Lay Gayint
Encyclopedia
Lay Gayint is one of the 105 woreda
s in the Amhara Region
of Ethiopia
. Part of the Debub Gondar Zone
, Lay Gayint is bordered on the south by Tach Gayint
, on the southwest by Este
, on the west by Farta
, on the north by Ebenat
, and on the east by the Wag Hemra Zone
. The administrative center is Nefas Mewcha
; other towns in Lay Gayint include Gobgob and Sali.
The altitude of this woreda varies from 1,500 to 3,100 meters above sea level. The annual rainfall is erraticly distributed and varies from 400 to 1,100 mm. A notable landmark in Lay Gayint is the church of the village of Betlehem, about 65 kilometers southeast of Debre Tabor
; inside an ordinary round church structure is an ancient church with a trussed roof of identical construction as the church of Debre Damo
. The writer Thomas Pakenham was the first non-Ethiopian to visit this church in 1955.
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 206,499, an increase of 23.56% over the 1994 census, of whom 104,401 are men and 102,098 women; 22,825 or 11.05% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 1,522.43 square kilometers, Lay Gayint has a population density of 135.64, which is less than the Zone average of 145.56 persons per square kilometer. A total of 46,038 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.49 persons to a household, and 44,494 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 167,122 in 33,681 households, of whom 84,585 were men and 82,537 were women; 13,583 or 8.13% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Lay Gayint was the Amhara
(99.88%). Amharic
was spoken as a first language by 99.84%. The majority97.6% of the population practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity with 97.6% professing that belief, while 2.27% of the population said they were Muslim
.
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 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....
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 Debub Gondar Zone
Debub Gondar Zone
Debub Gondar is a Zone in the Ethiopian Amhara Region. This zone is named for the city of Gondar, which was the capital of Ethiopia until the mid-19th century, and has often been used as a name for the local province....
, Lay Gayint is bordered on the south by Tach Gayint
Tach Gayint
Tach Gayint is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Gondar Zone, Tach Gayint is bordered on the south by the Bashilo River which separates it from the Debub Wollo Zone, on the west by Simada, on the north by Lay Gayint, and on the east by the Checheho River...
, on the southwest by Este
Este (woreda)
Este is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Gondar Zone, Este is bordered on the south by the Abay River which separates it from the Misraq Gojjam Zone, on the west by Dera, on the northwest by Fogera, on the north by Farta, on the northeast by Lay Gayint, and...
, on the west by Farta
Farta
Farta is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Gondar Zone, Farta is bordered on the south by Este, on the west by Fogera, on the north by Ebenat, and on the east by Lay Gayint...
, on the north by Ebenat
Ebenat (woreda)
Ebenat is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the former district that lay roughly in the same area; the woreda itself dates from the mid 1960s...
, and on the east by the Wag Hemra Zone
Wag Hemra Zone
Wag Hemra is a Zone in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Its name is a combination of the former province of Wag, and the dominant local ethnic group, the Kamyr Agaw. Wag Hemra is bordered on the south by Semien Wollo, on the southwest by Debub Gondar, on the west by Semen Gondar, on the north and...
. The administrative center is Nefas Mewcha
Nefas Mewcha
Nefas Mewcha is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 3120 meters above sea level...
; other towns in Lay Gayint include Gobgob and Sali.
The altitude of this woreda varies from 1,500 to 3,100 meters above sea level. The annual rainfall is erraticly distributed and varies from 400 to 1,100 mm. A notable landmark in Lay Gayint is the church of the village of Betlehem, about 65 kilometers southeast of Debre Tabor
Debre Tabor
Debre Tabor is a town and a woreda in north-central Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region of Ethiopia, about 100 kilometers southeast of Gondar and 50 kilometers east of Lake Tana, this historic town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2706 meters above...
; inside an ordinary round church structure is an ancient church with a trussed roof of identical construction as the church of Debre Damo
Debre Damo
Debre Damo is the name of a flat-topped mountain, or amba, and a 6th century monastery in northern Ethiopia. The mountain is a steeply rising plateau of trapezoidal shape, about 1000 by 400 meters in dimension. With a latitude and longitude of , it sits at an elevation of 2216 meters above sea level...
. The writer Thomas Pakenham was the first non-Ethiopian to visit this church in 1955.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 national 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 206,499, an increase of 23.56% over the 1994 census, of whom 104,401 are men and 102,098 women; 22,825 or 11.05% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 1,522.43 square kilometers, Lay Gayint has a population density of 135.64, which is less than the Zone average of 145.56 persons per square kilometer. A total of 46,038 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.49 persons to a household, and 44,494 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 167,122 in 33,681 households, of whom 84,585 were men and 82,537 were women; 13,583 or 8.13% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Lay Gayint was 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...
(99.88%). 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...
was spoken as a first language by 99.84%. The majority97.6% of the population practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity with 97.6% professing that belief, while 2.27% of the population said they were Muslim
Islam in Ethiopia
According to the latest 2007 national census, Islam is the second most widely practised religion in Ethiopia after Christianity, with over 25 million of Ethiopians adhering to Islam according to the 2007 national census, having arrived in Ethiopia in 615...
.