Maji
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For the ancient Persian people, see Magi.
Maji is a town in southern Ethiopia. It is located in the Boma plateau, lying in the Bench Maji Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, and has a longitude and latitude of 4.06° N, 38.31° E.
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency, in 2005 Maji has an estimated total population of 2930, of whom 1302 were males and 1628 were females.[1] It is served by Tume Airport (ICAO code HAMJ).
Maji was founded around 1897 when Ras Welde Giyorgis stationed a garrison of Ethiopian soldiers near the lands of the kure, a personage Garretson describes as "the most powerful and respected religious figure in the area." Garretson explains how an administrative center for the region soon followed: "Built on a commanding hill were a fortified encampment of gibbi (the personal headquarters of the governor), a church and a market. All were carefully observed and guarded by the governor and his retinue of soldiers."[2]
[edit] References
- ^ CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.4
- ^ Peter P. Garretson "Vicious cycles: ivory, slaves, and arms on the new Maji frontier", in Donald L. Donham and Wendy James (editors) The Southern Marches of Imperial Ethiopia (Oxford: James Currey, 2002), p. 201.
