Tammun
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| Tammun | |
| Arabic | طمّون |
| Name Meaning | "Quiet" |
| Founded in | 15th century |
| Government | Municipality (from 1997) |
| Also Spelled | Tamoun (officially)
Tamon (unofficially) |
| Governorate | Tubas |
| Population | 10,500 (2006) |
| Jurisdiction | 81,000 dunams (81.0 km²) |
| Head of Municipality | Muhammad Ahmad Bsharat |
Tammun (Arabic: طمّون) is a Palestinian town in the Tubas Governorate, located 23 kilometers northeast of Nablus and five kilometers south of Tubas in the northeastern West Bank. Tammun has a population of approximately 10,500 inhabitants.[1]
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[edit] History
Tammun's history extends to the 1400s. The town was founded by a group of Arabs from the Arabian Peninsula seeking to find a safe location with a view of other nearby localities. Over the past four centuries, Arabs from the towns of Kafr Qaddum and Halhul have settled in the town. The town's name derives from the Arabic word tammen, meaning "quiet".[2]
[edit] Geography and climate
Tammun stands at an elevation of 332 meters above sea level. It is five kilometers south of Tubas, twenty-three kilometers northeast of Nablus, and bordered by Far'a and Wadi al-Far'a to the west and al-Nasaria to the south.[2]
The town's total land area is about 81,000 dunams, accounting for more than 15% of the Tubas Governorate's jurisdiction. About 5,000 dunams are designated as 'built up' area, while 25,000 dunams are used for agriculture, 20,000 dunams are covered by forests and the remaining 15,000 are closed-off areas controlled by the Israel Defense Forces for military bases.[2]
The average temperature in Tammun is 20 degrees Celsius. The town receives an average annual rainfall of 331 millimeters and the average humidity rate is 57%.[2]
[edit] Demographics
According to the 1997 census by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), Tammun had a population of 7,640, of which 3,771 were males and 3,869 were females. The age distribution of town's inhabitants was 45% under the age of 15, 49.9% between the ages of 15 and 4.6% were above the age of 65.[2]
According to the PCBS, Tammun had a population of 10,440 inhabitants in mid-year 2006. The growth of inhabitants from 1997 and 2005 was 32.1%. Its population constituted over 21% of the entire population of the Tubas Governorate, making it the second largest city after Tubas. Tammun's residents generally are from two Arab families: Bani Odeh and Bsharat.[2]
[edit] Economy
Prior to the 1967 Six-Day War, Tammun's residents mostly relied on farming and raising livestock. Since 1967 to the First Intifada, work shifted to Israel where many laborers were employed. The Palestinian National Authority, which gained civil control over Tammun in 1995, has provided more job opportunities in the public sector and trade. After the Second Intifada in 2000-04, labor shifted once again to agriculture.[2]
Currently, 50% work in agriculture, 35% work in the Israeli labor market, 10% in services, 2% in construction and 3% in trade. In 2006, there were 212 shops, eight restaurants, a wheat mill, a pickle factory and other industries such as cheese and jam production. In 1997, Tammun's labor force made up 67% of the town's population. However, 66.3% were non-economically active. Women constituted 34% of the labor force.[2]
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture, Tammun produces five tonnes of olives, 3,500 tonnes of vegetables and 2,500 tonnes of field crops per annum. Cattle numbers 137, 480 goats, 5,250 sheep, 37,000 poultry and 138 beehives for honey.[2]
[edit] Government
Tammun was transferred to the Palestinian National Authority on November 11, 1995 and was originally governed by a village council.[3] Since 1997, Tammun has been governed by a municipal council with fifteen elected members, including the mayor. The municipality is in charge of Tammun's administration, planning and development, social services, infrastructural maintenance, utilities, solid waste collection and issuing of building licenses.[2] In the 2005 Palestinian municipal elections, Muhammad Ahmad Bsharat was elected mayor.[4]
[edit] Education
In 1997, 84.3% of Tammun's population over the age of 10 was literate. About 17% of the population over the age of 18 had completed high school education. There are seven schools and six kindergartens in the town, all adminsitered by the Education Minister of the Palestinian National Authority.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Projected Mid -Year Population for Tubas District by Locality 2004- 2006 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Tammun Village Profile Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem.
- ^ Palestine Facts; 1994-1995 Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs.
- ^ Municipalities Nablus Municipality Guide.
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