Bahir Dar

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Bahir Dar
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image_caption = Church in Bahir Dar


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pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ethiopia
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Ethiopia
subdivision_type1 = Region
subdivision_name1 = Amhara
subdivision_type2 = Zone
subdivision_name2 = Bahir Dar
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population_total = 167,261
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timezone = EAT
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latd=11 |latm=36 |latNS=N
longd=37 |longm=23 |longEW=E
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elevation_m = 1840
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Bahir Dar is a city in north western Ethiopia, and the capital of the Amhara Region ("kilil").

Administratively, Bahir Dar is considered a Special Zone, placing it midway between Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa which are organized as chartered cities ("astedader akabibi", equivalent to a "kilil"), and cities like Mek'ele and Dessie, which are organized as woredas.

Geography, transportation

Bahir Dar is situated on the southern shore of Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile (or "Abay"), in what was previously the Gojjam province. The city is located approximately 578 km north-northwest of Addis Ababa, having a latitude and longitude of coord|11|36|N|37|23|E and an elevation of 1840m above sea level.

The city is equipped with an airport with paved runways, identified by the ICAO code HABD and IATA BJR; Ethiopian Airlines operates scheduled flights between Bahir Dar and the capital as well as with Gondar to the northwest. The city is also connected through roads (and buslines) to these cities.

Demographics

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this city has an estimated total population of 167,261, of whom 86,355 were males and 80,906 were females. With an estimated area of 28 square kilometers, Bahir Dar has an estimated population density of 5,973.60 people per square kilometer. [ [http://www.csa.gov.et/text_files/2005_national_statistics.htm CSA 2005 National Statistics] , Tables B.3 and B.4.]

According to the 1994 census, the latest official population count, its population was 96,140 of whom 45,436 were males and 50,704 were females. As Philip Briggs notes, Bahir Dar "is not only one of the largest towns in Ethiopia, but also one of the fastest growing -- the western outskirts have visibly expanded since the first edition of this guide was published in 1994." [Philip Briggs, "Guide to Ethiopia", third edition (Old Saybrook: Globe Pequot Press, 2003), p. 181. ISBN 1-84162-035-1]

People and Culture

The city offers a small daily market and a very extensive weekly market. There are some music clubs in the city. The city is home to Bahir Dar University, which projects an enrollment of over 4,400 students in the academic year beginning in October 2006. [ [http://www.waltainfo.com/EnNews/2006/Sep/26Sep06/18568.htm "Bahirdar University to enroll over 4,400 students this year"] Walta Information Center (WIC)]

The Blue Nile Falls ("Tis Abay") are located about 30 km to the south.

History

Bahir Dar grew around a Jesuit settlement, founded in the sixteenth or seventeenth century; a building from this period and associated with Pedro Páez can be seen standing near the central square. [http://130.238.24.99/library/resources/dossiers/local_history_of_ethiopia/B/ORTBAA.pdf "Local History in Ethiopia"] (pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 12 February 2008)]

The next mention of Bahir Dar is from the mid-19th century, as the camping spot for the army of Emperor Tewodros II. Here his army suffered from cholera, forcing the Emperor to move his troops to Begemder. Despite the loss of life on the journey, by the time they reached Begemder, the army was free of the illness.

During the Italian invasion, an Italian column moved from Gondar on 23 April 1937 and, after a rapid march, occupied Bahar Dar. The city was bombed by the Royal Air Force on 21–22 October 1940, and although the action made little damage it was a boost to "Arbegnoch" morale. After months of skirmishing with the British advance, the Italian garrison under the command of Colonel Torelli was recalled to Gondar by General Guglielmo Nasi, and began to evacuate the city on 27 April 1941. One of Emperor Haile Selassie's palaces was located near the city, and the Emperor considered moving the national capital to the town.

On 15 June 1961 the Emperor inaugurated the new 226 metres long highway bridge over the Abay, situated at about 3 km from Bahir Dar.

A Polytechnic Institute, built by the Soviet Union at a cost of Eth$ 2.9 million, opened in 1963, with courses in agricultural mechanics, industrial chemistry, electrical technology, wood-working and processing technology, textile technology, and metal technology. Designed to accommodate 1,000 students, at the start in September the school had 21 Ethiopian teachers and 250 students of 8th grade level; by 1968 had 619 students in four grades, with 51 teachers of whom 23 were expatriates.

During the Ethiopian Civil War, May 1988 the 603rd corp of the Third Revolutionary Army (TLA) made its headquarters at Bahir Dar. On 3-4 March 1990, the TLA abandoned Bahir Dar in disarray, blowing up the nearby bridge with several hundred soldiers. However, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) had too few effectives in the area to capture the town, and the Derg reoccupied Bahir Dar a few days later. The EPRDF gained permanent control of the city in March 1991.

The city announced 23 November 2006 that in honor of the Millennium celebrations, it would host a National Investment Bazaar and Trade Fair on 6–9 January 2007. Mulat Gezahegn, head of the Trade, Industry and Investment Promotion Coordination Office, told journalists that he expects more than 150 local and foreign companies will participate. [ [http://www.waltainfo.com/EnNews/2006/Nov/23Nov06/20901.htm "Bahirdar City to host trade fair marking Millennium celebrations"] WIC (last accessed 30 November 2006)]

ister cities

*flagicon|United States Cleveland, USA (since 2004)

Notes

External links

* [http://www.ImpetusInMundum.de/documentation/Album.html?Bildliste=5a081949-5a081960x5a0a1977-5a0b198ex5a0c19cd-5a0e19d2&Region=Bahir+Dar Pictures from Bahir Dar]