Yem Special Woreda

Yem Special Woreda

Yem is one of the 79 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia. Because Yem 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. Yem is named for the Yem, or Janjero, people whose homeland lies in this special woreda (see Kingdom of Janjero). Yem is bordered on the west by the Oromia Region, and separated from Gurage on the northeast and Hadiya on the east by the Omo River. High points in Yem include Mount Bor Ama, Mount Azulu and Mount Toba. The administrative center of Yem is Fofa.

The form of subsistence agriculture practiced in this woreda is based on cereal and enset. Important cash crops include teff, wheat, barley and pulses. Other important non-agricultural sources of income include selling butter and remittances. According to a 2004 report, Yem had 12 kilometers of asphalt roads, 11 kilometers of all-weather roads and 31 kilometers of dry-weather roads, for an average road density of 81 kilometers per 1,000 square kilometers.