Asella
Town in Oromia Region, Ethiopia
title: "Asella" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-the-oromia", "cities-and-towns-in-ethiopia"] description: "Town in Oromia Region, Ethiopia" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asella" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Town in Oromia Region, Ethiopia ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| official_name | Asella |
| native_name | Asallaa |
| settlement_type | Town |
| image_skyline | Asella Town, 2021.jpg |
| image_caption | Asella in Ethiopia |
| pushpin_map | Ethiopia#Africa |
| pushpin_label_position | right |
| pushpin_map_caption | Location within Ethiopia |
| subdivision_type | Country |
| subdivision_name | EthiopiaEthiopia |
| subdivision_type1 | Region |
| subdivision_name1 | OromiaOromia |
| subdivision_type2 | Zone |
| subdivision_name2 | Arsi |
| leader_title1 | |
| established_title2 | |
| established_title3 | |
| unit_pref | |
| area_total_km2 | 16.98 |
| area_land_km2 | |
| population_as_of | 2007 Census |
| population_footnotes | |
| population_total | 67269 |
| population_density_km2 | 8217.6 |
| timezone | EAT |
| utc_offset | +3 |
| coordinates | |
| elevation_footnotes | |
| elevation_m | 2430 |
| postal_code_type | |
| blank_name | Climate |
| blank_info | Cwb |
| population_est | 139537 |
| pop_est_as_of | mid 2022 |
| pop_est_footnotes | |
| name | አሰላ |
| :: |
| official_name = Asella | other_name = | native_name = Asallaa | nickname = | settlement_type = Town | motto = | image_skyline = Asella Town, 2021.jpg | imagesize = | image_caption = Asella in Ethiopia | image_flag = | flag_size = | image_seal = | seal_size = | image_shield = | shield_size = | city_logo = | citylogo_size = | image_map = | mapsize = | map_caption = | image_map1 = | mapsize1 = | map_caption1 = | image_dot_map = | dot_mapsize = | dot_map_caption = | dot_x = | dot_y = | pushpin_map = Ethiopia#Africa | pushpin_label_position = right | pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ethiopia | pushpin_mapsize = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = EthiopiaEthiopia | subdivision_type1 = Region | subdivision_name1 = OromiaOromia | subdivision_type2 = Zone | subdivision_name2 = Arsi | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | subdivision_type4 = | subdivision_name4 = | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_title = | leader_name = | leader_title1 = | leader_name1 = | leader_title2 = | leader_name2 = | leader_title3 = | leader_name3 = | leader_title4 = | leader_name4 = | established_title = | established_date = | established_title2 = | established_date2 = | established_title3 = | established_date3 = | area_magnitude = | unit_pref = | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 16.98 | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | area_total_sq_mi = | area_land_sq_mi = | area_water_sq_mi = | area_water_percent = | area_urban_km2 = | area_urban_sq_mi = | area_metro_km2 = | area_metro_sq_mi = | population_as_of = 2007 Census | population_footnotes = | population_note = | population_total = 67269 | population_density_km2 = 8217.6 | population_density_sq_mi = | population_metro = | population_density_metro_km2 = | population_density_metro_sq_mi = | population_urban = | population_density_urban_km2 = | population_density_urban_sq_mi = | population_blank1_title = | population_blank1 = | population_density_blank1_km2 = | population_density_blank1_sq_mi = | timezone = EAT | utc_offset = +3 | timezone_DST = | utc_offset_DST = | coordinates = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 2430 | elevation_ft = | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code = | blank_name = Climate | blank_info = Cwb | blank1_name = | blank1_info = | website = | footnotes = | population_est = 139537 | pop_est_as_of = mid 2022 | pop_est_footnotes = | name = አሰላ Asella (, ) is a town in central Ethiopia. Located in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region 156 km south from Addis Ababa, this town has a latitude and longitude of , with an elevation of 2,430 meters. Asella hosts an Asella Airport (IATA code ALK). Asalla was the capital of Arsi Province until that province was demoted to a Zone of Oromia with the adoption of the 1995 Constitution. It retains some administrative functions as the seat of the present Arsi Zone.
History
Asalla town got its start before the Second Italian-Abyssinian War. The Italian occupiers wanted to make Asela into a provincial capital, but they were unable to build more than one two-story building and some warehouses of masonry. The 6th brigade and two companies of the 5th brigade of the King's African Rifles captured Asella on 10 April 1941, after pursuing General De Simone south from Dire Dawa and forcing their way past the Awash River and a dug-in Italian position. Brigade headquarters were afterwards set up in the town.
