{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Short description|Regional state in northern Ethiopia}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Amhara Region | native_name = አማራ ክልል | native_name_lang = | settlement_type = [[Regions of Ethiopia|Regional state]] | image_skyline = {{multiple image |perrow = 1/2/2/2 |border = infobox |total_width = 300 |caption_align = center |image1 = Ethiopia - sunset at Church of Saint George, Lalibela 01.jpg |caption1 = [[Church of Saint George, Lalibela]] |image2 = Simien Mountains, Kingdom Of Gondar (6181895150).jpg |caption2 = [[Simien Mountains]] |image3 = Fasil Ghebbi IV (23869587160).jpg |caption3 = [[Fasil Ghebbi]] |image4 = Lake Tana, Ethiopia (51643739421).jpg |caption4 = [[Lake Tana]] |image5 = ET Bahir Dar asv2018-02 img17 Tis Issat.jpg |caption5 = [[Blue Nile Falls]] |image6 = ET Amhara asv2018-02 img097 Lake Tana at Bahir Dar.jpg |caption6 = [[Ura Kidane Mehret]] |image7 = Amhara Village, Ethiopia.jpg |caption7 = Amhara Village }} | image_alt = | image_caption = | image_flag = Flag of the Amhara Region.svg | flag_alt = | image_seal = Amhara Region emblem.png | seal_alt = | image_shield = | shield_alt = | nickname = | motto = | image_map = Amhara in Ethiopia.svg | map_alt = | map_caption = Map of [[Ethiopia]] showing the Amhara Region | pushpin_map = | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = | coordinates = {{coord|11.6608|N|37.9578|E|source:kolossus-nlwiki|format=dms|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = [[Ethiopia]] | subdivision_type1 = | subdivision_type2 = | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name1 = | subdivision_name2 = | subdivision_name3 = | established_title = | established_date = 1999 | founder = <!-- seat, smaller parts -------> | seat_type = Capital | seat = [[Bahir Dar]] | parts_type = <!-- defaults to: Boroughs --> | parts_style = | parts = <!-- parts text, or header for parts list --> | p1 = | government_footnotes = | leader_party = | leader_title = [[List of governors of the Regions of Ethiopia|Chief Administrator]] | leader_name = [[Arega Kebede]] | unit_pref = Metric | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 194,708.96 | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | area_water_percent = | area_rank = 3rd | area_note = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | population_total = 23,879,000 | population_as_of = 2025<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ess.gov.et/download/projected-population-of-ethiopia-2025/|title=Projected Population of Ethiopia 2025|publisher=Ethiopian Statistical Service|access-date=January 6, 2026}}</ref> | population_footnotes = | population_density_km2 = auto | population_rank = [[Regions_of_Ethiopia|2nd in Ethiopia]] | population_demonym = [[Amharas]] | population_note = | timezone1 = | utc_offset1 = | timezone1_DST = | utc_offset1_DST = | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code = | area_code_type = | iso_code = [[ISO 3166-2:ET|ET-AM]] | blank_name_sec1 = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2021) | blank_info_sec1 = 0.477<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=13 September 2018}}</ref><br/>{{color|#900|low}} · [[List of Ethiopian regions by Human Development Index|9th of 11]] | demographics_type1 = Demographics | demographics1_title1 = Official language | demographics1_title2 = Other languages and ethnicities | demographics1_info1 = [[Amharic language|Amharic]] | demographics1_info2 = [[Awi people|Awi Agaw]], [[Argobba people|Argobba]], [[Qemant]],[[Oromo people|Oromo ]] | website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> | footnotes = | official_name = Amhara National Regional State | flag_size = 120px | seal_size = 80px }}
