Bati, Ethiopia
Encyclopedia
Bati is a town in north-central Ethiopia
. Located in the Oromia Zone
of the Amhara Region
(or killoch), east of Dessie
this town has a latitude and longitude of 11°11′N 40°1′E with an elevation of 1502 metres above sea level. It is the largest town in Bati
woreda
.
Bati is known for its market
, located between the Ethiopian highlands
and the Great Rift Valley
. According to Philip Briggs, this market "forms an important cultural crossroads for the Amhara
, Oromo
and semi-nomadic, desert-dwelling Afar people
. Bati has hosted Ethiopia's largest cattle
and camel
market, attracting up to 20,000 people every Monday."
Before the Italian invasion
, most of a 100-kilometer meter road between Bati and Dessie
had been completed. Telephone service reached Bati by 1956: the town had two telephones, for the police and for the residence of the Crown Prince. The town also had postal service well before that time.
The earliest mention of Bati is in the 1930s, but Paul B. Henze believed that the market "must antedate the town by at least 200 or 300 years." He adds, "I have been unable to find references of very early travellers to Bati, which may have had a different name in earlier times." The town was the site of one of the refugee camp
s of the 1984-5 famine, which was closed at the end of 1986.
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency
in 2005, Bati has an estimated total population of 24,257 of whom 12,229 are men and 11,958 are women. The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 13,965 of whom 6,471 were men and 7,494 were women.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Located in the Oromia Zone
Oromia Zone
Oromia is one of 10 Zones in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Oromia is named for the Oromo people, who settled along the edge of the Ethiopian highlands that form this Zone. Oromia is bordered on the southwest by Semien Shewa, on the northwest by Debub Wollo, and on the east by the Afar Region...
of the Amhara Region
Amhara Region
Amhara is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, containing the homeland of the Amhara people. Previously known as Region 3, its capital is Bahir Dar....
(or killoch), east of Dessie
Dessie
Dessie is a city and a woreda in north-central Ethiopia. Located on the Addis Ababa - Asmara highway in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, this city has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation between 2,470 and 2,550 meters above sea level.Dessie has postal service , and telephone...
this town has a latitude and longitude of 11°11′N 40°1′E with an elevation of 1502 metres above sea level. It is the largest town in Bati
Bati (woreda)
Bati is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Oromia Zone, Bati is bordered on the south by Chefe Golana Dewerahmedo, on the west and north by the Debub Wollo Zone, and on the east by the Afar Region. Towns in Bati include Bati, Gerba and Degan.A notable landmark of...
woreda
Woreda
Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...
.
Bati is known for its market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
, located between the Ethiopian highlands
Ethiopian Highlands
The Ethiopian Highlands are a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia, Eritrea , and northern Somalia in the Horn of Africa...
and the Great Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
. According to Philip Briggs, this market "forms an important cultural crossroads for the Amhara
Amhara people
Amhara are a highland people inhabiting the Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Numbering about 19.8 million people, they comprise 26% of the country's population, according to the 2007 national census...
, Oromo
Oromo people
The Oromo are an ethnic group found in Ethiopia, northern Kenya, .and parts of Somalia. With 30 million members, they constitute the single largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and approximately 34.49% of the population according to the 2007 census...
and semi-nomadic, desert-dwelling Afar people
Afar people
The Afar , also known as the Danakil, are an ethnic group in the Horn of Africa. They primarily live in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and in northern Djibouti, although some also inhabit the southern point of Eritrea.-Early history:...
. Bati has hosted Ethiopia's largest cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
market, attracting up to 20,000 people every Monday."
Before the Italian invasion
Second Italo-Abyssinian War
The Second Italo–Abyssinian War was a colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire...
, most of a 100-kilometer meter road between Bati and Dessie
Dessie
Dessie is a city and a woreda in north-central Ethiopia. Located on the Addis Ababa - Asmara highway in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, this city has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation between 2,470 and 2,550 meters above sea level.Dessie has postal service , and telephone...
had been completed. Telephone service reached Bati by 1956: the town had two telephones, for the police and for the residence of the Crown Prince. The town also had postal service well before that time.
The earliest mention of Bati is in the 1930s, but Paul B. Henze believed that the market "must antedate the town by at least 200 or 300 years." He adds, "I have been unable to find references of very early travellers to Bati, which may have had a different name in earlier times." The town was the site of one of the refugee camp
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
s of the 1984-5 famine, which was closed at the end of 1986.
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency
Central Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)
The Central Statistical Agency is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. It is part of the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and...
in 2005, Bati has an estimated total population of 24,257 of whom 12,229 are men and 11,958 are women. The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 13,965 of whom 6,471 were men and 7,494 were women.