Itang (also spelled ''Etang'';
["Census 2007"]
, first draft, p. 81 Ethiopic: ኢታንግ
[CSA 2005 National Statistics]
, Table B.4) is a town in the
Gambela Region
The Gambela Region (also spelled Gambella; am, ጋምቤላ), officially the Gambela Peoples' Region, is a regional state in western Ethiopia, bordering South Sudan. Previously known as Region 12, its capital is Gambela. The Region is situated ...
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 ...
. Within Gambela, Itang belongs to
Itang 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 ...
which forms a special woreda. Located on the
Baro River (also known as the
Openo River or the
Upeno River).
History
The town's importance can be traced to Article IV of the treaty signed by Emperor
Menelik and the British minister, Harrington, in May 1902, which defined the boundary between Ethiopia and
Sudan and designated the Itang area as a British trading enclave. However, Itang was too far from the
Ethiopian Plateau
The Ethiopian Highlands is a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in Northeast Africa. It forms the largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent, with little of its surface falling below , while the summits reach heights of up to . ...
, and after the Ethiopian government authorized the transfer on 8 October 1904, the concession was moved upstream to
Gambela.
In the 1980s, the
Second Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the central Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. It was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated ...
led to the influx of refugees from
Southern Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Con ...
, with the Itang camp becoming the largest refugee camp in the world for some time.
Itang was partially flooded by the river in mid-1998 and July–August 1999.
Demographics
Based on figures from 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 growt ...
in 2005, this town has an estimated total population of 3,601 of whom 1,929 were males and 1,672 were females.
[ The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 2,106 of whom 1,176 were males and 930 were females.
According to the 1994 national census, its total population was 2,106. The ethnic breakdown was 53.7% Anuak, 28.54% ]Nuer Nuer may refer to:
* Nuer people
* Nuer language
The Nuer language (Thok Naath) ("people's language") is a Nilotic language of the Western Nilotic group. It is spoken by the Nuer people of South Sudan and in western Ethiopia (region of Gamb ...
, 6.79% Oromo, 6.41% Amhara, 1.57% Tigray, and 3% all others.
Notable people
Commander William Nyuon Bany and co-founder of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), lived at Itang.
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in the Gambela Region