West Gojjam Zone

Mirab Gojjam (or "West Gojjam") is a Zone in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Mirab Gojjam is named after the former province of Gojjam.

Mirab 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 northwest by Semien Gondar, on the north by Lake Tana, and the Abay River which separates it from the Debub Gondar, and on the east by Misraq Gojjam. Its highest point is Mount Amedamit. Towns in Mirab Gojjam include Bahir Dar, Adet, Finote Selam, Bure, Quarite, Dega Damot, Sekela, Merawi, Yismala and Dembecha. Finote selam is the capital of the zone.

Demographics

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, Mirab 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 Semien Shewa 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.

Gojjam

Gojjam (Ge'ez ጎጃም gōjjām, originally ጐዛም gʷazzam, later ጐዣም gʷažžām, ጎዣም gōžžām) was a kingdom in the north-western part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Debre Marqos. This region is distinctive for lying entirely within the bend of the Abbay River from its outflow from Lake Tana to the Sudan. Gojjamis believe that they are the original people mentioned in the Bible as the river Guihon/Gihon (Nile) encircling the land of Cush extending to the ancient kingdom of Meroe. At the fall of Meroe to the Axumite King Ezana (4th century AD). Gojjam (Guihon) became a kingdom and later joined the rest of the kingdom of Ethiopia having their own kingship up unto the coming of Menlike II of Shoa in the late 19th century who reduced it to a province. (Stigma By Prof. Muse Tegegne 1993 Geneva).

The name Gojjam was given to the inhabitants due to their resistance in accepting the doctrine of the Alexandrian Church in the past, keeping their own version of the ancient testament, and respecting books like "Teezaze Senbet", the Book of the death of Moses, the Book of Enoch and that of the Psalms in Geez/Ethiopic version. (Stigma M.Tegegne).