In 1946, a Swedish Mission laid the foundations for a hospital and a school in Asella, which was ordered closed in 1966 when a government hospital was built. The town was subjected to a serious epidemic of dysentery during 1953, and a locust invasion in April 1961. In 1957, Asella was the southern end of the national telephone network, and by 1960, Asella had one of the ten municipal slaughter houses in Ethiopia; further, that year, a branch of the Ethiopian Electric Light and Power Authority had begun operation in the town.
Asella has been the home of many long-distance runners, including Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele, Tirunesh Dibaba, and Derartu Tulu. The Arsi University was established in Asella in 2015.
Demographics
The 2007 national census reported a total population for Asella of 67,269, of whom 33,826 were male and 33,443 were female. The majority of the inhabitants said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 67.42% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 22.59% of the population were Muslim, and 8.75%% of the population were Protestant. The official estimate of population for mid 2022 produced a total of 139,537 inhabitants, of whom 69,459 were male and 70,078 were female.
The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 47,391 of whom 21,993 were males and 25,398 were females.
Climate
In the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, Asella is categorised as having a subtropical highland climate (Cwb). Monthly temperature variation is low, due to its elevation and closeness to the equator. The seasons are only distinguished by the intensity of rain, which is highest in August and lowest in December.
|metric first=y |single line=y |collapsed = Y |location = Asella (Kulumsa) |Jan high C = 22.7 |Feb high C = 23.7 |Mar high C = 24.6 |Apr high C = 24.7 |May high C = 24.3 |Jun high C = 23.2 |Jul high C = 21.2 |Aug high C = 21.0 |Sep high C = 21.3 |Oct high C = 23.0 |Nov high C = 22.6 |Dec high C = 22.6 | year high C = |Jan mean C = 15.5 |Feb mean C = 16.5 |Mar mean C = 17.7 |Apr mean C = 18.3 |May mean C = 18.2 |Jun mean C = 17.2 |Jul mean C = 16.2 |Aug mean C = 16.0 |Sep mean C = 16.1 |Oct mean C = 16.7 |Nov mean C = 15.8 |Dec mean C = 15.1 | year mean C = |Jan low C = 8.1 |Feb low C = 9.1 |Mar low C = 10.8 |Apr low C = 12.0 |May low C = 12.1 |Jun low C = 11.1 |Jul low C = 11.1 |Aug low C = 11.0 |Sep low C = 10.6 |Oct low C = 10.6 |Nov low C = 9.0 |Dec low C = 7.5 | year low C = |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 19 |Feb precipitation mm = 67 |Mar precipitation mm = 86 |Apr precipitation mm = 120 |May precipitation mm = 82 |Jun precipitation mm = 90 |Jul precipitation mm = 122 |Aug precipitation mm = 135 |Sep precipitation mm = 107 |Oct precipitation mm = 38 |Nov precipitation mm = 11 |Dec precipitation mm = 9 |year precipitation mm = | source 1 = FAO{{cite web | url = https://www.fao.org/land-water/land/land-governance/land-resources-planning-toolbox/category/details/fr/c/1028000/ | title = World-wide Agroclimatic Data of FAO (FAOCLIM) | publisher= Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations | access-date = 24 June 2024}}
Notable people
- Zemzem Ahmed (Runner)
- Mohammed Aman (Runner)
- Sisay Bezabeh (Runner)
- Abreham Cherkos (Runner)
- Haile Gebrselassie (Runner)
- Lamecha Girma (Runner)
- Andualem Negusse (Footballer)
Media organizations
- FBC, Fana Broadcasting Corporation S.C., Radio Station at Asella Fana FM 90.0
Notes
References
- link. (November 13, 2011 , Tables 2.1, 2.5, 3.4 (accessed 13 January 2012))
- Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (web), 2022: https://www.statsethiopia.gov.et/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Population-Size-by-Sex-Zone-and-Wereda-July-2022.pdf
- [http://130.238.24.99/library/resources/dossiers/local_history_of_ethiopia/A/ORTARG.pdf "Local History in Ethiopia"] {{webarchive. link. (2007-09-27 (pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 7 December 2007))
- "History of Arsi University".
- (1994). "Population and Housing Census 1994 – Oromia Region".
- "Climate: Asella - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org.
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