Dejen is a

woreda Districts of Ethiopia, also called woredas (; ''woreda''), are the third level of the administrative divisions of Ethiopia – after ''List of zones of Ethiopia, zones'' and the ''Regions of Ethiopia, regional states''. These districts are f ...

Amhara Region The Amhara Region (), officially the Amhara National Regional State (), is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in northern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Amhara people, Amhara, Awi people, Awi, Xamir people, Xamir, Argobba people, Argobba, a ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

. This woreda is named after the traditional district it lies in, Dejen, which is best known as where Admas Mogasa, the widow of Emperor Menas, raised the future Emperor

Susenyos Susenyos I ( ; –1575 – 17 September 1632), also known as Susenyos the Catholic, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1607 to 1632, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His throne names were Seltan Sagad and Malak Sagad III. He was the son of '' ...

and instructed him in "the doctrine of the holy books." Part of the

Misraq Gojjam Zone East Gojjam (Amharic: ምሥራቅ ጎጃም), also called Misraq Gojjam, is a zone in Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Its capital is Debre Markos. East Gojjam is named after the former province of Gojjam. East Gojjam is bordered on the south by the ...

, Dejen is bordered on the south by the

Abay River Abay may refer to: People * Abay (name) Places * Abay District, East Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan * Abay District, Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan ** Abay (town), the province's administrative center * Abay, Almaty, Kazakhstan * Abay, Aktobe, a villag ...

which separates it from the

Oromia Region Oromia (, ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. Under Article 49 of 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Constitution, the capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa, also called Finfinne. The ...

, on the west by

Awabel Awabel is a woreda in Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Part of the Misraq Gojjam Zone, Awabel is bordered on the south by the Abay River which separates it from the Oromia Region, on the west by Aneded, on the northwest by Sinan, on the northeast by D ...

, on the northwest by

Debay Telatgen Debay Telatgen is one of the woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraq Gojjam Zone, Debay Telatgen is bordered on the extreme south by Dejen, on the southwest by Awabel, on the west by Sinan, on the northwest by Bibugn, on the ...

, on the north by

Enemay Enemay (Amharic: እነማይ) is one of the woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraq Gojjam Zone, Enemay is bordered on the south by Dejen, on the west by Debay Telatgen, on the north by Enarj Enawga, and on the east by Sheb ...

, and on the east by

Shebel Berenta Shebel Berenta is a woreda in Amhara Region, Ethiopia, named after two older districts which occupy the area this woreda currently covers: Berenta which is north of the Mecha river, and Shebel which is south of that stream. Part of the Misraq Gojj ...

. The major town in Dejen is Dejen.

Overview

Dejen is connected to Wara Jarso in Oromia by the Abay Bridge, which also carries the

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

Bahir Dar Bahir Dar () is the capital city of Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Bahir Dar is one of the leading tourist destinations in Ethiopia, with a variety of attractions in the nearby Lake Tana and Blue Nile river. The city is known for its wide avenues li ...

highway. Before this bridge was erected, the Abay was crossed at the Shefartak ford (at 10° 5' N 38° 17' E). A new bridge, the Hidasie Bridge, was dedicated 10 September 2008 at the presence of senior government officials and other guests. Funded by the

Japanese government The Government of Japan is the central government of Japan. It consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and functions under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan. Japan is a unitary state, containing forty- ...

at a cost of 319.3 Birr, the Hidasie Bridge is 303 meters long and part of the new Addis Ababa-Dejen road. Experts foresee that improvements like the new bridge will allow drivers to double their speed to 60 kilometers per hour, and increase the volume of vehicles from the current 360 a day to 729 in six years. The new bridge sits alongside the older one over the Abay which had been built by the Italian government as part of their

war reparations War reparations are compensation payments made after a war by one side to the other. They are intended to cover damage or injury inflicted during a war. War reparations can take the form of hard currency, precious metals, natural resources, in ...

for their occupation of Ethiopia during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and was about 60 years old when the new one was opened. On 21 August 2008, residents of the town of Dejen gathered to protest the delay by local officials' over a decision on the residents' application for use of nearby farmland. Local police and militia surrounded the demonstrators, and beat dozens; a few protesters had injuries requiring hospitalization. No legal action was taken against the perpetrators.

Demographics

Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the

Central Statistical Agency The Central Statistical Agency, also known as the Ethiopian Statistical Service (ESS; Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ስታቲስቲክስ አገልግሎት), is an Ethiopian government agency designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that ...

of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 102,359, an increase of 17.02% over the 1994 census, of whom 49,487 are men and 52,872 women; 8,700 or 8.50% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 620.97 square kilometers, Dejen has a population density of 164.84, which is greater than the Zone average of 153.8 persons per square kilometer. A total of 25,511 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.01 persons to a household, and 24,917 housing units. The majority of the inhabitants practiced

Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates bac ...

, with 97.01% reporting that as their religion, while 2.85% of the population said they were

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

. The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 87,469 in 18,399 households, of whom 42,440 were men and 45,029 were women; 8,930 or 10.21% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Dejen was the Amhara (99.87%). The majority of the inhabitants practiced

, with 94.83% reporting that as their religion, while 5.1% were

.''1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Amhara Region'', Vol. 1, part 1
, Tables 2.1, 2.7, 2.10, 2.17, Annex II.2 (accessed 9 April 2009)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dejen (Woreda) Districts of Amhara Region