Semera
Encyclopedia
Semera is a new town on the Awash
- Asseb highway in north-east Ethiopia
, planned to replace Asaita
as the new capital of the Afar Region
. Located in the Administrative Zone 1
, this town has a latitude and longitude of 11°47′32"N 41°0′31"E. One of the completed buildings is Semera Health College, which began holding classes in 2007.
Whether Semera should be considered "under construction" or "finished" is a matter of dispute. The third edition of Ethiopia: the Bradt travel guide describes Semera as consisting of "one active filling station (complete with fridge) and a cluster of modern offices and tall apartment blocks in various states of construction -- all in mad isolation from any existing settlement!" The more up-to-date Lonely Planet
guide to Ethiopia has no mention of Semera being under construction, but describes the town in far more harsh language:
its temporary working language. The three top officials would be President Alimirah Hanfadhe, Vice-president Osman Ainet and Secretary Mohammed Seid; the Regional president at the time Habib Alimirah, was not present. The Eighth meeting of the Afar Regional Council met in Semera 4-5 March 2009, and items scheduled to be discussed included a bill to eliminate female genital mutilation in the Region.
published in 2005, this town has an estimated total population of 833, of whom 702 were males and 131 were females. It is one of five towns in Dubti
woreda
.
Awash
Awash is a market town in central Ethiopia. Located in Administrative Zone 3 of the Afar Region, above a gorge on the Awash River, after which the town is named, the town lies on the Addis Ababa - Djibouti Railway, which crosses the gorge by a bridge there...
- Asseb highway in north-east 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...
, planned to replace Asaita
Asaita
Asaita is a town in northeastern Ethiopia, and before 2007 was the capital of the Afar Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Afambo woreda, part of the Region's Administrative Zone 1, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 300 meters....
as the new capital of the Afar Region
Afar Region
Afar is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, and is the homeland of the Afar people. Formerly known as Region 2, its current capital is Asayita; a new capital named Semera on the paved Awash - Asseb highway is under construction....
. Located in the Administrative Zone 1
Administrative Zone 1 (Afar)
Administrative Zone 1 is one of five Zones of the Afar Region of Ethiopia. This zone is bordered on the south by Administrative Zone 3, on the southwest by Administrative Zone 5, on the west by the Amhara Region, on the northwest by Administrative Zones 4 and 2, on the north by Eritrea, and on the...
, this town has a latitude and longitude of 11°47′32"N 41°0′31"E. One of the completed buildings is Semera Health College, which began holding classes in 2007.
Whether Semera should be considered "under construction" or "finished" is a matter of dispute. The third edition of Ethiopia: the Bradt travel guide describes Semera as consisting of "one active filling station (complete with fridge) and a cluster of modern offices and tall apartment blocks in various states of construction -- all in mad isolation from any existing settlement!" The more up-to-date Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is the largest travel guide book and digital media publisher in the world. The company is owned by BBC Worldwide, which bought a 75% share from the founders Maureen and Tony Wheeler in 2007 and the final 25% in February 2011...
guide to Ethiopia has no mention of Semera being under construction, but describes the town in far more harsh language:
- With its quirky mix of barracks, modern apartment blocks and soulless administrative buildings, it looks like a microscopic version of BrasiliaBrasíliaBrasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
emerging incongruously in the middle of the desert -- except that it's a completely botched attempt at creating a new town.
History
Radio Ethiopia reported that the inaugural meeting of the Afar Regional Council was held in Semera on 20 July 1995. Six days later, the Council decided to make Semera its capital city and AmharicAmharic 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...
its temporary working language. The three top officials would be President Alimirah Hanfadhe, Vice-president Osman Ainet and Secretary Mohammed Seid; the Regional president at the time Habib Alimirah, was not present. The Eighth meeting of the Afar Regional Council met in Semera 4-5 March 2009, and items scheduled to be discussed included a bill to eliminate female genital mutilation in the Region.
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...
published in 2005, this town has an estimated total population of 833, of whom 702 were males and 131 were females. It is one of five towns in Dubti
Dubti (woreda)
Dubti is one of the 29 woredas in the Afar Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Administrative Zone 1, Dubti is bordered on the south by the Somali Region, on the southwest by Mille, on the west by Chifra, on the northwest by Administrative Zone 4, on the north by the Administrative Zone 2, on the...
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...
.