The '''Amhara Region''' ({{langx|am|አማራ ክልል|Åmara Kilil}}), officially the '''Amhara National Regional State''' ({{Langx|am|የአማራ ብሔራዊ ክልላዊ መንግሥት|yeämara bıħérawi kılılawi mengıct}}),<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 March 2022 |title=Amhara Regional State |url=https://www.ethiopia.gov.et/regional-states/amhara-regional-state/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613231312/http://www.ethiopia.gov.et/regional-states/amhara-regional-state/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 June 2021 }}</ref> is a [[Regions of Ethiopia|regional state]] in northern [[Ethiopia]] and the homeland of the [[Amhara people|Amhara]], [[Awi people|Awi]], [[Argobba people|Argobba]], and [[Qemant people |Qemant]] people. Its capital is [[Bahir Dar]] which is the seat of the [[Government of Amhara Region|Regional Government of Amhara]]. Amhara is the site of the largest inland body of water in Ethiopia, [[Lake Tana]] (which is the source of the [[Blue Nile]]), [[Grand Renaissance Dam]] and [[Semien Mountains National Park]] (which includes [[Ras Dashan]], the highest point in Ethiopia). Amhara is bordered by [[Sudan]] to the west and northwest and by these regions of Ethiopia: [[Tigray]] to the north, [[Afar Region|Afar]] to the east, [[Benishangul-Gumuz Region|Benishangul-Gumuz]] to southwest, and [[Oromia]] to the south. Towns and cities in Amhara include: [[Dessie]], [[Gondar|Gonder]], [[Debre Birhan]], [[Debre Tabor]], [[Kombolcha]], [[Weldiya]], [[Debre Markos]], [[Soqota|Seqota]], [[Kobo, Ethiopia|Kobo]], and [[Metemma|Metema]].{{cn|date=February 2025}} The Region's name is said to mean “noble” or “highland”.<ref name="Ad01">{{Cite book |last=Room |first=Adrian |url=http://archive.org/details/africanplacename0000room |title=African placenames : origins and meanings of the names for natural features, towns, cities, provinces, and counties |date=2008 |publisher=Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co. |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-7864-3546-3 |pages=22}}</ref>
== History == During the [[Ethiopian Empire]], Amhara included several provinces (such as [[Bete Amhara]], [[Gojjam]], [[Gonder]], [[Angot]], [[Dembiya]], Bezemo, [[Shewa]] and [[Lasta Province|Lasta]]), most of which were ruled by native [[Ras (title)|Ras]] or [[Negus]]. The current Amhara region corresponds to often large parts of the former provinces of [[Begemder]], [[Dembiya]], [[Angot]], [[Bete Amhara]],[[Bezemo]], [[Gojjam]] and [[Shewa]].<ref name="blackhurst427">{{Cite journal|last=Blackhurst|first=Hector|date=October 1974|title=Church and State in Ethiopia, 1270–1527. By Taddesse Tamrat. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972. Pp. xv + 327, bibl., ill., maps. £5·50.|journal=Africa|volume=44|issue=4|pages=427–428|doi=10.2307/1159069|jstor=1159069|s2cid=146979138|issn=0001-9720}}</ref> With the rise of the [[Solomonic dynasty|Solomonic Dynasty]] in 1270 under Emperor [[Yekuno Amlak]] in Bete Amhara near town [[Dessie]] around [[Lake Hayk]] (born in the [[Magdala (woreda)|Maqdalla]] region) and until the establishment of [[Gondar]] as the new imperial capital around 1600, the Debre-Birhan to Mekane-Selassie region was the primary seat of the roving [[Wollo Province|Wolloye]]-[[Shewa]]n emperors. This period is most significant in the formation of the medieval Ethiopian state, the spread and consolidation of [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity]] (following the example set by the [[Zagwe]] kings in preserving the [[Kingdom of Aksum|Axumite]] heritage) and propagating to the core provinces (besides [[Tigray Province|Tigray]]/[[Eritrea]], and [[Lasta]]) of [[Bete Amhara]], [[Gojjam]], [[Begemder]], northern [[North Shewa Zone (Amhara)|Shewa]], [[Gafat language|Gafat]], and [[Kingdom of Damot|Damot]].<ref name="blackhurst427"/>
The region's recorded history, in fact, goes back to the early 13th century. For example, St. George's Church in the town of Woreilu (whose Tabot is reputed to have been carried by [[Menelik II|Emperor Menelik]] at the [[Battle of Adwa]]) was established around 1200.
