Gibe River
Encyclopedia
The Gibe River is a tributary of the Omo River
. Located in southwest Ethiopia
, it is not navigable, like almost all rivers in the country.
rivers. The southern drainage area of the Gibe includes the historic Gibe region
, where a number of the former kingdoms of the Oromo
and Sidama
peoples were located.
Although its banks and watershed have been inhabited since time immemorial, it is first mentioned in the Royal Chronicle of Emperor Sarsa Dengel
, who campaigned to the north of it in 1566. The first European to see the Gibe was António Fernandes
, who crossed the Gibe in 1613 as he left Ennarea and entered Janjero
, and later described it as carrying "more Water than the Nile". No other European visited the Gibe until the 19th century, so his account remained the authoritative account over the next centuries and preferred to information obtained from native travellers.
Omo River
The Omo River is an important river of southern Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and empties into Lake Turkana on the border with Kenya...
. Located in southwest Ethiopia
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...
, it is not navigable, like almost all rivers in the country.
Overview
The Gibe rises west of the Chomen swamp, flowing to the southeast to its confluence with the Omo at . Its tributaries include the Amara, Alanga and Gilgel GibeGilgel Gibe River
Gilgel Gibe River is a tributary of the Gibe River in southwest Ethiopia. It flows in an arc through the south of the Jimma Zone, defining part of the Zone's boundary with that of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region west of the Omo River as it turns north...
rivers. The southern drainage area of the Gibe includes the historic Gibe region
Gibe region
The Gibe region is used to indicate a historic region in modern southwestern Ethiopia, to the west of the Gibe and Omo Rivers, and north of the Gojeb...
, where a number of the former kingdoms of the 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 Sidama
Sidama people
The Sidama people of southern Ethiopia are an ethnic group whose homeland is in the Sidama Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of Ethiopia. They number 2,966,474 of whom 149,480 are urban inhabitants, the fifth most populous nation in Ethiopia...
peoples were located.
Although its banks and watershed have been inhabited since time immemorial, it is first mentioned in the Royal Chronicle of Emperor Sarsa Dengel
Sarsa Dengel
Sarsa Dengel was of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty...
, who campaigned to the north of it in 1566. The first European to see the Gibe was António Fernandes
Antonio Fernandes (Jesuit)
António Fernandes was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary.-Life:About 1602 he was sent to India, whence two years later he went to Ethiopia, where he soon won favour with Emperor Susenyos....
, who crossed the Gibe in 1613 as he left Ennarea and entered Janjero
Kingdom of Janjero
The Kingdom of Janjero was a tiny kingdom located in what is now Ethiopia. It lay in the angle formed by the Omo and the Jimma Gibe Rivers; to the west lay the Kingdom of Jimma and to the south the Kingdom of Garo...
, and later described it as carrying "more Water than the Nile". No other European visited the Gibe until the 19th century, so his account remained the authoritative account over the next centuries and preferred to information obtained from native travellers.