Gog (woreda)
Encyclopedia
Gog is one of the 12 woreda
s in the Gambela Region
of Ethiopia
. Part of the Anuak Zone, Gog is bordered on the south by the Akula or Chiarini River which separates it from the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on the southwest by the Akobo River
which separates it from South Sudan
, on the west by Jor
, on the north by Abobo
, on the east by the Mezhenger Zone
and on the southeast by Dimma
. The major town in Gog is Fugnido.
The terrain of Gog is predominantly flat, with the elevation ranging between 400 to 600 meters above sea level; high points include Mount Masango (552 meters). Major bodies of water in this woreda include the Gilo River
and Lake Tata. According to the Atlas of the Ethiopian Rural Economy published by the Central Statistical Agency
(CSA), around 30% of the woreda is forest. A notable landmark is the Gambela National Park
, which occupies the land west of the Fugnido - Gambela
road.
The economy of Gog is predomantly agricultural. There are no agricultural cooperatives, and little other infrastructure. While there are roads in this woreda, details about them is not available.
; however between 2001 and 2007 the Zone was reorganized and Gog became part of the Anuak Zone. At some point between the 1994 national census and the 2001 Sample Agricultural Enumeration, Dimma was split from Gog.
In September 1989, Sudan People's Liberation Army
(SPLA) forces attacked the rich Anuak agricultural village of Fugnido and burned it down, killing 120 people, including women and children who had been burned to death in their tukuls, which had been locked from the outside by SPLA soldiers. The SPLA claimed that the villagers had planned to rob the refugee camp. This led to a clash between the SPLA and Anuak militia in the village of Akada in Itang
.
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 16,836, of whom 7,751 are men and 9,085 women; with an area of 3,250.25 square kilometers, Gog has a population density of 5.18, which is greater than the Zone average of 4.83 persons per square kilometer. Reportedly 5,617 or 33.36% are urban inhabitants. A total of 3,633 households were counted in this woreda, which results in an average of 4.6 persons to a household, and 3,450 housing units. There is a refugee camp in Fugnido, and the ethnic makeup of its inhabitants are 57% Nuer, 29% Anuak, and all others 14%.
According to the 1994 national census, the woreda's population was reported to be 15,133 in 2,818 households, of whom 6,969 were men and 8,164 women; 1,647 or 10.88% of the population were urban inhabitants. (This total also includes an estimate for two kebele
s which were not counted; these were estimated to have 2,696 inhabitants, of whom 1,229 were men and 1,467 women.) The four largest ethnic groups in Gog were the Anuak (95.59%), the Amhara
(1.17%), the Oromo
(1.11%), and the Mezhenger (1.01%); all other other ethnic groups made up 1.13% of the population. Anuak
is spoken as a first language by 95.67%, 1.16% Oromiffa
, 1.09% Amharic
, and 1.01% speak Majang; the remaining 1.11% spoke all other primary languages reported. The largest group of the inhabitants said they were Protestant
, with 39.58% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 17.29% professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 4.96% practiced traditional religions, and 4.95% were Catholic
.
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...
s in the Gambela Region
Gambela Region
Gambela is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. Previously known as "Region 12", its capital is Gambela. Lying between the Baro and Akobo Rivers, the western part of Gambela includes the Baro salient....
of 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...
. Part of the Anuak Zone, Gog is bordered on the south by the Akula or Chiarini River which separates it from the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on the southwest by the Akobo River
Akobo River
The Akobo River is a river on the border between South Sudan and Ethiopia. From its source in the Ethiopian Highlands near Mizan Teferi is flows west for to join the Pibor River...
which separates it from South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
, on the west by Jor
Jor (woreda)
Jor is one of the eight woredas in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Anuak Zone, Jor is bordered on the south by the Akobo River which separates it from South Sudan, on the west and north by the Nuer Zone, on the northeast by Abobo, and on the east by Gog; the Alwero River defines part of...
, on the north by Abobo
Abobo (woreda)
Abobo is one of the 12 woredas in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Anuak Zone, Abobo is bordered on the southwest by the Mezhenger Zone, on the south by Gog, on the southwest by Jor, on the west by the Administrative Zone 3, on the northwest by Itang, on the north by Gambela, and on the...
, on the east by the Mezhenger Zone
Mezhenger Zone
The Mezhenger Zone is one of the three zones of the Ethiopian Region of Gambela; it is named for one of the three largest indigenous groups in Gambela, the Majangir. This zone is bordered on the south and east by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region , on the west by the Anuak...
and on the southeast by Dimma
Dimma (woreda)
Dimma is one of the 12 woredas in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Anuak Zone, Dimma is bordered on the south by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region , on the southwest by the Akobo River which separates it from Sudan, on the north by Gog and on the northeast by the...
. The major town in Gog is Fugnido.
