The city name Adama may have been derived from the Oromo word adaamii, which means a cactus or a cactus-like tree.[9] More specifically, adaamii means Euphorbia candelabrum,[10] a tree of the spurge family, while hadaamii would mean Indian fig.[11]
Following World War II, EmperorHaile Selassie renamed the town after Biblical Nazareth, and this name was used for the remainder of the twentieth century.[7] In 2000, the city officially reverted to its original Oromo name, Adama,[7][12] though Nazareth is still widely used.[13]
In 2000, the government moved the regional capital of Oromia from Addis Ababa to Adama,[7] sparking considerable controversy. Critics of the move believed that the Ethiopian government wished to deemphasize Addis Ababa's location within Oromia.[14][15] 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".[13]
Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this city has a total population of 220,212, an increase of 72.25% over the population recorded in the 1994 census, of whom 108,872 are men and 111,340 women. With an area of 29.86 square kilometers, Adama has a population density of 7,374.82; all are urban inhabitants. A total of 60,174 households were counted in this city, which results in an average of 3.66 persons to a household, and 59,431 housing units. The four largest ethnic groups reported in Adama were the Oromo (39.02%), the Amhara (34.53%), the Gurage (11.98%) and the Silte (5.02%); all other ethnic groups made up 9.45% of the population. Amharic was spoken as a first language by 59.25%, 26.25% spoke Oromo and 6.28% spoke Guragiegna; the remaining 8.22% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 63.62% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 24.7% of the population were Muslim, and 10.57% were Protestant.[1]
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.
^ abcdeLindahl, Bernhard (2005). "Naader - Neguz"(PDF). Nordic Africa Institute. pp. 8–13. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2011-07-03. Retrieved 2011-09-20. The name was changed from Adama (Hadama) to Nazret (Nazareth) a little before 1948. This belonged to a general pattern of introducing Christian names instead of traditional Oromo names.
^ abLindahl, Bernhard (2005). "Dil Amba - Djibiet"(PDF). Local History in Ethiopia. The Nordic Africa Institute. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2011-07-03. Retrieved 2011-09-20. The Franco-Ethiopian railway company in 1960-1963 carried out surveys for extending the railway with a 310 km line from Nazret to Dilla.
^Hameso, Seyoum and Tilahun Ayanou Nebo (2000). "Ethiopia: A New Start?". The Sidama Concern. Archived from the original on 23 February 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2006.
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