Jan Amora

Jan Amora (Ge'ez: ጃን አሞራ "jān āmōrā", Amharic: "Royal eagle") is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Gondar Zone, Jan Amora is bordered on the south by Belessa, on the southwest by Wegera, on the west by Debarq, on the north by Addi Arkay, and on the east by Beyeda. The major town in Jan Amora is Mekane Berhan.

The place name Jan Amora appears in the "Futuh al-Habasha" and in an 18th century legal text, but it is unclear if they refer to the place that became this woreda; Richard Pankhurst believes that this "Jan Amora" was located in Tigray. [Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin 'Abd al-Qader, "Futuh al-Habasa: The conquest of Ethiopia", translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse with annotations by Richard Pankhurst (Hollywood: Tsehai, 2003), p. 204 and note.]

Jan Amora covers the Semien Mountains and a portion of their southern slopes. It highest point is Mount Biuat, one of the 10 highest peaks in Ethiopia. The Semien Mountains National Park is also located in northern Jan Amora.

Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 169,604, of whom 85,157 were males and 84,447 were females; 2,717 or 1.60% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 14.1%. With an estimated area of 1,729.54 square kilometers, Jan Amora has an estimated population density of 98.1 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 60.23. [ [http://www.csa.gov.et/text_files/2005_national_statistics.htm CSA 2005 National Statistics] , Tables B.3 and B.4]

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