Amhara Region

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Amhara Region

Amhara (Amharic:???) is one of the nine ethnic divisions
Regions of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is divided into 9 ethnically-based administrative regions and three chartered cities . The word "kilil" more specifically means "reservation" or "protected area" and the ethnicity basis of the regions and choice of the word "kilil" has drawn fierce criticism from Politics of Ethiopia, who have drawn comparisons to the bantustans of...
(kililoch) of Ethiopia
Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast....
, containing the homeland of the Amhara people
Amhara people

Amhara is an ethnic group in the central highlands of Ethiopia. Numbering about 19.8 million people, it comprises 26 percent of the country's population, according to the most recent census ....
. Previously known as Region 3, its capital is Bahir Dar

Bahir Dar

Bahir Dar is a city in north western Ethiopia, and the capital of the Amhara Region .Administratively, Bahir Dar is considered a Special Zone, placing it midway between Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa which are organized as chartered cities , and cities like Mek'ele and Dessie, which are organized as woredas....
.

Ethiopia's largest inland body of water, Lake Tana

Lake Tana

Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile and is the largest lake in Ethiopia. Located in the north-western Ethiopian highlands, according to the Statistical Abstract of Ethiopia for 1967/68, the lake is approximately 84 kilometers long and 66 kilometers wide, with a maximum depth of 15 meters, and an elevation of 1,840 meters....
, is located in Amhara, as well as the Semien Mountains National Park

Semien Mountains National Park

Simien Mountains National Park is one of the National parks in Ethiopia of Ethiopia. Located in the Simien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, its territory covers the Simien Mountains and includes Ras Dashan, the highest point in Ethiopia....
, which includes the highest point in Ethiopia, Ras Dashan.

During Ethiopia's imperial era, Amhara was divided into several provinces (such as Gondar

Gondar

Gondar or Gonder is a city in Ethiopia, which was once the old imperial capital and capital of the historic Begemder province. As a result, the old province of Begemder is sometimes referred to as Gondar....
, Gojjam

Gojjam

Gojjam was a province in the north-western part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Debre Marqos. This province is distinctive for lying entirely within the bend of the Abbay River from its outflow from Lake Tana to the Sudanese border....
, Begemder

Begemder

Begemder was a province in the northwestern part of Ethiopia. There are several proposed etymologies for this name. One is that it came from Bega plus meder , as an inscription of Emperor of Ethiopia Ezana of Kingdom of Aksum describes his movement of 4400 conquered Beja to a not yet located province named Matlia....
and Lasta), most of which were ruled by native Ras or Negus

Negus

Negus is a title in Ge'ez language, Tigrinya, Tigre and Amharic language, used for a king and at times also a vassal ruler in pre-1974 Ethiopia and pre-1890 Eritrea....
.

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Bahir Dar

Lake Tana

Semien Mountains National Park

Gondar

Gojjam

Begemder

Negus

Negus is a title in Ge'ez language, Tigrinya, Tigre and Amharic language, used for a king and at times also a vassal ruler in pre-1974 Ethiopia and pre-1890 Eritrea....
. The Amhara Region incorporated most of the former provinces of Begemder

Begemder

Gojjam

Wollo

Wollo was a historical region and province in the northeastern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Dessie. The province was named after the Wollo Oromo, who settled in this part of Ethiopia in the 17th century....
in 1995.

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by 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....
of Ethiopia (CSA), the Amhara Region has a population of 17,214,056 of whom 8,636,875 were men and 8,577,181 women; urban inhabitants number 2,112,220 or 12.27% of the population. With an estimated area of 159,173.66 square kilometers, this region has an estimated density of 108.15 people per square kilometer. For the entire Region 3,953,115 households were counted, which results in an average for the Region of 4.3 persons to a household, with urban households having on average 3.3 and rural households 4.5 people. The majority of the population is Amhara, which is estimated to be 91.48%; other groups include the Agaw

Agaw

The Agaw are a people of Ethiopia. They are primarily bilingual, speaking both Agaw languages , as well as Amharic language, Tigrinya language or Tigre language....
/Awi (3.46%), Oromo (2.62%), Agaw

Agaw

The Agaw are a people of Ethiopia. They are primarily bilingual, speaking both Agaw languages , as well as Amharic language, Tigrinya language or Tigre language....
/Kamyr (1.39%), and Argobba (0.41%). Of the total population of the Region, 82.5% were Orthodox Christians, 17.2% Muslim

Islam in Ethiopia

According to the latest 1994 national census, Islam is the second most widely practiced religion in Ethiopia after Christianity, with over 25 million of Ethiopians adhering to Islam according to the 2007 national census, having arrived in Ethiopia in 615 ....
, 0.2% Protestants

P'ent'ay

P'ent'ay or Pentay is a slang term widely used in modern Ethiopia, and among Ethiopians living abroad, to describe Ethiopian Christianity who are not members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Ethiopian Orthodox Tehadeso Church, Roman Catholicism in Ethiopia or Ethiopian Catholic Church churches....
and 0.1% all others.

In the previous census, conducted 1994, the Region's population was reported to be 13,834,297 of whom 6,947,546 were men and 6,886,751 women; urban inhabitants numbered 1,265,315 or 9.15% of the population. The majority of the population was Amhara, which was 91.2% of the inhabitants; other groups include the Oromo (3%), Agaw/Awi (2.7%), Qemant

Qemant

The Qemant are a small ethnic group in Ethiopia, who, despite their close historical and ethnic relationship, should not be confused with the Beta Israel....
(1.2%), and Agaw/Kamyr (1%). Of the total population of the Region, 81.5% were Orthodox Christians, 18.1% Muslim, and 0.1% Protestants.

