Arba Minch

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Coordinates: 6°2′N 37°33′E / 6.033, 37.55
Arba Minch Minghi Gantar
Arba Minch Location within Ethiopia
Country	Ethiopia
Region	Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples
Zone	Semien (North) Omo
Elevation	1,285 m (4,216 ft)
Population (2005)
- Total	72,507
Time zone	EAT (UTC+3)

Arba Minch (Amharic, "forty springs") is a city in southern Ethiopia; less common names for this city include Gantar and Minghi. Located in the Semien Omo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region about 500km south of Addis Ababa, at an elevation of 1285m above sea level.

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 km away the downtown commercial and residential areas of Sikela, which are connected by a paved road. 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. Buses and taxis connect the uptown and downtown parts; both parts have schools.^[1]

Arba Minch was connected by dry-weather roads until they were upgraded in 1966. A telephone line connecting the town to the capital, costing E$ 250,000, was turned up on 15 July 1967.^[2] It is known as a source for fruit, including mango, banana, orange, apple, guava and pineapple, and is also known for its fish farms. It is the home of Arba Minch University and the Southwest Synod of the Mekane Yesus Church. The town also is served by an airport, (ICAO code HAAM, IATA AMH).

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Arba Minch has an estimated total population of 72,507, of whom 36,296 were males and were 36,211 females.^[3] According to the 1994 census, it had a population of 40,020. It is the largest town in Arba Minch Zuria woreda.

[edit] History

This city succeeded Chencha as the provincial capital of Gamu-Gofa, and held this honor until the reorganisation of provinces in 1995. It retains a degree of government importance as the administrative center for its 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, four people were killed in clashes with the police on 28 March 1974.^[2]

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.^[2]

Arba Minch is host to the annual 'Festival of 1000 Stars' (shi kokeboch), a concert organized by British charitable organisation One Heart and Gughe Indigenous Art & Music Association, dedicated to helping the region's indigenous people support themselves through music.^[4] The next occurrence is due in December 2008.

[edit] Notes

^ Philip Briggs, Ethiopia: The Bradt Travel Guide, 3rd edition (Chalfont St Peters: Bradt, 2002), p. 229
^ ^a ^b ^c "Local History in Ethiopia" (pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 6 June 2008)
^ CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.3
^ One Heart website