Chagni
Encyclopedia
Chagni is a town in western Ethiopia
. Located in the Agew Awi Zone
of the Amhara Region
, this town has a longitude and latitude of 10°57′N 36°30′E and an elevation of 1583 meters above sea level. It is the administrative center of Guangua
woreda
; in the past Chagni was the administrative center of the Metekel awraja.
visited Chagni on its market day, 17 March 1842, and found the town inhabited mostly by "Shánkalas
(the Nubas of the maps), who are negroes", who fled at his appearance out of fear: "fine tall muscular men, armed with spear and knife, hurrying away and hiding themselves among the bushes as I approached".
In the 1950s, Chagni was on the frontier between two ethnic groups who were frequently in conflict: the Gumuz and the Amhara
. The Gumuz reportedly rebelled against Ethiopian rule four separate times between 1950 and 1990. However once the border between the two regions was drawn in 1992, dividing the former Metekel awraja between them, tensions lessened and local elders were able to negotiate peaceful reconciliations between the two groups. Around 1957, the primary school in Chagni was at the westernmost end of the telephone lines in Gojjam
.
Famous people born in Chagni include the Ethiopian singer Gigi
, as well as Gebeyaw Embiale, the Ethiopian mechanical engineer known in Ethiopia for designing components used in the Airbus 380 aircraft.
in 2005, Chagni has an estimated total population of 30,938, of whom 16,035 are men and 14,903 are women. The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 17,777 of whom 8,437 were men and 9,340 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 Agew Awi Zone
Agew Awi Zone
Agew Awi is one of 10 Zones in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Agew Awi is named for the Awi sub-group of the Agaw people, some of whom live in this Zone. Agew Awi is bordered on the south by the Oromia Region, on the west by Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the north-west by Semien Gondar Zone and on...
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....
, this town has a longitude and latitude of 10°57′N 36°30′E and an elevation of 1583 meters above sea level. It is the administrative center of Guangua
Guangua
Guangua is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Agew Awi Zone, Guangua is bordered on the south by the Abay River, which separates it from the Oromia Region, on the west by the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the north by Dangila, on the northwest by Faggeta Lekoma, and...
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...
; in the past Chagni was the administrative center of the Metekel awraja.
History
The British explorer Charles BekeCharles Tilstone Beke
Charles Tilstone Beke was an English traveller, geographer and Biblical critic. Born in Stepney, London, the son of a merchant in the City of London, for a few years Beke engaged in mercantile pursuits...
visited Chagni on its market day, 17 March 1842, and found the town inhabited mostly by "Shánkalas
Shanqella
Shanqella is an Ethiopian term used to refer to a number of ethnic groups residing primarily in the western-most part of Ethiopia and who constitute about 5% of Ethiopia's population...
(the Nubas of the maps), who are negroes", who fled at his appearance out of fear: "fine tall muscular men, armed with spear and knife, hurrying away and hiding themselves among the bushes as I approached".
In the 1950s, Chagni was on the frontier between two ethnic groups who were frequently in conflict: the Gumuz and 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...
. The Gumuz reportedly rebelled against Ethiopian rule four separate times between 1950 and 1990. However once the border between the two regions was drawn in 1992, dividing the former Metekel awraja between them, tensions lessened and local elders were able to negotiate peaceful reconciliations between the two groups. Around 1957, the primary school in Chagni was at the westernmost end of the telephone lines in Gojjam
Gojjam
Gojjam 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...
.
Famous people born in Chagni include the Ethiopian singer Gigi
Gigi (singer)
Ejigayehu Shibabaw, or Gigi as she is popularly known, is one of the most successful contemporary Ethiopian singers worldwide. Coming from an ancient tradition of song originating in the Ethiopian Church, she has brought the music of Ethiopia to wider appreciation and developed it in combination...
, as well as Gebeyaw Embiale, the Ethiopian mechanical engineer known in Ethiopia for designing components used in the Airbus 380 aircraft.
Demographics
Based on figures from the Central Statistical AgencyCentral 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, Chagni has an estimated total population of 30,938, of whom 16,035 are men and 14,903 are women. The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 17,777 of whom 8,437 were men and 9,340 were women.