Jinka is a market town

Market town

Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...

 in southern Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

. Located in the hills north of the Tama Plains, this town is the capital of the Debub Omo Zone

Debub Omo Zone

Debub Omo is a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region . Debub Omo is bordered on the south by Kenya, on the southwest by the Ilemi Triangle, on the west by Bench Maji, on the northwest by Keficho Shekicho, on the north by Semien Omo, on the northeast by the...

 of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region and Bako Gazer

Bako Gazer

Bako Gazer is one of the 79 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Omo Zone, Bako Gazer is bordered on the south by Hamer Bena, on the west by the Mago River which separates it from Selamago, and on the north by the Basketo special woreda,...

 woreda

Woreda

Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...

. Jinka has a latitude and longitude of 5°47′N 36°34′E and an elevation of 1490 meters above sea level. It is one of three towns in Bako Gazer

Bako Gazer

Bako Gazer is one of the 79 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Omo Zone, Bako Gazer is bordered on the south by Hamer Bena, on the west by the Mago River which separates it from Selamago, and on the north by the Basketo special woreda,...

 woreda

Woreda

Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...

.

Overview

Jinka is home to the German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

-funded South-Omo Museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

 and Research Center, and an airstrip

Baco Airport

Baco Airport is an airport near both Baco and Jinka, Ethiopia .-References:...

 (IATA code BCO). Postal service is provided by a main branch; electricity and telephone service are also available. Its market day is Saturday. The Mago National Park

Mago National Park

Mago National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region about 782 kilometers south of Addis Ababa and north of a large 90° bend in the Omo River, the 2162 square kilometers of this park are divided by the Mago River, a...

, 40 kilometers south by unpaved road, is a nearby attraction.

The local clinic was reported in 1996 to be in the process of upgrading to hospital status, which would become the first in the Zone. According to the SNNPR's Bureau of Finance and Economic Development, Jinka's amenities include digital telephone access, postal service, electricity provided by a diesel generator, a bank and a hospital. Jinka increased its electrical service from 16 to 24 hours a day in May 2009 when the town obtained additional generators.

Demographics

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency

Central Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)

The Central Statistical Agency is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. It is part of the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and...

 in 2005, Jinka has an estimated total population of 22,475 of whom 11,774 are men and 10,701 are women. Previous population figures vary: the 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 12,407 of whom 6,519 were men and 5,888 were women; another source states in 1993 there were a total of 9,520 inhabitants.