Bale Robe

Robe, more commonly known as Bale Robe (in order to differentiate it from other towns in Ethiopia which are also called Robe), is a town and separate woreda in south-central Ethiopia. Located in the Bale Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of 7°7′N 40°0′E / 7.117°N 40.000°E with an elevation of 2,492 metres (8,176 ft) above sea level.

It is located about 430 kilometres by road from Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

Robe shares Robe Airport (ICAO code HAGB, IATA GOB) with neighboring Goba. Ethiopian Airlines has a scheduled flight four times a week connecting it to the capital Addis Ababa and to the southern city Arba Minch.

The main market day is Thursday, with a smaller market working on Tuesdays and Sundays at another place in the town. Notable tourist attractions include the Sof Omar Caves, which lie to the east.^[1]

Demographics

The 2007 national census reported a total population for Robe of 44,382, of whom 22,543 were men and 21,839 were women. The plurality of inhabitants said they were Muslim, with 48.08% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 45.02% of the population practised Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity and 6.13% were Protestant.^[2]

The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 21,516 of whom 10,462 were males and 11,054 were females.

Education

Records at the Nordic Africa Institute website provide details of a primary school in Robe in 1968.^[1]

As of 2013, there are schools for secondary education in Bale Robe. There is also a teachers-training college, and university here called Madawalabu University.

Transportation

The main mode of transport within the town is called 'bajaj'.

Notes

1. "Local History in Ethiopia" (pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 26 November 2007)
2. 2007 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Oromia Region, Vol. 1 Archived November 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine., Tables 2.1, 2.5, 3.4 (accessed 13 January 2012)