Delanta
Delanta (Amharic ደላንታ) is one of the woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Dälanta wäräda is located in the Amhara National Regional State of South Wällo Zone and pinned on 38⁰ 40’ 39” north and 11⁰ 20’ 11” east. One among 24 wäräda’s in the South Wällo Zone administration, Dälanta is touched between Wadla and Gubalafto wärädas to its north; Dawənt wäräda to its west; Tänta wäräda to its south; and Ambassäl to its east. Dälanta’s administrative center, Wägäl Țena, is 98 kilometers away from the zonal capital Däse town and 499 kilometers from the nation’s capital Addis Ababa. Wägäl Țena was established in 1891 during the zenith reign of Ras Wäle Bəțul- brother of Empress Țaytu. He was ruling Dälanta, Wadla, Dawunt, Mäqet and Yäğğu wärädas at his capital in Märțo town in Yäğğu, where his son Däğğazmać Amäde Wäle is recognized for its status as a political ownership. Successive descendants of Bəțul, a very powerful Yäğğu dynasty, had ruled Wadla and Dälanta; thus started the era of “Wadla Dälanta” axiom.[1]
Delanta ደላንታ | |
|---|---|
Flag | |
| Zone | Semien Wollo |
| Region | Amhara Region |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,056.95 km2 (408.09 sq mi) |
| Population (2012 est.) | |
| • Total | 138,779 |
Dälanta is situated in the northwest part of Wällo with an altitude ranges between 1700 meter above sea level in river valleys and 3500 meter above sea level at mountains.[2] As traveler Markham briefly explains what he observed during his journey in the year 1868, Dӓlanta is a flat plain, quite treeless, except the clumps around a few churches, and with a rich black soil several inches thick, save where the streams have worn it away and laid bare the pentagon-shaped tops of the basalt columns. From most points of view the scarped side of the Dawənt plateau and of the Žəṭṭa and Bäšlo ravines is just visible of the edges of the plain.[3]
The eastern part has been described as “a mass of columnar basalt between the rivers Žəṭṭa and Bäšlo, with its surface upwards of 9000 feet above the level of the sea. It is surrounded by the headwater tributaries of the Blue Nile such as Bäšlo River in the south and Žəṭṭa River, which separates the Wadla plateau from that of Dälanta, in the north. None of the rivers are used for irrigation.[4] This is due to the fact that, Dälanta is characterized by a land form of extensive plateaus, chains of hills with mountainous ridge, oval shape with dendritic drainage pattern, numerous hills at the plain area, river valleys and very deep gorges at the boundary. Dälanta plateau is surrounded by deep river valleys with very steep slopes in most parts.[5]
About two-third of the wäräda embracing altitudes range between 2100 to 3500 meter above sea level are highly populated. The remaining one-third of the area is located along the river valleys on the east, southeast, north and northwest escarpments. The topography of the highland plateaus mainly elevated above 3000m which dominated by hills. The wäräda was classified as mountainous consisted of 30%, plains 30%, 36.5% gorges and 3.5% other land features.[6]
The differences in temperature mainly between Dälanta plateau and its neighboring mainly Wadla is very observable, the former being warmer. This may probably be accounted for by the deep warm ravines of the Žəṭṭa and Bäšlo[7], which border Dälanta on either side, while the Wadla plateau only has the Žəṭṭa ravine on the one side.[8]
As the regions topography is varied, so its climate ranging from extremely cold/däga through temperate/wäyna däga to hot lowland/qolla areas ranging from an elevation of 1700 to 3600 meter above sea level. When considered in terms of agro-climatic zones, that are basically correlated with elevation, the wäräda falls under lowlands (qolla) good for țef, goats and vegetables; midlands (wäyna däga) good for wheat and oats; and highlands (däga) good for barley and sheep. Its climate is characterized by dry seasons i.e. October to February Cold-Dry and March to June Hot-Dry and wet season from mid-June to September.[9] The däga climate is made up of 26.4% or 25,872.53 hectares, wäyna däga covers 43.8% or 42,924 hectares and the qolla zone consisted of 29.8% or 29,204.59 hectares. From this the wäyna däga climatic zone covers the largest area in the wäräda.[10]
