|
|
The Amhara National Regional State is one of the nine regional states and two administrative and city councils of The Fedral Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. It comprises three regionsof Gojjam, Gondar,Wollo and part of Shawa(as they were used to be called "kiflehager"in the Dergue regime).It is structured under 11 administrative zones, of which one is a special zone, and 105 woredas (districts). There are 78 urban centers. The State Council, the highest administrative body of the region comprises 274 member and The executive body is composed of 20 personalities. Amharic is the working language and capital city of the region is Bahir Dar.
Location
The Amhara National Regional State is located in the north western and north central part of Ethiopia, between 9o20' to 14o0' North Latitude and 36o20' to 40o20' East Longitude grids. The region shares common borders in the north with Tigray, in the east with Afar, in the south with Oromia, in the south west with Benishangul/Gumuz region, while in the west with Sudan.
Topography and Climate
The region is topographically divided into two main parts, namely the highlands and lowlands. The highlands are above 1,500 meters above sea level and comprise the largest part of the northern and eastern parts of the region. The highlands are also characterized by chains of mountains and plateaux. Ras Dejen (4,620 m), the highest peak in the country, Guna (4,236 m), Choke (4,184m) and Abune - Yousef (4,190 m) are among the mountain peaks that are located in the highland parts of the region. The lowland part covers mainly the western and eastern parts of the region, with an altitude between 500-1500 meters above sea level.
Areas above 2,300 meters above sea level fall within the "Dega" climatic zone, and areas between the 1,500-2,300 meter above sea level contour fall within the "Woina Dega" climatic zone; and areas below 1,500 masl contour fall within the kolla or hot climatic zones. The Dega, Woina Dega and kolla parts of the region constitute 25%, 44% and 31% of the total area of the region, respectively.
The annual mean temperature for most parts of the region is between 15oc-21oc. The Region receives the highest percentage (80%) of the total rainfall in the country. The highest rainfall occurs during the summer season, which starts mid June and ends early September.
Area
The Amhara regional state covers a total area of about 170,000 sq.km, which covers 11% of the whole country.
Population
According to the 1994 census, the Amhara region population is 13,834,297, of which 6,947,546 are males and 6,886,751 are females. The urban residents of the Amhara region number 1,265,315 while its rural residents are 12,568,982 (90% of the total population.)
Religions
According to 1994 census result, of the total population of the region 81.5% are Orthodox Christians, 18.1% Muslims and 0.1% Protestants.The remaining 0.3% constitutes catholics and other minor groups.
Major Ethnic Groups
The majority of the population is Amhara, which is estimated to be 91.2%. In addition to this the ethnic composition of the region includes Oromo (3%), Agew/Awi (2.7%), Kimant (1.2%), and Agew/Kamyr (1%).
Occupations
About 90% of the people are engaged in agriculture for a living. The region is one of the major teff producing areas in the country. Barley, wheat, oil seeds, sorghum, maize, oats, beans and peas are also major crops produced in the region in large quantities. In the vast and virgin tract of the region's lowlands also grow cash crops such as cotton, sesame, sunflower, and sugar cane among others. About 425,000 hectares of arable land in the region is irrigable, especially for horticultural development.
Water Resources
The region is divided mainly by three river basins, namely the Abbay, Tekezze, and Awash drainage basins. The Blue Nile (Abbay) river is the largest of all and covers approximately 172,254 km2. Its total length to its junction with the white Nile in Khartoum is 1,450 km, 800 km of which are within Ethiopia. The drainage-basin of the Tekezze river is about 88,800km2. In addition to these rivers Anghereb, Athbara, Millie, Kessem and Jama rivers are among the major national rivers.
Tana, the largest lake in Ethiopia is located at the centre of the region. It covers an area of 3,600km2. Besides other crater lakes such as Lakes "Zengena", "Gudena Yetibla", Ardibo (75km2) and the Logia (35 km2) there are small lakes in the region. The rivers and lakes of the region have immense potential for hydro-electricity, irrigation and fishery development.
Livestock
The estimated livestock population of the region is 9.1 million cattle, 8.4 million sheep and goats, 1.6 million equines, and 8.5 million poultry. About 40% of the Ethiopian livestock is found in this region. The huge livestock potential of this region gives ample opportunity for meat and milk production, food-processing as well as leather and wool production.
Mineral Resource
The Amhara National Regional State has mineral resources such as coal, shell, limestone, lignite, gypsum, gemstone, silica, sulfur and bentonite. Hot springs and mineral water are also found in the region.
Fauna
Walia ibex, Semien fox, Gelada baboon, grey-duiker and klipspringer, hyenas and crocodile are among the twenty-one species (three endemic) to be found in the region especially at the Semien Mountain National Park. Wild fowl, francolins, pelicans, cranes, ibises, and stocks are among the birds that are found in the region.
Tourism And Heritage
The 12th century Rock-Hewn churches of Lalibela, and the palaces in Gondar are among the world known heritages of the country. The traditional mural paintings and hand craft, the preserved corpse of the royality found in the ancient monastries in Lake Tana, as well as the Semien mountains national park, which shelters the endemic Walia Ibex are spectacular tourist attractions, Three tourist attractions found in the region are registered in the UNESCO list of world heritages. Besides these known heritages, the Blue Nile Falls, the caves and unique stones in northern Showa, and the Merto Le Mariam church are special tourist attractions.
Investment
Until May 1998, 362 investment projects have been licensed in the Amhara region. The total amount of capital invested is 2.8 billion Birr. 75,883 persons will benefit from the resultant employment opportunities. Licenses were given in the areas predominantly of agriculture, industry, hotel and tourism, real estate, commerce and social services.
