Debre Werq

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Debre Werq
Debre Werq Location in Ethiopia
Coordinates: 10°40′N 38°10′E / 10.667, 38.167
Country	‎ Ethiopia
Region	Amhara Region
Zone	Misraq Gojjam Zone
Elevation	2,489 m (8,166 ft)
Population (2005)
- Total	13,908 (est)
Time zone	EAT (UTC+3)

Debre Werq is a town in western Ethiopia. Located in the Misraq (East) Gojjam Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of 6°52′N, 35°31′E with an elevation of 2489 meters above sea level. It is known for its church and hilltop monastery, around which the community grew.

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Debre Werq has an estimated total population of 13,908, of whom 6,643 were males and 7,265 were females.^[1] The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 8,048 of whom 3,495 were males and 4,553 were females. It is the largest of two towns in Enarj Enawga woreda.

The earliest mention of Debre Werq is around 1620, when the Tulema Oromo were said to have devastated Gojjam as far as Debre Werq. Its next mention is in the mid-1800s, when Cardinal Guglielmo Massaia met with Ras Ali II.^[2]

[edit] Notes

1. ^ CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.4
2. ^ "Local History in Ethiopia" (pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 17 December 2007)