Gambela Region - Administrative Subdivisions

Administrative Subdivisions

While Gambela is subdivided into administrative zones and woredas as other Regions in Ethiopia are, this region has seen the most changes in these subdivisions of any region, to the point they can confuse anyone tracing their development.

Originally, Gambela was subdivided into four administrative zones and one special woreda (an administrative subdivision which is similar to an autonomous area and is not part of a zone) as follows, although these zones were not been given proper names.

• Administrative Zone 1
• Administrative Zone 2
• Administrative Zone 3
• Administrative Zone 4

• Godere special woreda

By 2001, when the CSA released its Sample Agricultural Enumeration, these four zones had been combined into two, and Godere had been merged into the second administrative zone. By the 2007 census, Gambela had been redivided into three zones (named for the three largest ethnic groups), and Itang had been made a special woreda; borders of the existing woredas were moved around to create several new ones. These zones are:

• Anuak Zone
• Mezhenger Zone
• Nuer Zone