Finote Selam (

Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...

: ፍኖተ ሰላም) is a town and separate

woreda Districts of Ethiopia, also called woredas ( am, ወረዳ; ''woreda''), are the third level of the administrative divisions of Ethiopia – after ''zones'' and the '' regional states''. These districts are further subdivided into a number of ...

in western

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. 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 Oromia R ...

of the

Amhara Region The Amhara Region ( am, አማራ ክልል, Åmara Kilil), officially the Amhara National Regional State (), is a regional state in northern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Amhara people. Its capital is Bahir Dar which is the seat of the Reg ...

, by road 387 km from

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

and 176 km from

Bahir Dar Bahir Dar ( amh, ባሕር ዳር, 3=sea shore) 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 ci ...

. 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 long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

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".

Rally against the government

On August 25, 2016, People of Finote Selam demonstrated against the national government. Regime forces shot and killed a college student in Finote Selam, West Gojam on Thursday as they used lethal force to disperse protesters who took to the streets for the second day to show solidarity with the Amhara and Oromo people who demand an end to TPLF rule.

Demographics

Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the

Central Statistical Agency The Central Statistical Agency (CSA; Amharic: ማዕከላዊ ስታቲስቲክስ ኤጀንሲ) is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth ...

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 ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chris ...

, and 3.34% were

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

. 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 Ethiopian scientist, noted for her research as a molecular plant pathologist, and outstanding scientific leadership. For close to three decades, Kelemu and her team's research has contributed to addressing agricultural c ...

and artist Yhunie Belay.

Notes

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