The parish of Mekane Selassie (መካነ ሥላሴ), near Neded and the home of the cathedral by the same name, served as a favourite royal playground. The construction of Mekane Selassie (meaning: the abode of the Trinity) was begun by [[Na'od|Emperor Naod]] (1494-1508) and completed by his son Emperor [[Dawit II|Lebna Dengel]]. This was a year before the church (along with a large number of monasteries in the region) was sacked and burned down in 1531 by the invasion led by [[Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi|Ahmad bin Ibrahim]]. Francisco Alvarez, who had earlier visited the church, confirms that its size was some 150 feet by 150 feet — wholly covered in gold leaf, inlaid with gems, pearls and corals.<ref>{{Cite book|date=15 May 2017|editor-last=Beckingham|editor-first=C.F.|editor2-last=Huntingford|editor2-first=G.W.B.|title=The Prester John of the Indies|doi=10.4324/9781315554013|isbn=9781315554013}}</ref>
=== 21st century === After the social movements of 2014–2017, [[Amhara nationalism]] developed strongly in the region, with a discourse that includes both issues of power balance between elites and territorial claims. Several local politicians, such as Dejene Maru backed by General [[Asaminew Tsige]], were able to control armed factions.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=17 November 2020|editor-last=Labzaé|editor-first=Mehdi|title=" Tedjemerwal " : ressorts sociaux, enjeux matériels et significations locales d'une entrée en guerre|url=https://polaf.hypotheses.org/7196 |journal=[[Politique Africaine]]|doi=10.58079/sxx5 |last1=Mehdi Labzaé }}</ref>
On 22 June 2019, factions of the security forces of the region attempted a [[2019 Amhara region coup d'état attempt|coup d'état]] against the regional government, during which the President of the Amhara region, [[Ambachew Mekonnen]], was assassinated.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.ethiopiaobserver.com/2019/06/23/president-of-the-amhara-region-killed-regional-media/|title=President of the Amhara region killed|date=23 June 2019|work=Ethiopia Observer|access-date=24 June 2019}}</ref> A bodyguard siding with the nationalist factions assassinated General [[Se'are Mekonnen]] – the [[Chief of General Staff (Ethiopia)|Chief of the General Staff]] of the [[Ethiopian National Defense Force]] – as well as his aide, Major General Gizae Aberra.<ref name=":0" /> The Prime Minister's Office accused Brigadier General Asaminew Tsige, head of the Amhara region security forces, of leading the plot,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/06/23/735236160/ethiopia-army-chief-killed-in-attempted-coup-government-says|title=Ethiopia Army Chief Killed In Attempted Coup, Government Says|last=Ingber|first=Sasha|date=23 June 2019|work=NPR|access-date=24 June 2019}}</ref> and Tsige was shot dead by police near Bahir Dar on 24 June.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/africa/1561381510-ethiopian-coup-mastermind-shot-dead-after-36-hour-manhunt|title=Alleged Ethiopian coup mastermind shot dead after 36-hour manhunt|date=24 June 2019|work=i24 news|access-date=24 June 2019}}</ref>
In April 2023, a strife occurred between the [[Ethiopian Regional Special Forces|regional special forces]] of [[Government of Ethiopia|federal government]] and Fano militia units, advancing to large scale protests in [[Gondar]], [[Kobo, Ethiopia|Kobo]], [[Soqota|Seqota]], [[Weldiya]] on 9 April. Further insurgency was escalated between the two belligerents, resulted in [[War in Amhara]]. Since August 2023, [[Fano (militia)|Fano]] militants and [[Ethiopian National Defense Force|ENDF]] troops intermittently controlled most part of the region, leading to major human rights violations and subsequent [[2023 Ethiopian state of emergency|state of emergency]]. Since the outbreak of the war, the region experienced internal displacements, extrajudicial killings and extensive property damages.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ford |first=Neil |date=2023-05-05 |title=Ethiopia: Crackdown in Amhara risks escalating conflict |url=https://newafricanmagazine.com/29560/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=New African Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref> According to the [[Ethiopian Human Rights Commission]] (EHRC) reports, 45 civilians were killed in Amhara region by security forces for allegedly supporting Fano in late January 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ethiopian forces killed 'at least 45 citizens' in Amhara, rights body says |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/13/ethiopian-forces-killed-at-least-45-citizens-in-amhara-rights-body-says |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref>
