Omorate. Nyangatom woreda was separated from Kuraz.
Konta, previously called Ela, is one of the woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It is named after Konta people who speak the dialect of Dawro language. Because Konta is not part of any Zone in the SNNPR, it is considered a Special woreda, an administrative subdivision which is similar to an autonomous area. This special woreda is bordered on the south by the Omo River which separates it from the Gamo Gofa Zone and Debub Omo Zone, on the west by the Keffa Zone, on the north by the Gojeb River which separates it from the Oromia Region, and on the east by the Dawro Zone; the Denchya River defines the southern part of the boundary with the Keficho Shekicho Zone. The administrative center is Ameya; other towns include Chida.
Selamago is one of the woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Omo Zone, Selamago is bordered on the south by Nyangatom, on the west and north by the Omo River which separates it from the Bench Maji, Keffa and Konta, on the northeast by the Gamo Gofa, on the east by the Basketo and Bako Gazer, and on the southeast by the Usno River which separates it from Bena Tsemay; the Mago River defines part of the boundary with Bako Gazer. The administrative center of Selamago is Hana.
The Gibe River is by far the largest tributary of the Omo River in Ethiopia and typically flowing south / southeast. The confluence of the large Gibe River at 8°19′N 37°28′E with the smaller Wabe River forms the even larger Omo River. Consequently, the whole drainage basin is sometimes called Omo-Gibe River Basin with the Gibe and the Omo draining the upper and lower reaches, respectively.
Kibish River is a river of southern Ethiopia, which defines part of that country's border with South Sudan. It flows towards Lake Turkana, although some years it does not have enough volume to reach it, as C.W. Gwynn discovered in 1908.
The Mui is a river of southern Ethiopia. Located inside Omo National Park, it is a tributary of the Omo River on the right side, merging with the larger stream at 5°51′27″N 35°58′9″E.
The Gilgel Gibe III Dam is a 250 m high roller-compacted concrete dam with an associated hydroelectric power plant on the Omo River in Ethiopia. It is located about 62 km (39 mi) west of Sodo in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region. Once fully commissioned, it will be the third largest hydroelectric plant in Africa with a power output of about 1870 Megawatt (MW), thus more than doubling total installed capacity in Ethiopia from its 2007 level of 814 MW. The Gibe III dam is part of the Gibe cascade, a series of dams including the existing Gibe I dam and Gibe II power station as well as the planned Gibe IV and Gibe V dams. The existing dams are owned and operated by the state-owned Ethiopian Electric Power, which is also the client for the Gibe III Dam.
Dawuro is a zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR). It is located at about 500km southwest of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia and 275 km of Hawassa, the capital of the SNNPR. Dawruo is bordered on the south by Gamo Gofa Zone, on the west by the Konta special woreda, on the north by the Gojeb River which defines its boundary with the Oromia Region, on the northeast by Hadiya and Kembata Tembaro Zones, and on the east by Wolayita Zone; the Omo River defines its eastern and southern boundaries. The administrative center of Dawuro was Waka before it was transferred to Tarcha.
Nyangatom is one of the woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It is named after Nyangatom people who live at this woreda. Part of the Debub Omo Zone, Nyangatom is bordered on the south by Kuraz, on the west by the Ilemi Triangle, on the northwest by the Bench Maji Zone, on the north by Selamago, and on the east by Hamer. The Omo River is flowing along the northern and western border of Nyangatom. Nyangatom was separated from Kuraz woreda.
Meinit Shasha is one of the woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Bench Maji Zone, Meinit Shasha is bordered on the south by Maji, on the southwest by Bero, on the west by Guraferda, on the north by Debub Bench and Meinit Goldiya, on the east by the Keffa Zone, and on the southeast by the Omo River which separates it from the Debub Omo Zone. Towns in Meinit Shasha include Jemu. Meinit Shasha was part of former Meinit woreda.
