Mirab Gojjam Zone (West Gojjam Zone)
West Gojjam (Amharic: ምዕራብ ጎጃም) or Mirab Gojjam is a Zone in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the former province of Gojjam.
West Gojjam is bordered on the south by the Abay River which separates it from the Oromia Region and Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the west by Agew Awi, on the north and northwest by North Gondar and also on the north by South Gondar, and on the east by East Gojjam. Its highest point is Mount Amedamit. Towns in West Gojjam include Bahir Dar, Adet, Finote Selam, Bure, Quarit, Dega Damot, Sekela, Merawi, and Dembecha. Finote Selam is the capital of the zone.
Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this Zone has a total population of 2,106,596, of whom 1,058,272 are men and 1,048,324 women; with an area of 13,311.94 square kilometers, West Gojjam has a population density of 158.25. While 184,703 or 8.77% are urban inhabitants, one person was reported to be a pastoralist. A total of 480,255 households were counted in this Zone, which results in an average of 4.39 persons to a household, and 466,491 housing units. The largest ethnic group reported in West Gojjam was the Amhara (99.42%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.52% of the population. Amharic is spoken as a first language by 99.43%; the remaining 0.57% spoke all other primary languages reported. 98.68% of the population said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 1.19% were Muslim.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this Zone of 1,779,723 in 374,115 households, of whom 897,215 were men and 882,508 women; 107,238 or 6.03% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The largest ethnic group reported in West Gojjam was the Amhara (99.43%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.57% of the population. Amharic was spoken as a first language by 99.46%; the remaining 0.54% spoke all other primary languages reported. 98.28% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 1.59% of the population said they were Muslim.
According to a May 24, 2004 World Bank memorandum, 6% of the inhabitants of West Gojjam have access to electricity, this zone has a road density of 56.7 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers (compared to the national average of 30 kilometers), the average rural household has 1.1 hectare of land (compared to the national average of 1.01 hectare of land and an average of 0.75 for the Amhara Region) and the equivalent of 0.7 heads of livestock. 19.5% of the population is in non-farm related jobs, compared to the national average of 25% and a Regional average of 21%. 61% of all eligible children are enrolled in primary school, and 11% in secondary schools. 40% of the zone is exposed to malaria, and 38% to Tsetse fly. The memorandum gave this zone a drought risk rating of 454.
The Zonal Water Resource Development Office announced 29 July 2009 that it had completed construction of 943 wells and 89 springs in West Gojjam, which will benefit 331,000 people. Using funds from the government, local NGOs and the public, this program improved the rate of access to clean water for inhabitants in the Zone from 39% to 50.6%.
West Gojjam is bordered on the south by the Abay River which separates it from the Oromia Region and Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the west by Agew Awi, on the north and northwest by North Gondar and also on the north by South Gondar, and on the east by East Gojjam. Its highest point is Mount Amedamit. Towns in West Gojjam include Bahir Dar, Adet, Finote Selam, Bure, Quarit, Dega Damot, Sekela, Merawi, and Dembecha. Finote Selam is the capital of the zone.
Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this Zone has a total population of 2,106,596, of whom 1,058,272 are men and 1,048,324 women; with an area of 13,311.94 square kilometers, West Gojjam has a population density of 158.25. While 184,703 or 8.77% are urban inhabitants, one person was reported to be a pastoralist. A total of 480,255 households were counted in this Zone, which results in an average of 4.39 persons to a household, and 466,491 housing units. The largest ethnic group reported in West Gojjam was the Amhara (99.42%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.52% of the population. Amharic is spoken as a first language by 99.43%; the remaining 0.57% spoke all other primary languages reported. 98.68% of the population said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 1.19% were Muslim.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this Zone of 1,779,723 in 374,115 households, of whom 897,215 were men and 882,508 women; 107,238 or 6.03% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The largest ethnic group reported in West Gojjam was the Amhara (99.43%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.57% of the population. Amharic was spoken as a first language by 99.46%; the remaining 0.54% spoke all other primary languages reported. 98.28% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 1.59% of the population said they were Muslim.
According to a May 24, 2004 World Bank memorandum, 6% of the inhabitants of West Gojjam have access to electricity, this zone has a road density of 56.7 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers (compared to the national average of 30 kilometers), the average rural household has 1.1 hectare of land (compared to the national average of 1.01 hectare of land and an average of 0.75 for the Amhara Region) and the equivalent of 0.7 heads of livestock. 19.5% of the population is in non-farm related jobs, compared to the national average of 25% and a Regional average of 21%. 61% of all eligible children are enrolled in primary school, and 11% in secondary schools. 40% of the zone is exposed to malaria, and 38% to Tsetse fly. The memorandum gave this zone a drought risk rating of 454.
The Zonal Water Resource Development Office announced 29 July 2009 that it had completed construction of 943 wells and 89 springs in West Gojjam, which will benefit 331,000 people. Using funds from the government, local NGOs and the public, this program improved the rate of access to clean water for inhabitants in the Zone from 39% to 50.6%.
Map - Mirab Gojjam Zone (West Gojjam Zone)
Map
Country - Ethiopia
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| Flag of Ethiopia | |
Anatomically modern humans emerged from modern-day Ethiopia and set out to the Near East and elsewhere in the Middle Paleolithic period. Southwestern Ethiopia has been proposed as a possible homeland of the Afroasiatic language family. In 980 BCE, the Kingdom of D'mt extended its realm over Eritrea and the northern region of Ethiopia, while the Kingdom of Aksum maintained a unified civilization in the region for 900 years. Christianity was embraced by the kingdom in 330, and Islam arrived by the first Hijra in 615. After the collapse of Aksum in 960, a variety of kingdoms, largely tribal confederations, existed in the land of Ethiopia. The Zagwe dynasty ruled the north-central parts until being overthrown by Yekuno Amlak in 1270, inaugurating the Ethiopian Empire and the Solomonic dynasty, claimed descent from the biblical Solomon and Queen of Sheba under their son Menelik I. By the 14th century, the empire grew in prestige through territorial expansion and fighting against adjacent territories; most notably, the Ethiopian–Adal War (1529–1543) contributed to fragmentation of the empire, which ultimately fell under a decentralization known as Zemene Mesafint in the mid-18th century. Emperor Tewodros II ended Zemene Mesafint at the beginning of his reign in 1855, marking the reunification and modernization of Ethiopia.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| ETB | Ethiopian birr | Br | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| AM | Amharic language |
| EN | English language |
| OM | Oromo language |
| SO | Somali language |
| TI | Tigrinya language |