Districts or woreda (also spelled wereda, Amharic:ወረዳ) are the third-level administrative divisions of Ethiopia and are managed by a local government. Woredas are composed of a number of wards (kebele), or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia. Woredas are typically collected together into zones, which form a region; districts which are not part of a zone are designated Special Districts and function as autonomous entities.
Although some districts can be traced back to earliest times—for example the Yem special woreda, the Gera and Gomma woredas which preserve the boundaries of kingdoms that were absorbed into Ethiopia, and the Mam Midrina Lalo Midir woreda of a historic province of Ethiopia (in this case, two of the districts of Menz)—many are of more recent creation. Beginning in 2002, more authority was passed to districts by transferring staff and budgets from the regional governments.
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—Jane Jacobs (b. 1916)