== Geography == === Semien Mountains === ===Water flow=== The Amhara region is home to five lakes: [[Lake Tana]], [[Lake Hayq]], [[Lake Ardibbo]], [[Lake Zengena]] and Lake Tirba. [[File:Bahir Dar (6821421459).jpg|thumb|211x211px|Amhara man riding a boat on the shores of Lake Tana]] [[File:Blue Nile Falls Ethiopia II.jpg|thumb|The [[Blue Nile Falls]] near [[Bahir Dar]]]]
According to the Ethiopian government website, the Amhara Highlands receive 80% of [[Ethiopia]]’s total annual rainfall and are the country's most fertile and climatically hospitable region.<ref>The Amhara National Regional State – Ethiopian Government Portal. 2017. [Online] Available at http://www.ethiopia.gov.et/stateamhara {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202134803/http://www.ethiopia.gov.et/stateamhara |date=2 February 2017 }}. [Accessed 30 January 2017].</ref> [[Lake Tana]], in the Amhara Region, is the source of the [[Blue Nile]]—at [[Bahir Dar]]. When the Blue Nile's flow is at maximum volume (during the rainy season from June to September), it supplies about two-thirds of the water of the Nile proper. Until the completion of the [[Aswan High Dam]] in 1970, the Blue Nile and the [[Atbara River]] contributed to the annual flooding of the Nile, depositing fertile silt across the Nile Valley. ==== Blue Nile ==== ==== Lake Tana ==== Lake Tana contains several islands, whose numbers vary depending on the water level in the lake. (Over the last 400 years, that level has fallen about {{convert|2|m|ft}}.) In the early 17th century, according to a contemporaneous report by [[Manoel de Almeida]], a [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] [[missionary]], there were 21 islands, which he described as "formerly large, but now much diminished,” and seven or eight of them had [[monasteries]] on them.<ref name="Beckham"/> In the late 18th century, [[James Bruce]] visited the area and noted that, though the locals reported that there were 45 inhabited islands, he believed that "the number may be about eleven."<ref name="Beckham"/> A mid-twentieth-century account reported 37 islands and said that 19 of them were the current or former sites of either monasteries or churches.<ref name="Beckham">C.F. Beckham and G.W.B. Huntingford, ''Some Records of Ethiopia, 1593-1646'', (series 2, no. 107; London: [[Hakluyt Society]], 1954), p. 35 and note.</ref>
[[File:SemienWaterfall.jpg|thumb|right|Jin Bahir Falls in the [[Semien Mountains]]]]
The lake islands were the home of ancient Ethiopian emperors. Treasures of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Church]] are kept in the isolated island monasteries (including Kebran Gabriel, [[Ura Kidane Mehret]], Narga Selassie, [[Daga Estifanos]], Medhane Alem of [[Rema Island|Rema]], Kota Maryam and Mertola Maryam). The body of [[Yekuno Amlak]] is interred in the monastery of St. Stephen on [[Daga Island]]; other Emperors whose tombs are on Daga include [[Dawit I of Ethiopia|Dawit I]], [[Zara Yaqob]], [[Za Dengel]], and [[Fasilides of Ethiopia|Fasilides]]. Other important islands in Lake Tana include [[Dek Island|Dek]], [[Mitraha Island|Mitraha]], [[Gelila Zakarias]], [[Halimun]], and [[Briguida]].
In the late 20th century, the scholar [[Paul B. Henze]] reported being shown a rock on the island of [[Tana Qirqos]] and being told it was where the [[Mary, the mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary]] had rested during her journey back from [[Egypt]]. He was also told that [[Saint Frumentius]], the bishop known for introducing [[Christianity]] to Ethiopia, was "allegedly buried on Tana Cherqos."<ref>Paul B. Henze, ''Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia'' (New York: Palgrave, 2000), p.73</ref>
==Landmarks== [[File:Bete Giyorgis Lalibela Ethiopia.jpg|thumb|Bete Giyorgis, one of the churches in [[Lalibela]]]] {{See also|Alatash National Park}} [[File:Semien Mountains10.jpg|thumb|Semien Mountains in North Gonder]] The Amhara region has the most world heritage sites of any region in Ethiopia and is endowed with natural and geographic wonders and ecosystems. The region contains Ethiopia's largest inland body of water [[Lake Tana]], which is the source of the [[Blue Nile]] river. In 2015 Lake Tana was recognized as a [[UNESCO Biosphere Reserve]] for its enormous biodiversity, and national and international importance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.unesco.org/biosphere/africa/lake-tana|title=Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve, Ethiopia|date=22 October 2018}}</ref> The [[Semien Mountains National Park]] has been designated as one of the first natural [[World Heritage Site]] by [[UNESCO]] in the world, and the very first in Africa in the ''natural'' criteria since 1978.