Hagere Mariam

Hagere Mariam (also known as Alga, Kuku) is a town in southern Ethiopia. Located on the paved Addis Ababa-Moyale highway, in the Borena Zone of the Oromia Region, it is the largest town in the region traditionally inhabited by the Guji Oromo. It has a latitude and longitude of 5°35′N 38°15′E / 5.583°N 38.250°E / 5.583; 38.250 and an altitude of 1716 meters above sea level.

History

Hagere Mariam was settled by Amharic colonists at some point before 1934. It was occupied by the Italians on 22 July 1936, who renamed it "Alghe". They rebuilt the village and constructed a fort nearby; the Italians also bestowed honors and powers to a local Guji chief.^[1]

In the following decades, Hagere Mariam became isolated: a group of Swedish missionaries traveling to the Burji in March 1950 brought the first motorized vehicles seen in the town since the Italian occupation. A Norwegian Evangelical Mission was established at Hagere Mariam on 15 August of the same year, with the goal of reaching the Guji. Its founding leader was Karl Bogetvedt who worked from a little rented house inside the town, with dwelling, school and clinic in the same building. The mission station in Hagere Mariam continued into the 1980s.^[1]

Demographics

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Hagere Mariam has an estimated total population of 22,784 of whom 12,046 were men and 10,738 were women.^[2] The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 12,718 of whom 6,533 were males and 6,185 were females. It is the largest town in Bule Hora woreda.

Notes