Sayint

Sayint (also transliterated Sahint) is one of the woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the historic district of Sayint. Part of the Debub Wollo Zone, Sayint is bordered on the south by Debre Sina and Mehal Sayint, on the west by the Abay River which separates it from the Misraq Gojjam Zone, on the northwest by the Bashilo River which separates it from the Debub Gondar Zone, on the north by Magdala, on the east by Tenta and on the southeast by Legambo. The major town in Sayint is Sayint Ajebar. Woreda of Mehal Sayint was separated from Sayint.

The altitude of this woreda ranges from 500 meters above sea level at the bottom of the canyon of the Abay to 3700 meters; the highest point in this woreda, as well as in the Debub Wollo Zone, is Mount Amba Ferit, which lies on the border with Legambo. The Abay is crossable at Daga ford, which connects this woreda with Enbise Sar Midir woreda in Misraq Gojjam. Notable landmarks include the monastery of Tadbaba Maryam, which was founded by the Emperor Gelawdewos. According to Hormuzd Rassam, the Emperor Tewodros's mother, Atitegeb Wondbewossen, was a native of Sayint.[1]

Demographics

Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 144,972, an increase of -25.12% over the 1994 census, of whom 71,979 are men and 72,993 women; 5,474 or 3.78% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 1,437.30 square kilometers, Sayint has a population density of 100.86, which is less than the Zone average of 147.58 persons per square kilometer. A total of 34,999 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.14 persons to a household, and 33,604 housing units. The majority of the inhabitants said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 83.59% reporting that as their religion, while 16.37% of the population were Muslim.[2]

The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 193,616 in 47,189 households, of whom 96,754 were men and 96,862 were women; 2,068 or 1.07% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Sayint was the Amhara (99.96%). Amharic was spoken as a first language by 99.97%. The majority of the inhabitants professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 84.18% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 15.83% of the population said they were Muslim.[3]

Notes

  1. ↑ Hormuzd Rassam, Narrative of the British Mission to Theodore of Abyssinia (London, 1869), vol. 1 p. 279
  2. ↑ Census 2007 Tables: Amhara Region, Tables 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 3.1, 3.2 and 3.4.
  3. ↑ 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Amhara Region, Vol. 1, part 1, Tables 2.1, 2.7, 2.10, 2.13, 2.17, Annex II.2 (accessed 9 April 2009)

Coordinates: 11°15′N 38°40′E / 11.250°N 38.667°E