Dangila
Encyclopedia
Dangila is a town in northwestern Ethiopia
. Located in the Agew Awi Zone
of the Amhara Region
, this town has a latitude and longitude of 11°16′N 36°50′E with an elevation of 2137 meters above sea level. It is the largest of three towns in Dangila
woreda
.
passed through the town in 1620.
As late as the 1930s, Dangila was an important center of the African slave trade
. Nagadras Habtewerq, director of customs in the town during the early 1930s, achieved a measure of success in liberating slaves despite the determined opposition of influential Gojjame figures like the slaver Fitawrari Zelleqe.
The British maintained a consulate in Dangila in the 1920s and 1930s, manned by R.E. Cheesman, who spent a considerable amount of energy mapping Agawmeder
and nearby Gojjam
.
Dangila has played a role in Ethiopian literature. As a young man, Haddis Alemayehu
, who was to become the foremost Amharic
fiction writer, served for two years as a customs clerk at Dangila in the early 1930s. When consul Cheesman left, the consulate building was turned into a primary school, and Haddis Alemayehu became its headmaster for a year. Another author is Abbe Gubennya, who attended grades 1-8 at the Bitwedded Mengesha Jembere school in the 1950s.
in 2005, Dangila has an estimated total population of 26,704 of whom 12,916 are men and 13,788 are women. The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 15,437 of whom 6,796 were men and 8,641 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 latitude and longitude of 11°16′N 36°50′E with an elevation of 2137 meters above sea level. It is the largest of three towns in Dangila
Dangila (woreda)
Dangila is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. This woreda is named after the former district, Dangila, which James Bruce notes was in his day known for its breed of sheep...
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...
.
History
One of the earliest mentions of Dangila was when the Emperor SusenyosSusenyos of Ethiopia
Susenyos was of Ethiopia...
passed through the town in 1620.
As late as the 1930s, Dangila was an important center of the African slave trade
African slave trade
Systems of servitude and slavery were common in many parts of Africa, as they were in much of the ancient world. In some African societies, the enslaved people were also indentured servants and fully integrated; in others, they were treated much worse...
. Nagadras Habtewerq, director of customs in the town during the early 1930s, achieved a measure of success in liberating slaves despite the determined opposition of influential Gojjame figures like the slaver Fitawrari Zelleqe.
The British maintained a consulate in Dangila in the 1920s and 1930s, manned by R.E. Cheesman, who spent a considerable amount of energy mapping Agawmeder
Agawmeder
Agawmeder was a historical state and region in the northwestern part of Ethiopia. It most likely etymology is from Agew , a people living in the area plus meder , thus meaning "Land of the Agaw"...
and nearby 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...
.
Dangila has played a role in Ethiopian literature. As a young man, Haddis Alemayehu
Haddis Alemayehu
Haddis Alemayehu , also transliterated Hadis Alamayahu, was a Foreign Minister and novelist from Ethiopia. His Amharic novel is considered a classic of modern Ethiopian literature....
, who was to become the foremost 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...
fiction writer, served for two years as a customs clerk at Dangila in the early 1930s. When consul Cheesman left, the consulate building was turned into a primary school, and Haddis Alemayehu became its headmaster for a year. Another author is Abbe Gubennya, who attended grades 1-8 at the Bitwedded Mengesha Jembere school in the 1950s.
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, Dangila has an estimated total population of 26,704 of whom 12,916 are men and 13,788 are women. The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 15,437 of whom 6,796 were men and 8,641 were women.