Chinhahsan
Chinaksen (Oromo: Cinaaksan "near the hole", Somali: Jinacsani) is a city in eastern Oromia. Located in the East Hararghe Zone of the Oromia Region, this city has a latitude and longitude of 9°30′N 42°42′E with an elevation of 1816 meters above sea level.
Chinaksan
Jinacsani | |
---|---|
Chinaksan Location within Ethiopia | |
Coordinates: 9°30′N 42°42′E | |
Country | Ethiopia |
Region | Oromia |
Zone | East Hararghe |
Elevation | 1,816 m (5,958 ft) |
Population (2007) | |
• Total | 12,261 |
Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Chinaksan is a historical settlement with stone walls built at the foot of an oval hill; on the hill are ruins of fortifications possibly of Somali origins during the Adal Sultanate period.[1][2]
The writer Nega Mezlekia, an Amhara from Jijiga who had joined the Western Somali Liberation Movement, relates how he participated in an attack on a Derg military training camp in Chinaksen. No prisoners were taken in the attack; those who surrendered were shot dead.[3] Early in the Ogaden War, Chinaksen was captured by Somali units as they advanced on Dire Dawa; it was recaptured by Ethiopian units between 5 and 9 February 1978.[4]
In late January 2009, the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation completed a 27 km (17 mi) electric power line from Jijiga to Chinhahsan, while constructing six power distributors in the town. This provided 24-hour electric service to Chinhahsan for the first time.[5]
Demographics
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Chinaksen had an estimated total population of 11,558 of whom 5,981 are men and 5,577 are women.[6] According to the 1994 national census this city had a population of 56,821 people. This town is one of the two largest settlements in Jijiga woreda.
The 1997 census reported this town had a total population of 7,753 of whom 3,951 were men and 3,802 women. The three largest ethnic groups reported in this town were the Oromo (64.72%), Somali (20.59%), and the Amhara (10.8%); all other ethnic groups made up
References
- Shihāb al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʻAbd al-Qādir ʻArabfaqīh, Translated by Paul Stenhouse, Richard Pankhurst (2003). The conquest of Abyssinia: 16th century. Tsehai Publishers & Distributors. p. 77.
- Northeast African Studies. Volume 11. African Studies Center, Michigan State University. 1989. p. 115.
- "Local History in Ethiopia" The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 1 March 2009)
- Gebru Tareke, "The Ethiopia-Somalia War of 1977 Revisited," International Journal of African Historical Studies, 2000 (33), p. 658
- "Chinakson Town gets 24 hr electric power service", Ethiopian News Agency, 29 January 2009 (accessed 28 May 2009)
- CSA 2005 National Statistics Archived November 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Table B.4