The terrain of Gog is predominantly flat, with the elevation ranging between 400 to 600 meters above sea level; high points include Mount Masango (552 meters). Major bodies of water in this woreda include the Gilo River
Gilo River
The Gilo River is a river in the Gambela Region of southwestern Ethiopia. It is also known by a variety of names: the Gimira of Dizu call it the "Mene", while the Gemira of Chako call it "Owis", and Amhara and Oromo settlers in the early 20th century knew it by a third name, "Bako"...
and Lake Tata. According to the Atlas of the Ethiopian Rural Economy published by 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...
(CSA), around 30% of the woreda is forest. A notable landmark is the Gambela National Park
Gambela National Park
Gambela National Park is a proposed National Park, but the steps needed to fully protect it by the government of Ethiopia have not been completed as of 2002...
, which occupies the land west of the Fugnido - Gambela
Gambela, Ethiopia
Gambela is a city in Ethiopia and the capital of the Gambela Region or kilil. Located in Administrative Zone 1, at the confluence of the Baro River and its tributary the Jajjaba, the city has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 526 meters....
road.
The economy of Gog is predomantly agricultural. There are no agricultural cooperatives, and little other infrastructure. While there are roads in this woreda, details about them is not available.
History
At the start of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Gog was part of the Administrative Zone 2Administrative Zone 2 (Gambela)
Administrative Zone 2 is one of the three zones of the Ethiopian Region of Gambela; none of the zones of Gambela have names. This zone is bordered by South Sudan and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region on the south, Administrative Zone 3 on the west, Administrative Zone 1 on the...
; however between 2001 and 2007 the Zone was reorganized and Gog became part of the Anuak Zone. At some point between the 1994 national census and the 2001 Sample Agricultural Enumeration, Dimma was split from Gog.
In September 1989, Sudan People's Liberation Army
Sudan People's Liberation Army
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement is a political party in South Sudan. It was initially founded as a rebel political movement with a military wing known as the Sudan People's Liberation Army estimated at 180,000 soldiers. The SPLM fought in the Second Sudanese Civil War against the Sudanese...
(SPLA) forces attacked the rich Anuak agricultural village of Fugnido and burned it down, killing 120 people, including women and children who had been burned to death in their tukuls, which had been locked from the outside by SPLA soldiers. The SPLA claimed that the villagers had planned to rob the refugee camp. This led to a clash between the SPLA and Anuak militia in the village of Akada in Itang
Itang (woreda)
Itang is one of the 12 woredas in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia. Because Itang is not part of any Zone in the Gambela Region, it is considered a Special woreda, an administrative subdivision which is similar to an autonomous area...
.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 Census conducted by 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...
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 16,836, of whom 7,751 are men and 9,085 women; with an area of 3,250.25 square kilometers, Gog has a population density of 5.18, which is greater than the Zone average of 4.83 persons per square kilometer. Reportedly 5,617 or 33.36% are urban inhabitants. A total of 3,633 households were counted in this woreda, which results in an average of 4.6 persons to a household, and 3,450 housing units. There is a refugee camp in Fugnido, and the ethnic makeup of its inhabitants are 57% Nuer, 29% Anuak, and all others 14%.
According to the 1994 national census, the woreda's population was reported to be 15,133 in 2,818 households, of whom 6,969 were men and 8,164 women; 1,647 or 10.88% of the population were urban inhabitants. (This total also includes an estimate for two kebele
Kebele
A kebele is the smallest administrative unit of Ethiopia similar to ward, a neighbourhood or a localized and delimited group of people...
s which were not counted; these were estimated to have 2,696 inhabitants, of whom 1,229 were men and 1,467 women.) The four largest ethnic groups in Gog were the Anuak (95.59%), 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...
(1.17%), 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...
(1.11%), and the Mezhenger (1.01%); all other other ethnic groups made up 1.13% of the population. Anuak
Anuak language
Anuak or Anywa is a Nilotic language of the Nilo-Saharan language family. It is spoken primarily in the Western part of Ethiopia by the Anuak. Other names for this language include: Anyuak, Anywa, Yambo, Jambo, Yembo, Bar, Burjin, Miroy, Moojanga, Nuro.Anywa does not have phonemic fricatives.-...
is spoken as a first language by 95.67%, 1.16% Oromiffa
Oromo language
Oromo, also known as Afaan Oromo, Oromiffa, Afan Boran, Afan Orma, and sometimes in other languages by variant spellings of these names , is an Afro-Asiatic language, and the most widely spoken of the Cushitic family. Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by more than 25 million Oromo and...
, 1.09% Amharic
Amharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
, and 1.01% speak Majang; the remaining 1.11% spoke all other primary languages reported. The largest group of the inhabitants said they were Protestant
P'ent'ay
P'ent'ay or Pentay is a slang term widely used in modern Ethiopia, and among Ethiopians living abroad, to describe Ethiopian Christians who are not members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo, Ethiopian Orthodox Tehadeso, Roman Catholic or Ethiopian Catholic churches...
, with 39.58% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 17.29% professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 4.96% practiced traditional religions, and 4.95% were Catholic
Roman Catholicism in Ethiopia
The Catholic Church in Ethiopia is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.The Ethiopian Catholic Church, the primary organization of Catholicism in the country, is especially close to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, whose doctrine and...
.