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.simienmountains.org/the-park/world-heritage-site#:~:text=In+1978+Simien+Mountains+National,precipices+dropping+some+1,500+m|title=Simien Mountains | World Heritage Site|website=www.simienmountains.org|accessdate=28 March 2022}}</ref> Chosen for its spectacular landscapes and global significance for biodiversity conservation. Situated within the [[Semien Mountains]], Ethiopia's highest peaks [[Ras Dashen]] reaches an elevation of ({{convert|4,543|m|ft|abbr=on}}).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Ras-Dejen|title=Mount Ras Dejen | mountain, Ethiopia | Britannica|website=www.britannica.com|accessdate=28 March 2022}}</ref> The park also has Ethiopia's second and third highest mountains, [[Kidis Yared]] ({{convert|4,453|m|ft|abbr=on}}) and [[Mount Bwahit]] ({{convert|4,437|m|ft|abbr=on}}). The park is home to endangered species found nowhere else in the world,<ref name="whc.unesco.org">{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/9/|title=Simien National Park|first=UNESCO World Heritage|last=Centre|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|accessdate=28 March 2022}}</ref> examples of [[Endemic species|endemic]] fauna include the iconic [[walia ibex]], the [[gelada baboon]], and the [[Ethiopian wolf]] (or Simien fox) among others. The wide range of altitudes has given the country a variety of ecologically distinct areas, leading to the evolution of endemic species in ecological isolation.<ref name="whc.unesco.org"/> [[File:ET Gondar 0204 020 (17223516606).jpg|thumb|Fasil Ghebbi in Gondar City]] Amhara region also leads in cultural world heritage sites in Ethiopia, with the Rock Hewn Churches of [[Lalibela]] jointly added with Senegal's [[Gorée]] island as Africa's first [[World Heritage Sites|World Heritage site]] by [[Unesco]] in the ''cultural'' criteria in 1978. Lalibela and its medieval [[monolith]]ic churches attracts by far the most number of pilgrims annually of any religious site in Ethiopia. The '''New Jerusalem''' was built in response to [[History of Jerusalem|the capture of old Jerusalem]] by Muslim forces during the [[Siege of Jerusalem (1187)]], after which Muslims denied Ethiopian Christians pilgrimages to the Holy land.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/18/|title=Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela|first=UNESCO World Heritage|last=Centre|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|accessdate=28 March 2022}}</ref> [[Unesco]] also added [[Fasil Ghebbi]] in 1979 as a cultural [[World Heritage Site]]. The ''Royal Enclosure'' of [[Fasil Ghebbi]] was the seat of the Ethiopian Emperors in [[Gondar]] the royal capital for more than two centuries(1636 to 1864 AD). The Fasil Ghebbi consist of some twenty palaces, royal buildings, the royal library, a [[Chancery (medieval office)|chancellery]], a banqueting hall, stables for the horses, highly decorated churches, monasteries and unique public and private buildings that was built during the reign of several emperors in the Gondarine period. The complex covers an area of 70 square kilometers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/19/|title = Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region}}</ref>
==Demographics== [[File:Three_girls_in_netela.jpg|thumb|Netela (white head covering) worn by three Amhara girls. The Amharas live in Amhara Region]]
Based on the 2007 census conducted by the [[Central Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)|Central Statistical Agency]] of Ethiopia (CSA), the Amhara region has a population of 17,221,976. 8,641,580 were men and 8,580,396 women; urban inhabitants number 2,112,595 or 12.27% of the population. With an estimated area of {{convert|154,708.96|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, this region has an estimated density of 108.2 people per square kilometer. For the entire region, 3,983,768 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.<ref name="csa">[http://www.csa.gov.et/index.php?option=com_rubberdoc&view=doc&id=266&format=raw&Itemid=521 Census 2007 Tables: Amhara Region] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114004005/http://www.csa.gov.et/index.php?option=com_rubberdoc&view=doc&id=266&format=raw&Itemid=521|date=14 November 2010}}, Tables 2.1, 2.5, 3.1, 3.2, 3.4.</ref> The projected population as of 2022 was 32,134,988.<ref name=CSApop>{{cite book |title=Population Projection of Ethiopia for All Regions At Wereda Level from 2014 – 2017 |publisher=Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Central Statistical Agency |url=http://www.csa.gov.et/ehioinfo-internal |access-date=4 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180606103106/http://www.csa.gov.et/ehioinfo-internal |archive-date=6 June 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[File:Scenes from Bahir Dar, Ethiopia (2209374009).jpg|left|thumb|Street in Bahir Dar City]] [[File:Gondar piazza.jpg|thumb|236x236px|Gondar piazza]] In the previous census, conducted in 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.
