Arba Minch, Sidama Region, Ethiopia

Overview | History | Transport

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡น Arba Minch is a city and separate woreda in southern Ethiopia. Located in the Gamo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region about 500 km south of Addis Ababa, at an elevation of 1285 meters above sea level. It is the largest town in Gamo Gofa Zone and the second town in SNNPR next to Awassa. It is surrounded by Arba Minch Zuria woreda. This Town has plenty of natural gifts including the bridge given by God, crocodile market, different fruits and vegetables, different fishes farmed from Chamo and Abaya Lakes, more than 40 springs, different cereals, and crops, surprisingly having the two big Lakes Abaya and Chamo, respectively, next to Lake Tana, etc. This makes the town one of the tourist destinations in Ethiopia, which comprises Nech Sar National Park, home to the country's varied wildlife and plant species.

Overview 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. Kulfo River flows through the town, and drains into Lake Chamo.

History Arba Minch was founded in the early 1960s by the Fitawrari Aemeroselasie Abebe in the area locally known as "Ganta Garo". "Ganta Garo" mean in Gamo Ganta dere Language the land in which everything abundantly available for the people as well as for the animals. The city succeeded Chencha as the provincial capital city of Gamu-Gofa. The oral tradition has it that Fitawrari Aemiro Selassie Abebe had to fight with prominent figures of Chencha (Aba Gaga) to move the capital from Chencha to Arba Minch (Ganta Garo). One of the reasons for Aemiroselassie Abebe to move the provincial centre from Chencha to Arba Minch (Ganta Garo) was for travelers from Gidole to Chencha to take a break after a long, hot crossing of the arid Rift Valley area. This was because Arba Minch have plenty of recreational areas. 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. A telephone line connecting the town to the capital, costing E$ 250,000, was turned up on 15 July 1967.

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, and four people were killed in clashes with the police on 28 March 1974. Following the revolution privately held plantations were made into state farms.

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. According to the SNNPR's Bureau of Finance and Economic Development, as of 2003 other amenities in Arba Minch include postal service, 24-hour electrical service, a bank and a hospital. 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 km in length from this town to Belta. 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.

Transport โ€ข Arba Minch Airport with commercial flights to/from Addis Ababa

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Arba Minch has a population of over 200,400 people. Arba Minch also forms one of the centres of the wider Sidama Region which has a population of over 4,200,000 people.

To set up a UBI Lab for Arba Minch see: https://www.ubilabnetwork.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/UBILabNetwork

Twin Towns - Sister Cities Arba Minch has links with:

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ Jinan, China
Text Atribution: Wikipedia Text under CC-BY-SA license

Antipodal to Arba Minch is: -142.465,-5.965

Locations Near: Arba Minch 37.5352,5.96519

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡น Sodo 37.767,6.85 d: 101.7  

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡น ฤ€reka 37.7,7.067 d: 123.8  

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡น Awasa 38.467,7.05 d: 158.6  

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡น Hawassa 38.467,7.05 d: 158.6  

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡น Hosaina 37.85,7.55 d: 179.6  

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡น Hosaena 37.85,7.55 d: 179.6  

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡น Hossana 37.85,7.55 d: 179.6  

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡น Halaba Kulito 38.25,7.417 d: 179.7  

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡น Shashamane 38.6,7.2 d: 180.8  

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡น Bonga 36.246,7.265 d: 202.9  

Antipodal to: Arba Minch -142.465,-5.965

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ซ Papeete -149.566,-17.537 d: 18514.7  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Hilo -155.089,19.725 d: 16842  

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ธ Pago Pago -170.701,-14.279 d: 16792.7  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Maui -156.446,20.72 d: 16678  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Kahului -156.466,20.891 d: 16660.3  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Wailuku -156.505,20.894 d: 16658.1  

๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ธ Apia -171.76,-13.833 d: 16692.7  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Maui County -156.617,20.868 d: 16655.1  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Honolulu -157.85,21.3 d: 16549.8  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Pearl City -157.969,21.394 d: 16534.5  

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