The Oromos are the single most dominant national group in Ethiopia and in the Horn of Africa, who share the same social and psychological makeup, speak the same language, and practiced the same culture and religion.
Before the arrival of Abyssinians, their mode of life was guided by the Gadaa principle of administering themselves – a system of governance where leaders are elected into public office every eight years irrespective of wealth, status, or affiliation, but only on the basis of merit and leadership qualities.
According to the 1996/97 Population and Housing Census, the projected population of the Oromia region is estimated at 25,098,000 in 2004, accounting for over 35 percent of the Ethiopian population. Their homeland Oromia (Biyya Oromo) borders Abyssinia in the north, Ogaden and Somalia in the East & south-East, Sudan to the West and Kenya in the South.