According to the CSA, {{as of|2004|lc=on}}, 28% of the total population had access to [[Water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia|safe drinking water]], including 19.89% of rural inhabitants and 91.8% of urban inhabitants.<ref>[http://www.csa.gov.et/pdf/Basic_welfare_Indicator/Households%20by%20sources%20of%20drinking%20water.pdf "Households by sources of drinking water, safe water sources"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305231527/http://www.csa.gov.et/pdf/Basic_welfare_Indicator/Households%20by%20sources%20of%20drinking%20water.pdf |date=5 March 2009 }} CSA Selected Basic Welfare Indicators (accessed 28 January 2009)</ref> Values for other reported common indicators of the [[standard of living]] for Amhara {{as of|2005|lc=on}} 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.<ref>Macro International Inc. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090305231219/http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADM636.pdf "2008. Ethiopia Atlas of Key Demographic and Health Indicators, 2005." (Calverton: Macro International, 2008)], pp. 2, 3, 10 (accessed 28 January 2009)</ref>
{{Historical populations | 1994 | 13,834,297 | 2007 | 17,221,976 | 2022 | 23,216,000 |align = none }}
===Ethnic groups=== At 91.47% of the local population, the region is predominantly inhabited by people from the [[Semitic languages|Semitic]]-speaking [[Amhara people|Amhara]] ethnic group. Most other residents hail from other [[Afro-Asiatic languages|Afro-Asiatic language]] communities, including the [[Agaw]]/Awi, [[Oromo people|Oromo]], [[Beta Israel]], [[Qemant]], [[Agaw people|Agaw]]/[[Wag Hemra Zone|Kamyr]] and [[Argobba people|Argobba]]. [[Gumuz people|Gumuz]] is another community located in parts in Amhara Region, speaking a [[Nilo-Saharan language]].<ref name="csa" />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;" |- style="background:#e0e0e0;" !| Ethnic group !| 1994 Census !| 2007 Census |- | style="text-align:left;"|[[Amhara people|Amhara]] | 91.2% | 91.47% |- | style="text-align:left;"|[[Agaw people|Agaw]]/Awi | 2.7% | 3.46% |- | style="text-align:left;"|[[Oromo people|Oromo]] | 3% | 2.62% |- | style="text-align:left;"|[[Agaw people|Agaw]]/[[Kamyr]] | 1% | 1.39% |- | style="text-align:left;"|[[Argobba people|Argobba]] | 0.3% | 0.41% |- | style="text-align:left;"|[[Qemant]] | 1.2% | N/A |- | style="text-align:left;"|[[Tigrayan]] | 0.9% | 0.65 |} [[File:Mešita v Bahir Daru.jpg|thumb|Mosque in Bahir Dar City]] [[File:Abandoned Synagogue with Painted Stars of David - Wolleka (Falasha Jewish Village) - Outside Gondar - Ethiopia (8688161971).jpg|thumb|Synagogue outside Gondar City ]]
===Religion===
{{Pie chart |thumb = right |caption = Religion in Amhara Region (2007)<ref name="csa" /> |label1 = [[Ethiopian Orthodox Church|Ethiopian Orthodox]] |value1 = 82.5 |color1 = Orchid |label2 = [[Islam in Ethiopia|Muslim]] |value2 = 17.2 |color2 = Green |label3 = [[P'ent'ay]] |value3 = 0.2 |color3 = DodgerBlue |other=Y}} The predominant religion of the Amhara for centuries has been Christianity, with the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]] playing a central role in the culture of the Amhara region. According to the 2007 census, 82.5% of the population of the Amhara region (which is 91.2% Amhara) were Ethiopian Orthodox; 17.2% were Muslim, and 0.2% were [[Protestantism|Protestant]] ("[[P'ent'ay]]").<ref name="csa" /> The Ethiopian Orthodox Church maintains close links with the [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria]]. Easter and [[Epiphany (Christian)|Epiphany]] are the most important celebrations, marked with services, feasting and dancing. There are also many fast days throughout the year, when only vegetables or fish may be eaten. Marriages are often [[Arranged marriage|arranged]], with men marrying in their late teens or early twenties.<ref name=AHolocaust>{{cite web | url=http://www.africanmarriage.info/ | title=African Marriage ritual | access-date=9 February 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507210952/http://www.africanmarriage.info/ | archive-date=7 May 2017 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Traditionally, girls were married as young as 14, but in the 20th century, the minimum age was raised to 18. After a church wedding, divorce is frowned upon.<ref name="AHolocaust"/> Each family hosts a separate wedding feast after the wedding. [[File:Dessie-Région Amhara (4).jpg|left|thumb|Saint [[Gabriel]] Orthodox Cathedral in [[Dessie]]]] Traditionally, upon childbirth, a priest will visit the family to bless the infant. The mother and child remain in the house for 40 days after birth for physical and emotional strength. The infant will be taken to the church for [[baptism]] at 40 days (for boys) or 80 days (for girls).<ref>{{cite book|title=The World and Its Peoples: Africa, North and East, Part 2, Volume 23|date=1967|publisher=Greystone Press|page=300|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lb5BAAAAIAAJ|access-date=17 February 2017}}</ref>
