Kemise

Kemise
Some shops in Kemise, opposite the bus terminal
Kemise Location within Ethiopia
Coordinates: 10°43′N 39°52′E
Country	Ethiopia
Region	Amhara
Zone	Oromia Zone
Elevation	1,424 m (4,672 ft)
Population (2005)
• Total	18,897
Time zone	EAT (UTC+3)

Kemise (also known as Kascim) is a town in northeastern Ethiopia. The administrative center of the Oromia Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of 10°43′N 39°52′E with an elevation of 1424 meters above sea level. It is the larger of two towns in Chefe Golana Dewerahmedo woreda.

Overview

Around Kemise are three villages with mosques, reachable only by footpaths: Dewe Rahmedo, about 20 kilometers from Kemise; Shonke, 23 kilometers away; and about 12 kilometers south of Kemise there is a footpath to the east, after another 5 kilometers arrives at Tiru Sina. There are allegedly Muslim monasteries for men and women around this town, with their members living in round huts distributed in the landscape, separated from each other in the same way as Christian monks and nuns.

On 19 January 2002 one person was killed during a clash between Muslims and Christians in Kemise. According to police reports, they arrested several persons for organizing the disruption or throwing rocks at the procession; however, all of those arrested subsequently were released. The person responsible for the death had not been identified by the year's end.

Demographics

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Kemise has an estimated total population of 18,897 of whom 10,151 are men and 8,746 are women. The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 10,822 of whom 5,341 were men and 5,481 women.