Benishangul-Gumuz
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Benishangul-Gumuz Region ቤንሻንጉል ጉሙዝ |
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| kilil | ||
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 Map of Ethiopia showing Benishangul-Gumuz Region |
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| Country | Ethiopia | |
| Capital | Asosa | |
| Government | ||
| Area | ||
| • Total | 50,699 km2 (19,575 sq mi) | |
| Population (2014 ) | ||
| • Total | 976,000 | |
| ISO 3166 code | ET-BE | |
Benishangul-Gumuz (Amharic:ቤንሻንጉል ጉሙዝ), also known as Benshangul/Gumuz, is one of the nine ethnic divisions (pl., kililoch) of Ethiopia. It was previously known as Region 6. The region's capital is Assosa. Following the adoption of the 1995 constitution, the Region was created from the westernmost portion of the Gojjam province (the part north of the Abay River), and the northwestern portion of the Welega Province (the part south of the Abay). The name of the region comes from two local ethnic groups – Berta (also called as Benishangul) and Gumuz.
The region has faced major challenges to economic development, due to lack of transportation and communications infrastructure. The Abay River (Blue Nile) divides Benishangul-Gumuz, and there was no bridge crossing it until 2012. The major road that connects the Metekel Zone and the Asosa Zone was built by the China Construction Company in 2012. The road has a 365-meter bridge that crosses the Abay. Nowadays it is simple to travel between the regional capital of Assosa and Gilgil Beles, the capital of the Metekel Zone. Previously one had to travel through Wollega and Gojjam in the neighboring regions of Oromia and Amhara, a distance of 1,250 kilometers, but it is now around 378 kilometers on the new road and bridge. Conditions for travel within zones varies, but is often poor and subject to disruption by the rainy season. On 28 July 2009, the Regional Rural Roads Authority reported that over the previous year almost 600 of the 800 kilometers of local all-weather roads had been upgraded at a cost of 11.5 million birr, and an additional 447 kilometers of roads constructed.
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