The Gambela Region (also spelled Gambella (Catching the male Leopard in Anywaa language) ; Amharic : ጋምቤላ ), officially the Gambela Peoples' Region , is a regional state in western Ethiopia , bordering South Sudan . Previously known as Region 12 , its capital is Gambela located in Anywaa zone. The Region is situated between the Baro and Akobo Rivers , with its western part including the Openo River. Covering an area of approximately 29,783 square kilometers, Gambela is one of Ethiopia's smaller regions and one of its least populous, with 525,000 inhabitants. It is home to a diverse population, including the Anuak the indigenous , Nuer , and other indigenous groups called Majang Komo and Opo. The region's economy is largely based on agriculture , with significant contributions from fishing and cross-border trade. The landscape is characterized by lowland plains, wetlands, and a tropical climate, making it distinct from the highland areas that dominate much of Ethiopia.
23-595: Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), the Gambela region has total population of 307,096, consisting of 159,787 men and 147,309 women; urban inhabitants number 77,925 or 25.37% of the population. With an estimated area of 29,782.82 square kilometers, this region has an estimated density of 10 people per square kilometer. For the entire region, 66,467 households were counted, which results in an average for
46-573: A number of refugee camps located in Gambela region housing around 268,000 refugees from South Sudan in August 2016: From August 2016 to August 2018, the numbers increased from 268,000 to 402,000 refugees, almost equaling the native population of Gambela Region. The CSA reported that for 2004-2005 3,734 tons of coffee were produced in Gambela, based on inspection records from the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea authority. This represents 1.64% of
69-645: Is Africa's second largest mammal migration. In 2015, African Parks and the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority surveyed the park's giraffe population for the first time, and estimated there were between 100 and 120 giraffes. Gambella's giraffes are classified as of the Nubian subspecies. The IUCN designated the protected area as a 'lion conservation unit' in 2005. Three hundred and twenty-seven bird species, including seasonal migrants , have been recorded, including
92-664: 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 Economic Development . The Directress General of the CSA is Samia Gutu . Before 9 March 1989 the CSA was known as the Central Statistical Office (CSO). The CSA has 25 branch offices. Besides
115-773: The African skimmer , black-faced firefinch , Carmine bee-eater , cisticolas , crowned cranes , Egyptian plover , exclamatory paradise whydah , African green bee-eater , pelicans , approximately 40 species of raptors , red-necked buzzard , red-throated bee-eater , storks, warblers , and vultures. Plant species along the Akobo and Baro rivers include the Acacia victoriae , Arundo donax and temba ( Pennisetum petiolare ). The invasive Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) and shenkorageda ( Saccharum officinarum ) have also been reported. Efforts to reduce poaching doubled
138-616: The World Bank 's Information Development team for being the best government agency in statistical information development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Gambella National Park Gambella National Park , also spelled Gambela National Park , is a 5,016 km (1,937 sq mi) large national park in Ethiopia . It is the nation's largest national park and is located several hundred kilometers from Addis Ababa . It
161-539: The 1994 and 2007 censuses are available online. While the practice of keeping statistical information in Ethiopia has been traced back as far as the sixteenth century, the need for systematic statistical information that could be used for economic management was recognized as a priority in 1957. In 1960 compiling statistical information became a regular government activity as a result of the Addis Ababa conference of
184-740: The African Statisticians from UNECA member countries in 1960. At first the collection of statistics was the responsibility of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, then in 1963, this activity became the function of the CSO, which was an autonomous unit under the Ministry of Planning and Development. In 1972 the CSO was reorganized in Proclamation 303/1972, and was responsible for the Planning Commission. The CSO
207-456: The capital city of Addis Ababa , the cities and towns with offices are: Ambo , Arba Minch , chiro , Asayita , Assosa , Awasa , Bahir Dar , Debre Berhan , Dessie , Dire Dawa , Gambela , Goba , Gondar , Harar , Hosaena , Inda Selassie , Jijiga , Jimma , Mek'ele , Mizan Teferi , Adama , Negele Borana , Nekemte , and Sodo . National censuses of the population and housing have been taken in 1984, 1994, and 2007. Information from
230-673: The capital, Gambela . The terrain is mostly flat at elevations between 400 – 550 meters above sea level but with the eastern fringes of Anywaa Zone and in particular the easternmost zone, Majang, being partly in the highlands and rising to an elevation of ~2000 meters near the eastern border. Governor and chairman of the ruling party in Gambela region 1991–2018: (This list is based on information from Worldstatesmen.org .) 7°37′06″N 34°41′22″E / 7.6184422°N 34.6893311°E / 7.6184422; 34.6893311 Central Statistical Agency (Ethiopia) The Central Statistical Agency ( CSA ; Amharic : ማዕከላዊ ስታቲስቲክስ ኤጀንሲ)
253-477: The central government. This has led to conflict with regional government officials and local communities. Not all the land is actually being farmed, as per the agreement, and there are accusations of investors illegally clearing trees in the Gambella National Park in a blog. While Gambela is subdivided into administrative zones and woredas as other regions in Ethiopia are, this region has seen
