Gimbi

Gimbi

Location within Ethiopia

Coordinates: 9°10′N 35°50′E / 9.167°N 35.833°E / 9.167; 35.833Coordinates: 9°10′N 35°50′E / 9.167°N 35.833°E / 9.167; 35.833
Country Ethiopia
Region Oromia
Zone West Welega
Elevation 1,845 m (6,053 ft)
Population (2007)
 • Total 30,981
Time zone EAT (UTC+3)

Gimbi is a town in western Ethiopia. Located in the West Welega Zone of the Oromia Region, it has a latitude and longitude of 9°10′N 35°50′E / 9.167°N 35.833°E / 9.167; 35.833 with an elevation between 1845 and 1930 meters above sea level. It is the administrative center of Gimbi woreda.

Gimbi has had telephone service from some point between 1954 and 1967. Iron had traditionally been produced in the area. A North Korean team of specialists investigated the deposits in the mid-1980s.[1]

History

An Ethiopian Orthodox church was built in Gimbi around 1895. By the 1930s, Gimbi was one of the most important markets of Welega Province and a meeting point of roads. The extension of the main road to Nekemte had not yet reached as far as Gimbi by 1935.[1]

A school for the blind was opened in Gimbi by the Western Synod of the Mekane Yesus Church in 1971. However, by 1981 all Evangelical churches in the neighboring region were closed, except the one in the town itself.[1]

Seventh Day Adventist Churches, and Schools, have been serving the city. The Seventh Day Adventist Hospital was the first hospital in Gimbie and was founded in 1947. More recently a government hospital called Gimbie Public Hospital was established. The operational budget of this hospital is government subsidized.

The Oromia TV sub-station and the Gimbi Campus of Wolega University were opened by Regional president Abadula Gemeda 23 February 2009.[2]

Demographics

The 2007 national census reported a total population for Gimbi of 30,981, of whom 15,716 were men and 15,265 were women. The majority of the inhabitants observed Protestantism, with 50.07% reporting that as their religion, while 35.33% observed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 12.99% were Muslim.[3]

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Gimbi has an estimated total population of 36,612, of whom 18,623 are men and 17,989 are women.[4] The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 20,462 of whom 10,100 were men and 10,362 were women.

In the fictional Harry Potter universe, Gimbi is the hometown of the professional Quidditch team the Gimbi Giant-Slayers.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Local History in Ethiopia" The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 15 February 2008)
  2. ↑ "Abadulla inagurates TV Sub-station, Gimbi Campus of Wollega University", Ethiopian News Agency website (accessed 14 April 2009)
  3. ↑ 2007 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Oromia Region, Vol. 1 Archived November 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine., Tables 2.1, 2.5, 3.4 (accessed 13 January 2012)
  4. ↑ CSA 2005 National Statistics Archived November 23, 2006, at the Wayback Machine., Table B.4
  5. ↑ Whisp, Kennilworthy (2001). Quidditch Through the Ages. WhizzHard Books. pp. 31–46. ISBN 1-55192-454-4.
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