Ambo, Ethiopia
Ambo | |
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Town | |
UTC+3 (EAT) | |
Area code | 11 |
Climate | Cwb |
Ambo (
Ambo is known for its mineral water, which is bottled outside of town; it is reportedly the most popular brand in Ethiopia.[2] Nearby attractions include Mount Wenchi to the south with its crater lake, and the Guder and Huluka Falls. Ambo is also the location of a research station of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research; initiated in 1977, this station hosts research in protecting major crops in Ethiopia.[3] The town's market day is Saturday.[4]
History
After
By 1938, the Guida dell'A.O.I. described improvements to Ambo which included a post office, telephone service, a clinic for outpatients, restaurants, and a projected hotel.
When the Allies reached Ambo with a South African armored car patrol in early 1941, they had to evacuate 140 "utterly panicked Italians". The British operated an improvised camp for
At least as early as 1955, there was a 170 kW hydro-electric power station in the town; by 1965 the installed electrical capacity was 210 kVA, with annual production of 132,000 kWh. In 1958 Ambo was one of 27 places in Ethiopia ranked as First Class Township. That same year, the Ambo Agricultural School and Ambo Forestry School had 150 students. A light earth tremor was felt in the evening of 23 January 1968; its epicenter was somewhere near Ambo but no damage occurred.[6]
In the last weeks of the Ethiopian Civil War, military units of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front captured Ambo on 25 April 1991 from the disintegrating units of the Derg.[8] This was part of their strategy to avoid a direct assault on the capital, Addis Ababa, and instead surround the city and isolate it from the rest of the country.[9]
A prominent Oromo businessman, Daraaraa Kafani, was murdered in front of his home; eyewitnesses said he was slain by a man wearing a military uniform. His funeral was attended by thousands of Oromos in Ambo; police arrested more than 37 people, stating that they were supporters of the Oromo Liberation Front on 3 September. In the following February, 70 year old Oromo elder Dandana Gurmu was arrested on the accusation that he was a supporter of the OLF.[6]
On 24 April 2003, a
Demographics
The 2007 national census reported a total population for Ambo of 48,171, of whom 24,634 were men and 23,537 were women. The majority of the inhabitants said they observed
The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 27,636 of whom 13,380 were males and 14,256 were females.
Education
Ambo Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, with its large library and modern laboratory has been one of the best high schools in the country. The school celebrated its 50th anniversary (Golden Jubilee) in 2006. Prominent alumni include poet
Ambo High School absorbs students from surrounding woredas which extends as far as
University
The city is the home of Ambo University.[14]
Sister city
On 18 December 2006, the
Guder and gedo, ginchiSee also
Notes
- ^ Gemechu Shale, AU - Ogato. "T1 - Gendered knowledge and innovation in crop production and management practices: a case study of three rural communities in Ambo district, Ethiopia". TY JOUR.
- ^ Philip Briggs, Ethiopia: The Bradt Travel Guide, 3rd edition (Chalfont St Peters: Bradt, 2002), p. 483.
- ^ EARI list of research centers Archived 23 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 30 April 2009)
- ^ Matt Philips and Jean-Bernard Carillet, Ethiopia and Eritrea, third edition (n.p.: Lonely Planet, 2006), p. 237
- ^ Richard Pankhurst, Economic History of Ethiopia (Addis Ababa: Haile Selassie I University, 1968), p. 208
- ^ a b c d e "Ama – Amzanaghir" (PDF). Local History in Ethiopia. The Nordic Africa Institute. 2005. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
- ^ a b c VV.AA. (1938) p. 498
- ^ Gebru Tareke, The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa (New Haven: Yale University, 2009), p. 306
- ^ Paul B. Henze, Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia (New York: Palgrave, 2000), p. 328
- ^ "Ethiopia: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: 2003 report", Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, US State Department (accessed 9 July 2009)
- ^ 2007 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Oromia Region, Vol. 1 Archived 13 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Tables 2.1, 2.5, 3.4 (accessed 13 January 2012)
- ^ "Poet Laureate Tsegaye Gebre-Medhin"
- ^ ""Ambo Educational AssistanceTrust"". Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2009.
- ^ "About Us". Official Website of Ambo University. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
- ^ "Oromia State Regional Government and the delegation of Henan Province sign an agreement on the Establishment of Friendship City Relationship" (Oromia State government website)
Bibliography
- VV.AA. (1938). Guida dell'Africa Orientale Italiana (in Italian). Milano: CTI.