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Benishangul/Gumuz (Ethiopia)

Benishangul/Gumuz National Regional State

by Jorge Candeias, 16 December 1999

Presentation of Benishangul/Gumuz
Flag of Benishangul/Gumuz

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Presentation of Benishangul/Gumuz

According to the Ethiopian Parliament site, this state "comprises 3 administrative zones, made up of 19 woredas out of which two are special woredas (Pawi and Tongo) and 33 Kebeles. Amharic is the working language of the State." The capital city is Assosa. "The State of Benishangul Gumuz is located in the north-western part of Ethiopia. The State shares common boundaries in the west with the Sudan, in the north-east with the State of Amhara, in the east and south with the State of Oromia." It has an estimated area of 51,000 square kilometers. The population was estimated in 94 as 460,459. They say nothing about ethnicity, but since they say that the "working language is the Amharic", I suppose that it must be inhabited by Amharas or closely related peoples.
Before the changes of internal borders in Ethiopia, Assosa was an unimportant place (at least in the map) part of the province(?) of Welega. The city is located very close to the sudanese border. Other information in the site (the climate zones and the river basins lead me to conclude that this state occupies probably the western half of what once was called Welega.
Jorge Candeias, 15 December 1999

Flag of Benishangul/Gumuz

The flag is a horizontal tricolour of black, gold and green with a red triangle based at the hoist. The influence of the sudanese flag is pretty obvious (it's a reaarrangement of the sudanese colours with white replaced by golden/yellow), suggesting some kind of link across the border. I'm rather curious about the ethnies of this state and regret that they didn't publish info about that in the site - that could explain the flag.
Jorge Candeias, 15 December 1999