From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Adama ኣዳማ Nazret
A gari crossing the Addis Ababa-Dire Dawa Road in Adama
Adama Location within Ethiopia
Coordinates: 8°33′N 39°16′E / 8.55°N 39.267°E / 8.55; 39.267
Country	Ethiopia
Region	Oromia
Zone	Misraq (East) Shewa
Elevation	1,712 m (5,617 ft)
Population (2005)
- Total	228,623
Time zone	EAT (UTC+3)
Area code(s)	22

Adama (Oromo Adaama, Ge'ez ኣዳማ ādāmā), better known^[1] as Nazret or Nazreth (ናዝሬት nāzrēt), is a city in central Ethiopia and the previous capital of the Oromia Region. It is located in the Misraq Shewa Zone of Oromia, at 8°33′N 39°16′E / 8.55°N 39.27°E / 8.55; 39.27 at an elevation of 1712 meters, 99 km southeast of Addis Ababa. The city sits between the base of an escarpment to the west, and the top of the Great Rift Valley to the east.

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this city has an estimated total population of 228,623 of whom 114,255 were males and were 114,368 females,^[2] although other estimates confirm that the current population exceeds 200,000.^[3] The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 127,842 of whom 61,965 were males and 65,877 were females.

Overview

Adama is a busy transportation center. The city is situated along the road that connects Addis Ababa with Dire Dawa. A large number of trucks use this same route to travel to and from the seaports of Djibouti and Asseb (though the latter is not currently used by Ethiopia, following the Eritrean-Ethiopian War). Additionally, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad runs through Adama.

Adama University (formerly Adama Technical Teachers College) is located in Adama. Adama Stadium is the home of Adama City FC, a member of the Ethiopian Football Federation league.

History

Emperor Haile Selassie renamed the town after Biblical Nazareth, and this name was used throughout the twentieth century. In 2000, the city officially reverted to its original Oromo language name, Adama, though "Nazareth" is still widely used.

In 2000, the Ethiopian government moved the regional capital of Oromia from Addis Ababa to Adama, sparking considerable controversy. Critics of the move believed that the Ethiopian government wished to deemphasize Addis Ababa's location within Oromia.^[4][5] On the other hand, the government maintained that Addis Ababa "has been found inconvenient from the point of view of developing the language, culture and history of the Oromo people."^[6]

On June 10, 2005, the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization (OPDO), part of the ruling EPRDF coalition, officially announced plans to move the regional capital back to Finfinne (the Oromo name for Addis Ababa).^[7] This announcement occurred during the aftermath of Ethiopia's most democratic elections to date, in which the governing coalition lost all of its seats in Addis Ababa's municipal administration (see Ethiopian general elections, 2005). The opposition parties speculated that the move was intended as a way to split them along ethnic lines by inciting the largely non-Oromo residents of Addis Ababa to oppose the return of the Oromia government to the Ethiopian capital. The only comments from the opposition that the move inspired, however, was that the original move to Adama had been a massive waste of money, not to mention lives, as the government had cracked down on Oromo students who had protested the move from Finfinne to Adama. In any event, non-Oromo groups did not oppose the return of Oromia government offices to Addis Ababa.

References

• FallingRain Map - elevation = 2485 (Red dots are railways)

Further reading

• Briggs, Philip. Guide to Ethiopia. Old Saybrook, Connecticut: Globe Pequot Press, 1995. ISBN 1-56440-814-0

External links

• Adama Chamber of Commerce
• Adama travel guide from Wikitravel

From Wikitravel

Adama [1], also known as Nazareth or Nazret, was the capital city of the Oromia region of Ethiopia from 2003 to 2006, at which time the capital was moved back to Finfine (Addis Ababa). It is a popular weekend destination for residents of Addis Ababa and hosts many governmental and non-governmental conferences.

Get in

Adama lies approximately 100 km southeast of Addis Ababa, along the main highway that leads to Djibouti via Dire Dawa. Buses to Adama depart from the Nazareth bus centralstation in Addis Ababa, and they do not follow a strict timetable. Generally the driver waits for the entire bus to fill with passengers, though usually this means that buses leave at least once an hour. The journey takes about two hours. Service may be disrupted during fuel shortages or holidays. Minibuses serve the same route at night after the bus stations have closed.

The Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad runs through Adama.

Get around

Street names and addresses are not discernibly marked (if, indeed, they are used at all). The Addis Ababa-Dire Dawa Road is the main thoroughfare through the town. Blue-and-white taxis use fixed routes along major streets, and cost less than one birr per person, per ride. These will pick up and let off other passengers along the route. It is possible to hire a taxi for private use (called "contract") for a higher fare, which should be agreed upon in advance. A horse-drawn cart, or gari, is even cheaper than a public taxi.

See

climb the beautiful surrounding mountains including "Kechema",take a short ride to "Sodere", a resort famous for it's natural hot volcanic water, swim in Sodere's olympic size swimming pool,take a ride on a local horse pulled taxi called "gari"

Eat

The famous "tibs", or "Kurt", raw or roasted beef in the city's famous restaurants specialized in serving roasted beef dishes

• Rift Valley Hotel, along the Addis Ababa-Dire Dawa Road, tel: 022-4412345, 022-1114444, or 022-1112345 (fax: 022-1114409; e-mail:riva@telecom.net.et). The Rift Valley Hotel is in a modern, multi-level building, but is beginning to show signs of wear (in the plumbing, specifically). There is a restaurant as well as a a small cafe, with a large courtyard in the middle (suitable for weddings, banquets, etc.) The hotel is located across from a filling station where the truck traffic can be noisy at times. As of 2004, a room with accommodations for two persons cost approximately US$20 to US$25 per night.

• Safari Lodge Adama, a few blocks south of the Addis Ababa-Dire Dawa Road (the turnoff is clearly marked), tel.: 022-1122011 or 022-1122013 (Postal address: Region 4, P.O. Box 841 Adama, Nazreth, Ethiopia; fax: 022-1122012; e-mail: leilaworku@hotmail.com). Safari Lodge is a fairly new hotel, and is a good value by Western standards. The well-kept rooms are situated around a lush courtyard with a swimming pool and observation tower. As of 2004, a two-room suite with a double-bed cost approximately US$26.00 per night. A full dinner in the hotel restaurant cost US$3 to US$6 per person. [2]

Contact

The dialing plan in Ethiopia changed on September 17, 2005. City codes changed from two digits to three digits (or, from outside the country, one digit to two digits) and phone numbers changed from six digits to seven digits. Most telephone numbers in Adama use the city code 022 (or simply 22 from outside Ethiopia), though some numbers use 011 (which is the same city code as Addis Ababa).

Internet access is available at some hotels, as well as at various internet cafes. As of 2004, internet access in Adama is made exclusively through dial-up connections, and is slow enough as to be impracticable, particularly since usage is charged by-the-minute. Internet access is more reliable and faster (even via dial-up) in Addis Ababa.

Get out

Adama is about 25 km north of the spa town Sodere. Minibuses will take passengers to the entrance of Sodere for a few birr. While there is a large hotel at Sodere, the resort is perhaps more well-suited for day trips, as accommodations are better in Adama.

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

West Frisian

Proper noun

Adama

1. A surname, patronym of West Frisian male given name Adam.

From BibleWiki

(Deut 29:23): city of the Pentapolis.