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#1732765349013276-514: The creation of refugee camps , especially following the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia and by the displaced Sudanese . In 2012, Bantayehu Wasyihun, head of the park's office, said infrastructure development was underway to make Gambella more accommodating to tourists. The park management organization African Parks and Addis Ababa University 's Horn of Africa Research Centre worked with park officials to draft plans to improve Gambella's security and structure. Gambella National Park has one of
299-544: The highest concentrations of wildlife in Ethiopia. Sixty-nine mammal species are found in the protected area, including the African elephant , African buffalo , bushpig , common warthog , Nubian giraffe , hippopotamus , Nile lechwe , tiang , waterbuck , cheetah , leopard , lion , mantled guereza , olive baboon , patas monkey and spotted hyena . The park also hosts herds of Bohor reedbuck , bushbuck , Lelwel hartebeest , oribi , reedbuck , roan antelope , and white-eared kob . The white-eared kob migration
322-645: The joint exploration and development of oil resources in Gambella region. Petronas then awarded a contract for seismic data acquisition to China's Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau (ZPEB) in October of that year. The Water and Mines Resources Development Bureau of Gambela announced January 2007 that it was initiating a program that would drill 13 new manually operated wells, 54 new deep water wells, and develop four springs. This would provide access to drinking water for 26,000 inhabitants, increasing coverage for
345-535: The lowest wealth quintile; adult literacy for men is 57.5% and for women 22.8%; and the regional infant mortality rate is 92 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, which is greater than the nationwide average of 77; at least half of these deaths occurred in the infants’ first month of life. Religion in Nuer Region (2007) 90% of the region's population are Protestants, 5% Orthodox , 3% Muslim , 1% practice traditional religions , and 1% are Catholic. There are
368-427: The most changes in these subdivisions of any region, to the point they can confuse anyone tracing their development. Originally, Gambela was subdivided into four administrative zones without proper names ( 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 ) and one special woreda ( Godere special woreda ). By 2001, when the CSA released its Sample Agricultural Enumeration , these four zones had been combined into two, and Godere had been merged into
391-687: The region of 4.6 persons to household, with urban households having on average 3.8 and rural households 4.9 people. Various Nilotic ethnic minority groups mainly inhabit the Gambela region: Anuak (Anywaa), Nuer , Majang and others. In 1994, the national census reported the region's population to be 181,862 in 35,940 households, of whom 92,902 were men and 88,960 women; 27,424 or 15.08% were urban inhabitants. (This total also includes an estimate for all 19 kebeles of one woreda and six kebeles in two other woredas, which were not counted; these areas were estimated to have 19,465 inhabitants, of whom 9,203 were men and 10,262 women.) The six largest ethnic groups of
414-418: The region were Anuak (Anywaa), Nuer, Amhara , Oromo , Majang, Komo and other ethnic groups. Languages spoken are Anuak , Nuer , Amharic , Afaan Oromo , Majang ; the remaining spoke all other primary languages reported. The projected population for 2017 was 435,999. Values for reported common indicators of the standard of living for Nuer as of 2005 include the following: 44% of the inhabitants fall into
437-404: The second administrative zone. By the 2007 census, Gambela had been redivided into three zones (named for the three largest ethnic groups), and the area around Itang town had been made a special woreda; borders of existing woredas were moved around to create several new ones within the zones. These zones are: The Anywaa Zone is by far the largest of the zones of Gambela region and also includes
460-404: The state to 42 percent from the existing 27 percent, at a cost of 6 million Birr . Construction of an asphalt road 102 kilometers in length and connecting Gambela City with Jikawo by way of Itang was begun in 2008 with a budget over 446 million Birr. As of 2015, Indian investors have acquired 6,000 square km of land in the Gambela region, following other investors, for agricultural land from
483-536: The total production in Ethiopia. The CSA could not provide livestock estimates for Gambela. In a 26 May 2000 report, the FAO observed that at the time trypanosomiasis was a major problem in cattle for this region. There had been an epidemic of this disease in the area during 1970. Gambela is believed to have major oil resources. In June 2003, the Ethiopian government signed an agreement with Petronas of Malaysia for
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#1732765349013506-472: Was established in 1974, but is not fully protected and has not been effectively managed for much of its history. Gambella was established during 1974–1975 to protect habitat and wildlife, especially the Nile lechwe and white-eared kob, two antelope species thought to have been endangered at the time. Animal populations in the park have declined because of agriculture , cotton farming, hunting, poaching , and
529-604: Was once again restructured on 9 March 1989, when it was renamed as the CSA and was directly responsible to the Council of Ministers . It was once again placed under a Ministry, the Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation in October 1996, and transferred to its present position in September 2001, under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development . On November 21, 2006 the CSA announced that it had been recognized by
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