Irgalem Abosto, Dalle |
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Location within Ethiopia | |
Coordinates: 6°45′N 38°25′E / 6.750°N 38.417°ECoordinates: 6°45′N 38°25′E / 6.750°N 38.417°E | |
Country | Ethiopia |
Region | Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' |
Zone | Sidama |
Elevation | 1,776 m (5,827 ft) |
Population (2005) | |
• Total | 43,815 |
Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Climate | Aw |
Irgalem (Amharic: ይርጋለም?; also spelled Yrgalam, Yrgalem and Yrga Alem; alternate names include Abosto, Dalle) is a town in southern Ethiopia. Located 260 kilometers south of Addis Ababa and 40 kilometers south of Awasa in the Sidama Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (or kilil), the town has a latitude and longitude of 6°45′N 38°25′E / 6.750°N 38.417°E and an elevation of 1776 meters. It is the largest settlement in Dale woreda.
Postal service is provided by a main branch; electricity and telephone service are also available.
Irgalem was occupied by the Italians 1 December 1936 during their campaign against the remaining Ethiopian Army of Sidamo under Ras Desta Damtew. The town was capital of Sidamo Province until after the 1975 takeover by the Derge regime, when it was moved to Awassa.
Around 1957 there was no telephone landline connecting Irgalem; telecommunications were provided by a radio station. The next year, the town was one of 27 places in Ethiopia ranked as First Class Township. Installation of the landline between Irgalem and Addis Ababa was completed in late 1960. By that time a branch of the Ethiopian Electric Light and Power Authority had started operation at Irgalem.