Hosaena

Hossana
Town
Hossana Location within Ethiopia
Coordinates: 7°33′N 37°51′E / 7.550°N 37.850°E / 7.550; 37.850
Country	Ethiopia
Region	Central Ethiopia Regional State
Zone	Hadiya
Elevation	2,177 m (7,142 ft)
Population  (2007)[1]
• Total	69,995
• Estimate  (2021)[2]	179,761
Time zone	UTC+3 (EAT)
Climate	Cfb

Hosaena, Hossana or Hosaina is a town which level as a woreda in southern Ethiopia, and currently serve as the administrative center of Hadiya Zone and Central Ethiopia Regional State as well. Geographically located to the central south of Ethiopia, with a latitude and longitude of 7°33′N 37°51′E / 7.550°N 37.850°E / 7.550; 37.850 with an elevation of 2177 meters above sea level. It was part of Limo woreda and is surrounded by it.

A nearby landmark is the rock-hewn Dawabelo Cave, whose rock-hewn pillars suggest that it is an unfinished monolithic church.^[3] An all-weather road was built in 1963 by the Gurage Road Association, which connected Hosaina na to Addis Ababa by way of Welkite and Endibir.^[4] According to the SNNPR's Bureau of Finance and Economic Development, as of 2003^[update] Hosaena's amenities include digital telephone access, postal service, 24-hour electrical service, a bank and a hospital.^[5]

In 1910 Hosaena became the administrative center of the province of Hadiya. The town was occupied by the Italians on 11 February 1937. By 1958 Hosaena was one of 27 places in Ethiopia ranked as First Class Township.^[6]

In 1929, a pair of missionaries settled in the town, their efforts leading to Hosaena becoming a center of Protestant Christianity in southern Ethiopia; as early as December 1949, the town hosted a Bible conference, attended by 800 persons. In April 1970, the administrative center of the Kembata Synod of the Mekane Yesus Church was officially moved from Durame to Hosaena; the synod was later renamed the "South Central Synod."^[6]

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the CSA, this woreda has a total population of 69,995, of whom 35,523 are men and 34,472 women. The majority of the inhabitants were Protestants, with 65.74% of the population reporting that belief, 24.6% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 6.57% were Muslim, and 1.99% were Catholic.^[7]

The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 31,701 of whom 15,593 were men and 16,108 were women.^[8]

Hadiya Hossana FC is the most popular sports club from Hossana. They played numerous matches in the Ethiopian Premier League, the top-flight football league of Ethiopia. Hadiya Hossana Football Club use the 5,000-capacity Abiy Hersamo Stadium for home games.