Lay Armachiho

Lay Armachiho (Ge'ez: ላይ አርማችሆ, "lāy ārmāčihō", Amharic "Upper Armachiho") is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. This woreda is named after "Armachiho", the part of northwestern Ethiopia along the border with Sudan and south of the Tekezé River. [Antony Mockler uses this name in this sense in his book, "Haile Selassie's War" (New York: Olive Branch Press, 2003).]

Part of the Semien Gondar Zone, Lay Armachiho is bordered on the south by Dembiya, on the west by Chilga, on the north by Sanja, on the east by Wegera, and on the southeast by Gondar Zuria. The major town in Lay Armachiho is Tekle Dingay.

Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 160,010, of whom 80,916 were males and 79,094 were females; 8,252 or 5.16% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 14.1%. With an estimated area of 1,085.00 square kilometers, Lay Armachiho has an estimated population density of 147.5 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] The Qemant, one of the Agaw people, are the most important minority group living in this woreda.

Lay Armachiho was selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as an area for voluntary resettlement for farmers from overpopulated areas in the fourth round of resettlement program. Along with Qwara and Dangila in the Amhara Region, and Tsegede in the Tigray Region, this woreda became the new home for 8,671 families. [ [http://waltainfo.com/EnNews/2006/Oct/04Oct06/18881.htm "More than 15,500 households resettled in Amhara, SNNP and Oromia states"] Walta Information Center (WIC)] This round of resettlement was reportedly accompanied with almost 68 million Birr in infrastructure development. [ [http://waltainfo.com/EnNews/2006/Sep/15Sep06/18092.htm "Close to 69mln birr infrastructural dev't works carried out in resettlement sites in Amhara state"] (WIC)]

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