== Economy ==
=== Manufacturing === There are several industrial parks that are in operation or under construction. The Kombolcha IP was built at a cost of $90 million and employs 20,000 people.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.fanabc.com/english/index.php/news/item/9435-kombolcha-industrial-park-inaugurated|title=Kombolcha industrial park inaugurated|last=Asrat|first=Amare|date=8 July 2017|work=Fana Broadcasting Company|access-date=24 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170714044018/http://www.fanabc.com/english/index.php/news/item/9435-kombolcha-industrial-park-inaugurated|archive-date=14 July 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Arerti IP and Debre Birhan IP are under construction.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-07/13/c_136441703.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220033453/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-07/13/c_136441703.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 February 2018|title=Ethiopia plans to have 15 industrial parks by June 2018|last=Lifang|first=Song|date=13 July 2017|work=Xinhua|access-date=24 February 2018}}</ref>
=== Agriculture=== [[File:A farmer carrying hay from the fields to his home, Amhara, Ethiopia, April 2011 (8406383290).jpg|thumb|A farmer carrying hay from the fields to his home, Amhara|312x312px]]
About 90% of the Amhara are rural and make their living through farming, mostly in the Ethiopian highlands. [[Barley]], [[Maize|corn]], [[millet]], wheat, [[sorghum]], and [[teff]], along with [[bean]]s, [[Capsicum|pepper]]s, [[chickpea]]s, and other vegetables, are the most important [[crops]]. In the highlands one crop per year is normal, while in the lowlands two are possible. Cattle, sheep, and goats are also raised. 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%).<ref>[http://www.csa.gov.et/surveys/National%20statistics/national%20statistics%202005/Agriculture.pdf "CSA 2005 National Statistics"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081118225214/http://www.csa.gov.et/surveys/National%20statistics/national%20statistics%202005/Agriculture.pdf |date=18 November 2008 }}, Tables D.4 - D.7</ref> ==Education== ===Public universities=== There are ten public universities in Amhara Region<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unirank.org/et/amhara-region/a-z/|title=A-Z list of Amhara Region (Ethiopia) Universities|website=www.unirank.org|accessdate=28 March 2022}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=June 2022}} * [[Bahir Dar University]], in [[Bahir Dar]], established in 2001 * [[Debre Berhan University]], in [[Debre Berhan]], established in 2007 * [[Debre Markos University]], in [[Debre Markos]], established in 2007
* [[Injibara University]], in [[Injibara]], established in 2015 * [[Wollo University]], in [[Dessie]] and [[Kombolcha]], established in 2007 * [[University of Gondar]], in [[Gondar]], established in 1953 * [[Debre Tabor University]], in [[Debre Tabor]], established in 2008 * [[Woldia University]], in [[Woldia]], established in 2011 * [[Mekdela Amba University]], in South Wollo, established in 2015<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.neaea.com/mekdela-amba-university/|title = Mekdela Amba University 2020 Ethiopia|date = 13 March 2020}}</ref> * Debark University, established in 2020 * Injibara University, Injibara, Established in 2020 [[File:University of Gondar.JPG|left|thumb|251x251px|University of Gonder]] [[File:Bahir Dar University.jpg|center|thumb|223x223px|Bahir Dar University]]
==Government== The [[Government of Amhara Region|government of Amhara]] is composed of the executive branch, led by the President; the legislative branch, which comprises the State Council; and the judicial branch, which is led by the state Supreme Court.
