Finote Selam (

Amharic Amharic is an Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amhara people, and also serves as a lingua franca for all other metropolitan populati ...

: ፍኖተ ሰላም) is a town and separate

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 ...

in western

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 ...

. Located in the

Mirab Gojjam Zone West Gojjam ( Amharic: ምዕራብ ጎጃም) or Mirab Gojjam is a Zone in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the former province of Gojjam. West Gojjam is bordered on the south by the Abay River which separates it from the Orom ...

of the

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 ...

, by road 387 km from

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 ...

and 176 km from

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 ...

. By air, the distance from Addis Ababa is 246 km. Finote Selam, the "Pacific Road", is the name given by Emperor Haile Silassie during the Italian invasion on Ethiopia. Formerly its name was ''Wojet.'' Now Finote Selam is the capital city of West Gojjam Zone. This town has a longitude and latitude of with an elevation of 1917 meters above sea level.

History

Finote Selam, the "Pacific Road", the name given by Emperor Haile Silassie during the Italian invasion on Ethiopia. Formerly its name was ''Wojet.'' In 1964, a hospital for

lepers Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

had been built in Finote Selam by the private fund "Swedish Aid to Leprous Children in Ethiopia". The hospital, Finote Selam Hospital, is a district hospital although it not upgraded to a general hospital. The hospital has a limited resources. In 2019, there was a peaceful demonstration of hospital staff, asking for good governance and that "the hospital shall be general hospital". On August 25, 2016, during the

2016–2018 Ethiopian state of emergency A state of emergency was declared on 9 October 2016 by Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, after ''de facto'' taking effect the previous day. The state of emergency authorized the military to enforce security nationwide. It imposed rest ...

, residents of Finote Selam demonstrated against the former TPLF-led government. Government forces then shot and killed a college student in the town in an attempt to disperse protesters. Following the Ethiopian military's recapture of several towns in the Amhara Region during their clashes with

Fano Fano () is a city and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the ''Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by pop ...

, a drone strike carried out by the Ethiopian military killed 26 people on 13 August 2023. The

Ethiopian Human Rights Commission The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) () is a national human rights institution (NHRI) established by the Ethiopian government. The EHRC is charged with promoting human rights and investigating human rights abuses in Ethiopia. The EHRC ...

(EHRC) announced they received "credible reports of strikes and shelling, including from

Debre Birhan Debre Birhan () is a city in central Ethiopia. Located in the Semien Shewa Zone of Amhara Region, about 120 kilometers north east of Addis Ababa on Ethiopian highway 2, the town has an elevation of 2,840 meters, which makes it the highest t ...

, Finote Selam, and

Bure Bure may refer to: Places Belgium * Bure, Wallonia, Belgium, a small village in the Tellin municipality * Battle of Bure, a World War II battle during the Battle of the Bulge Eritrea and Ethiopia * Bure (disputed zone), on the border between Eri ...

, resulting in many civilian casualties and damage to residential areas and public spaces".

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 town had a total population of 25,913, of whom 13,035 were male and 12,878 female. Most (95.91%) of the inhabitants practice

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 ...

, and 3.34% 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 census reported a total population of 13,834.

Education

Notable schools in Finote Selam include Damot Higher and Secondary School and Damot Preparatory school. Colleges in the town include Finote Selam Teachers College and Finote Damot TVET College are frontier.

Agriculture

Finote Selam and the neighbouring woredas are known for production of teff, maize, peppers, beans and chickpeas, fruit and vegetables.

Tourism

Hotels in Finote Selam town include Damot Hotel, and Xtrem Hotel.

Notable people

Prominent people from Finote Selam include scientist

Segenet Kelemu Segenet Kelemu is an Ethiopia, Ethiopian scientist, noted for her research as a Plant pathology, molecular plant pathologist, and outstanding scientific leadership. For close to three decades, Segenet and her team's research has contributed to ...

and artist Yhunie Belay.

Notes

Populated places in the Amhara Region Cities and towns in Ethiopia {{Amhara-geo-stub