Arba Minch
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Arba Minch (Ganta Garo)
አርባ ምንጭ | |
|---|---|
City | |
| A monument in Arba Minch A monument in Arba Minch | |
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| Country | File:Flag of Ethiopia.svg Ethiopia |
| Region | South Ethiopia Regional State |
| Zone | Gamo Zone |
| Elevation | 1,285 m (4,216 ft) |
| Population (2007)[1] | |
• Total | 74,879 |
• Estimate (2021)[2] | 192,043 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 |
| Climate | Aw |
Arba Minch (Ganta Garo) is a city and separate woreda in the southern part of Ethiopia. "Arba Minch" means "40 Springs", originated from the presence of more than 40 springs. It is located in the Gamo Zone of the South Ethiopia Regional State, about 500 kilometers south of Addis Ababa, at an elevation of 1285 meters above sea level. It is the largest town in Gamo Zone. It is surrounded by Arba Minch Zuria woreda.
Overview
[edit | edit source]Arba Minch received its name for the abundant local springs which produce a groundwater forest. Located at the base of the western side of the Great Rift Valley, Arba Minch consists of the uptown administrative centre of Shecha and 4 kilometers away the downtown commercial and residential areas of Sikela, which are connected by a paved road.[3] On the eastern side of Sikela is the gate to Nechisar National Park, which covers the isthmus between Lake Abaya to the north and Lake Chamo to the south.[4] Buses and taxis connect the uptown and downtown parts; both parts have schools.[5] Kulfo River flows through the town, and drains into Lake Chamo.
History
[edit | edit source]Arba Minch (Ganta Garo) was founded in the early 1960s by the Fitawrari Aemeroselasie Abebe and the city succeeded Chencha as the provincial capital city of Gamu-Gofa. The word "Ganta Garo" mean the place in which Ganta people, animals, etc. live plentily (abundantly). The oral tradition has it that Fitawrari Aemiro Selassie Abebe had to fight with prominent figures of Chencha to move the capital to Arba Minch. One of the reasons for the move was for travelers from Gidole to Chencha to take a break after a long, hot crossing of the arid Rift Valley area.[6]
Roads were built linking the new town to Soddo and making Arba Minch only a day's journey by road to the capital, Addis Ababa.[6] A telephone line connecting the town to the capital, costing E$ 250,000, was turned up on 15 July 1967.[7]
Arba Minch had previously served as a capital city for Gamo Gofa Province (Gamo Gofa Teklay Gizat), North Omo Zone (Semen Omo), Kilil 9 (Region 9), Gamo Gofa Zone, and now is serving as a capital city of Gamo Zone.
The Norwegian Lutheran Mission opened a station at Arba Minch in 1970, which included a trade school; the school's operation was later taken over by the Mekane Yesus Church. At the beginning of the Ethiopian Revolution public demonstrations occurred in the town,[8] and four people were killed in clashes with the police on 28 March 1974.[7] Following the revolution privately held plantations were made into state farms.[8]
The 193 million birr Arba Minch Textile Mill was opened on 6 May 1992 in the presence of Ethiopian Prime Minister Tamirat Layne. The mill would produce polyester mixed with cotton grey fabrics.[7] According to the SNNPR's Bureau of Finance and Economic Development, as of 2003[update] other amenities in Arba Minch include postal service, 24-hour electrical service, a bank and a hospital.[9] In May 2010, the Ethiopian Roads Authority awarded a contract worth 563 million E$ to the construction firm of Brehane Hagos to build a road 60 kilometers in length from this town to Belta.[10] The United States military operated a facility at Arba Minch from 2011 until September 2015. The facility served as the base for several General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles.[11]
Demographics
[edit | edit source]Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the CSA, this town has a total population of 74,879, of whom 39,208 were male and 35,671 female. The majority of the inhabitants practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 56.04% of the population reporting that belief, 38.47% were Protestants, and 4.16% were Muslim.[12]
The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 40,020 of whom 20,096 were males and 19,924 were females.[13]
Climate
[edit | edit source]| Climate data for Arba Minch | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 36.0 (96.8) |
37.7 (99.9) |
38.5 (101.3) |
38.8 (101.8) |
35.2 (95.4) |
34.0 (93.2) |
33.0 (91.4) |
33.8 (92.8) |
36.0 (96.8) |
35.0 (95.0) |
36.0 (96.8) |
37.5 (99.5) |
38.8 (101.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.0 (89.6) |
33.2 (91.8) |
33.2 (91.8) |
30.9 (87.6) |
29.0 (84.2) |
28.3 (82.9) |
27.7 (81.9) |
28.7 (83.7) |
30.2 (86.4) |
29.9 (85.8) |
30.7 (87.3) |
31.3 (88.3) |
30.4 (86.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.2 (61.2) |
17.0 (62.6) |
18.3 (64.9) |
18.2 (64.8) |
18.1 (64.6) |
17.9 (64.2) |
17.8 (64.0) |
18.1 (64.6) |
17.9 (64.2) |
17.4 (63.3) |
15.9 (60.6) |
15.4 (59.7) |
17.4 (63.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 9.1 (48.4) |
8.4 (47.1) |
9.7 (49.5) |
8.3 (46.9) |
8.0 (46.4) |
12.0 (53.6) |
12.8 (55.0) |
12.3 (54.1) |
11.9 (53.4) |
11.4 (52.5) |
9.5 (49.1) |
1.3 (34.3) |
1.3 (34.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 34.1 (1.34) |
39.4 (1.55) |
56.0 (2.20) |
165.6 (6.52) |
147.2 (5.80) |
63.5 (2.50) |
43.3 (1.70) |
48.0 (1.89) |
83.8 (3.30) |
119.4 (4.70) |
60.3 (2.37) |
42.3 (1.67) |
902.9 (35.54) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 48 | 50 | 54 | 62 | 67 | 63 | 62 | 59 | 62 | 61 | 57 | 48 | 58 |
| Source 1: Ethiopian Meteorological Institute[14] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: FAO (humidity)[15] | |||||||||||||
Transportation
[edit | edit source]- Arba Minch Airport with commercial flights to/from Addis Ababa
References
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- ^ Philip Briggs, Ethiopia: The Bradt Travel Guide, 3rd edition (Chalfont St Peters: Bradt, 2002), p. 229
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c "Local History in Ethiopia"[permanent dead link] The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 6 June 2008)
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ "Detailed statistics on hotels and tourism" Archived 2011-05-31 at the Wayback Machine, Bureau of Finance and Economic Development website (accessed 4 September 2009)
- ^ "Tigray, Southern Towns Get First Roads", Addis Fortune 2 May 2010 (accessed 5 May 2010)
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- ^ Census 2007 Tables: Southern Peoples, Nations and Nationalities Region Archived November 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Tables 2.1, and 3.4.
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External links
[edit | edit source]
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