According to the CSA, , 28% of the total population had access to safe drinking water

Water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia

}}||}}}}|-!align="center" bgcolor="lightblue" colspan="3"|Data|-!align="left" valign="top"|Water coverage ...
, of whom 19.89% were rural inhabitants and 91.8% were urban. Values for other reported common indicators of the standard of living

Standard of living

The standard of living refers to the quality and quantity of goods and services available to people, and the way these goods and services are distributed within a population....
for Amhara include the following: 17.5% of the inhabitants fall into the lowest wealth quintile; adult literacy for men is 54% and for women 25.1%; and the Regional infant mortality rate is 94 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, which is greater than the nationwide average of 77; at least half of these deaths occurred in the infants’ first month of life.

Agriculture

The CSA of Ethiopia estimated in 2005 that farmers in Amhara had a total of 9,694,800 head of cattle (representing 25% of Ethiopia's total cattle), 6,390,800 sheep (36.7%), 4,101,770 goats (31.6%), 257,320 horses (17%), 8,900 mules (6%), 1,400,030 asses (55.9%), 14,270 camels (3.12%), 8,442,240 poultry of all species (27.3%), and 919,450 beehives (21.1%).

Presidents of the Executive Committee

Addisu Legesse (ANDM/EPRDF
Amhara National Democratic Movement

The Amhara National Democratic Movement is a political party in Ethiopia.At the last legislative Ethiopian general elections, 2005, 15 May 2005, the party was part of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, that won 327 out of 527 seats....
) 1992 - Oct 2000
Yoseph Reta (b. 1956) (ANDM/EPRDF) Oct 2000 - 5 Oct 2005
Ayalew Gobeze (ANDM/EPRDF) 5 Oct 2005 - present

(This list is based on information from .)

Zones

Agew Awi
Agew Awi Zone

Agew Awi is one of 10 Zones in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Agew Awi is named for the Awi sub-group of the Agaw people, some of whom live in this Zone....
Bahir Dar
Bahir Dar

Bahir Dar is a city in north western Ethiopia, and the capital of the Amhara Region .Administratively, Bahir Dar is considered a Special Zone, placing it midway between Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa which are organized as chartered cities , and cities like Mek'ele and Dessie, which are organized as woredas....
(a special zone)
Debub (South) Gondar
Debub Gondar Zone

Debub Gondar is a Zone in the Ethiopian Amhara Region. This zone is named for the city of Gondar, which was the capital of Ethiopia until the mid-19th century, and has often been used as a name for the local province....
Debub (South) Wollo
Debub Wollo Zone

Debub Wollo is one of 10 Zones in the Ethiopian Amhara Region. Debub Wollo acquired its name from the former province of Wollo.Debub Wollo is bordered on the south by Semien Shewa Zone and the Oromia Region, on the west by Mirab Gojjam Zone, on the northwest by Debub Gondar Zone, on the north by Semien Wollo Zone and on the east by the Or...
Mirab (West) Gojjam
Mirab Gojjam Zone

Mirab Gojjam is a Zone in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Mirab Gojjam is named after the former province of Gojjam.Mirab Gojjam is bordered on the south by the Abay River which separates it from the Oromia Region, on the west by Agew Awi Zone, on the northwest by Semien Gondar Zone, on the north by Lake Tana, on the northeast by Bahir Dar...
Misraq (East) Gojjam
Misraq Gojjam Zone

Misraq Gojjam is a Zone in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Misraq Gojjam is named after the former province of Gojjam.Misraq Gojjam is bordered on the south by the Oromia Region, on the west by Mirab Gojjam Zone, on the north by Debub Gondar Zone, and on the east by Debub Wollo Zone; the bend of the Abay River defines the Zone's northern, e...
Oromia
Oromia Zone

Oromia is one of 10 Zones in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Oromia is named for the Oromo people, who settled along the edge of the Ethiopian highlands that form this Zone....
Semien (North) Gondar
Semien Gondar Zone

Semien Gondar is a Zone in the Ethiopian Amhara Region. This Zone is named for the city of Gondar, the capital of Ethiopia until the mid-19th century, which has often been used as a name for the 20th century province of Begemder....
Semien (North) Shewa
Semien (North) Wollo
Semien Wollo Zone

Semien Wollo is a Zone in the Ethiopian Amhara Region. Semien Wollo acquired its name from the former province of Wollo.Semien Wello is bordered on the south by Debub Wollo Zone, on the west by Debub Gondar Zone, on the north by Wag Hemra Zone, and on the northeast and east by the Afar Region....
Wag Hemra
Wag Hemra Zone

Wag Hemra is a Zone in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Wag Hemra is bordered on the south by Semien Wollo Zone, on the southwest by Debub Gondar Zone, on the west by Semen Gondar Zone, on the north and east by the Tigray Region....

External links

(PDF
Portable Document Format

Portable Document Format is a file format created by Adobe Systems in 1993 for document exchange. PDF is used for representing two-dimensional documents in a manner independent of the application software, hardware, and operating system....
file)
(PDF file)

Amhara Region

Demographics

Agriculture

Presidents of the Executive Committee

Zones

See also

External links