Guangua | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
  Guangua | |
| Coordinates:11°00′N36°20′E / 11.000°N 36.333°E /11.000; 36.333 | |
| Zone | Agew Awi |
| Region | Amhara |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,305.44 km2 (890.14 sq mi) |
| Population (2012 est.)[1] | |
• Total | 244,987 |
| • Density | 106.265/km2 (275.224/sq mi) |
Guangua (Amharic: ጓንጓ) is one of theworedas in theAmhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of theAgew Awi Zone, Guangua is bordered on the south and west by theBenishangul-Gumuz Region, on the north byDangila, on the northwest byFaggeta Lekoma andBanja Shekudad, and on the east byAnkasha Guagusa; the Dura River, a tributary of theAbay River, defines part of its western border. The administrative center of this woreda isChagni; other towns in Guangua includeKilaj, andMenta Wuha.
High points in this woreda includeMount Gum (1506 meters), whichR E Cheesman described as a prominent landmark near the Zakas ford on the Abay.[2]MIDROC Gold reported in 2009 that it was exploring the area around Menta Wuha for gold deposits.[3]
Originally the two adjacent woredas in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region,Dibate andMandura, were subunits of Guangua but in the 1960s were split off to form separate woredas in order to strengthen government control over the localGumuz people. These two woredas were transferred to Benishangul-Gumuz when that region was organized in the 1992.[4]
Based on the 2007 national census conducted by theCentral Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 223,066, an increase of 51.10% over the 1994 census, of whom 111,172 are men and 111,894 women; 31,489 or 14.12% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 2,305.44 square kilometers, Guangua has a population density of 96.76, which is less than the Zone average of 107.44 persons per square kilometer. A total of 47,759 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.67 persons to a household, and 46,471 housing units. The majority of the inhabitants practicedEthiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 81.81% reporting that as their religion, 14.59% of the population said they wereMuslim, and 1.64% practiced traditional beliefs.[5]
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 170,974 in 34,553 households, of whom 84,893 were men and 86,081 were women; 7,767 or 4.54% of its population were urban dwellers. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Guangua were theAwi (62.02%) one of theAgaw peoples, theAmhara (31.93%), and theGumuz (4.55%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.5% of the population.Awngi was spoken as a first language by 61.33%, 32.83%Amharic, and 4.55% spokeGumuz; the remaining 1.29% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants practicedEthiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 74.3% reporting that as their religion, while 20.98% wereMuslim, and 0.77% observed traditional religions.[6]