===Executive branch=== The executive branch is headed by the Chief Administrator of Amhara Region. The current Chief Administrator is Yilikal Kefale, a [[Prosperity Party]] member who was elected on 30 September 2021. The current vice president is Alemnew Mekonnen. The other offices in the executive branch cabinet are the Regional Health Bureau (Dr. Abebaw Gebeyehu), Educational Bureau (Yilikal Kefyalew), and 20 other officials.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ena.gov.et/en/index.php/politics/item/2316-amhara-region-announces-appointment-of-22-cabinet-members|title=Amhara Region Announces Appointment of 22 Cabinet Members|date=23 November 2016|work=Ethiopian News Agency|access-date=24 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305063950/http://www.ena.gov.et/en/index.php/politics/item/2316-amhara-region-announces-appointment-of-22-cabinet-members|archive-date=5 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
=== Judicial branch === There are three levels of the Amhara state [[judiciary]]. The lowest level is the court of common pleas: each woreda maintains its own constitutionally mandated court of common pleas, which maintain jurisdiction over all justiciable matters. The intermediate-level court system is the district court system. Four courts of appeals exist, each retaining jurisdiction over appeals from common pleas, municipal, and county courts in an administrative zone. A case heard in this system is decided by a three-judge panel, and each judge is elected.
The highest-ranking court, the Amhara Supreme Court, is Amhara's "court of last resort". A seven-justice panel composes the court, which, by its own discretion, hears appeals from the courts of appeals, and retains original jurisdiction over limited matters. The chief judge is called the President of Amhara Supreme Court (Yeneneh Simegn).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jfapfe.org/News1.html|title=MOU Signing ceremony With Federal and Regional Supreme Courts of Ethiopia to Facilitate Support for Clearance of Backlog Files|date=14 August 2015|website=Justice For All-PF Ethiopia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105024748/http://www.jfapfe.org/News1.html|archive-date=5 November 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=8 July 2017}}</ref>
=== Legislative branch === The State Council, which is the highest administrative body of the state, is made up of 294 members.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Political Handbook of the World 2015|last=Lansford|first=Tom|publisher=CQ Press|year=2015|isbn=978-1483371559|location=Washington, D.C., United States|pages=[https://archive.org/details/politicalhandboo0000unse_f0m6/page/492 492]|url=https://archive.org/details/politicalhandboo0000unse_f0m6/page/492}}</ref>
=== National politics === Amhara is represented by 138 representatives in the [[House of Peoples' Representatives|Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia House of Peoples' Representatives]].
===Administrative zones=== Like other regions in Ethiopia, Amhara is subdivided into administrative zones. There are 11 zones and 67 woredas. {| class="wikitable" |+Administrative Zones of the Amhara Region !Number !Zone !Area in km2 !Population estimate 2022 !Administrative Capital |- |1 |[[Agew Awi Zone]] |9,148.43 |1,077,144 |[[Injibara]] |- |2 |[[East Gojjam Zone]] |14,004.47 |2,351,855 |[[Debre Markos|Debre Marqos]] |- |3 |[[North Gondar Zone]] |45,944.63 |2.929,628 |[[Gondar]] |- |4 |[[North Shewa Zone (Amhara)|North Shewa Zone]] |15,936.13 |1,837,490 |[[Debre Birhan]] |- |5 |[[North Wollo Zone]] |12,172.50 |1,500,303 |[[Weldiya]] |- |6 |[[South Gondar Zone]] |14,095.19 |2,051,738 |[[Debre Tabor]] |- |7 |[[South Wollo Zone]] |17,067.45 |2,518,867 |[[Dessie]] |- |8 |[[Wag Hemra Zone]] |9,039.04 |463,505 |[[Soqota|Sekota]] |- |9 |[[West Gojjam Zone]] |13,311.94 |2,106,596 |[[Finote Selam]] |- |10 |[[Bahir Dar|Bahir Dar Special Zone]] |213.44 |474,743 |[[Bahir Dar]] |}
==Culture==
The [[Aholalo]] is a festival celebrated in the northern region of Ethiopia. The festival is traditionally celebrated in the province of Wollo.
==See also== *[[List of districts in the Amhara region]] *[[Amhara region coup d'état attempt]] *[[Amhara people]]
==References== {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Amhara Region}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110524213939/http://www.ethiopar.net/type/English/basinfo/infoamra.htm FDRE States: Basic Information - Amhara] * [http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/amhara.htm Africa Guide: Amhara] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927204159/http://www.dppc.gov.et/downloadable/map/administrative/Atlas_Amhara.pdf Map of Amhara Region at DPPA of Ethiopia]
{{Districts of the Amhara Region}} {{Ethiopia topics}}{{Portal bar|Ethiopia|Geography|Africa}}{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Amhara Region| ]] [[Category:Regions of Ethiopia]] [[Category:Ethiopian Highlands]]