Areas which are extremely cold in the däga region are called “wurč” such as Angot, Ṩäḥay Mäwuča, and Ṭardat are found in this zone and in each year of the mäḵär season mainly in every October and November, experience crop failure due to extreme cold climate.[11] The peasants in these areas depend on “Bälg” rain which occurs between Mägabit (March) and Miyaziya (April). The cereal crops in the däga grow barley, wheat, oats, peas, horse beans, and lentils and the staple food is barley and horse beans. The only crop they cultivate during the minor rainy season is barley because it is cold resistant crop.[12]
The Wäyna Däga zone is part of the region which is neither very cold nor very hot. It comprises altitudes between 2400 to 3000 meters above sea level. Areas such as Yəlana Bätačə, Mähal Dälanta, Zəban Däga, and Čäwu Quțər are fall under this zone.[13] People living in this zone rely on both Bälg and Mäḵär seasons and they cultivate crops such as Țef (Eragrostistef), beans, peas, lentils and Gʷaya (Lathyrussativus) and Abəš (Trigonellafoenumgraecum).[14]
The Qolla zones have elevations below 2400 meters above sea level. Areas like Zəban Qolla, Asim Qolla, Ḫʷayt Mäsəqäl, Gošə Meda, Biwät Sələho, Wusțamba Tämbäko, Qəsat Qolla, Sälit Dəma, Țəqəšəñ and Țima. The people cultivated crops during the Säne - Häməle Mäḵär period such as sorghum.[15] In the small däga regions of Dälanta, ṭid/Juniper podocorpus, olive, acacia, etc trees are found while in the rest of the region as a whole the natural vegetation consists of thorn bushes, acacia and fig.[16]
[1]Dälanta Wäräda Trade and Investment Guide (DWTIG), October 2008, p. 5; Yä Dälanta wäräda yä 2008 Ἀmätawi yämäräğa mäșəḫét, p. 6.
[2]Institute of Ethiopian Studies Manuscript (IES MS), 3800, p. 1; Fasil Kebbede and Eyeberu Bekele, “Tillage Effect on Soil Moisture Storage and Wheat Yield on the Vertisols on North Central Highlands of Ethiopia,” Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management, Vol. 1, No.2, (June 2008), p.49.
[3]C.R. Markham, “Geographical Results of the Abyssinian Expedition,” The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol. 38 (1868), p. 44. See also, Donald Crummey, “Čӓčӓho and the Politics of the Northern Wӓllo-Bӓgémǝdǝr border,” Journal of Ethiopian Studies, Vol. 13, No.1, (January 1975), pp.2, 6.
[4]Ibid, p. 43.
[5]Ibid, p.47; IES: MS 3800, p. 1; Nahusenay A. and Kibebew K., “Land Suitability Evaluation in Wadla Delanta Massif of North Central Highlands of Ethiopia for Rainfed Crop Production,” African Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol. 10(13), 26 March 2015, p. 1597; Nahusenay A. and Tessfaye T. “Roles of Rural Women in Livelihood and Sustainable Food security in Ethiopia: A Case Study from Delanta Dawunt District, North Wollo Zone,” International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences. Vol. 4, No. 3, 2015, p. 347.; Nahusenay Abate and Kibebew Kibret, “Detecting and Quantifying Land Use/Land Cover Dynamics in Wadla Delanta Massif, North Central Highlands of Ethiopia,” Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management, Vol. 9, No. 4, 2016, p.454.
[6]IES: MS 3800, p. 2; Nahusenay and Kibebew, 2016, p.454; Dälanta Wäräda Agricultural Development Office (DWADO).
[7]IES: MS, 3800, p.1.
[8]Markham, 1868, p. 43.
[9]Nahusenay and Kibebew, 2015, p. 1597; Yä Dälanta wäräda yä 2008 Ἀmätawi yämäräğa mäșəḫet, p.6; DWADO.
[10]IES: MS, 3800, p. 2;Yä Dälanta wäräda yä 2008 Ἀmätawi yämäräğa mäșəḫét, p. 6; DWADO.
[11]Nahusenay and Kibebew, 2015, p. 1597; Israel Arage, “A History of Wadla Dälanta Awrajja (1855-1974),” (MA Thesis: Addis Ababa University, June 2011), pp. 3-4.
[12]Ibid; IES: MS, 3800, p.2.
[13] Israel, p. 4.
[14]Ibid.
[15]Ibid.
[16]DWADO.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 127,771, of whom 63,747 are men and 64,024 women; 7,850 or 6.14% are urban inhabitants. The majority of the inhabitants practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 90.78% reporting that as their religion, while 9.21% of the population said they were Muslim.[2]
Notes
- ^ a b Geohive: Ethiopia 2012-08-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Census 2007 Tables: Amhara Region November 14, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Tables 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 3.1, 3.2 and 3.4.