Ethiopia is a federation subdivided into ethno-linguistically based regional states (Amharic: plural: ክልሎች kililoch; singular: ክልል kilil; Oromo: singular: Naannoo; plural: Naannolee) and chartered cities (Amharic: plural: አስተዳደር አካባቢዎች astedader akababiwoch; singular: አስተዳደር አካባቢ astedader akabibi). As of 2025, there are twelve regional states and two chartered cities (Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa). The regions are each governed by a regional council whose members are directly elected to represent woredas (districts). Each council has a president, who is elected by the council. Each region also has an executive committee, whose members are selected by the president from among the councilors and approved by the council. Ethiopia was historically divided into provinces. The South West Ethiopia Region was created on 23 November 2021 following a successful referendum earlier that year.
Ever since the modern Ethiopian state emerged at the end of the 19th century after a century of internal wars and military expansion of the traditional Ethiopian Empire, the territorial administration of the state has undergone major changes. Major turning points were the Italian interlude 1935-1941, the administrative reorganization of Haile Selassie 1946, the territorial reform of the military regime 1987, and the regionalization the EPRDF introduced November 1991.
The reform of the EPRDF abolished the administrative division of Ethiopia into regions and provinces established by the socialist Government of Ethiopia in 1987, which in turn had replaced the traditional division into regions, provinces and districts inherited from the imperial regime. The new system consisted of four administrative tiers: regions, zones, districts, and kebele. As part of the reform of 1991 the administrative level of districts abolished by the reform of 1987 was re-introduced and most of the old districts were resurrected. Since the original proclamation considerable changes took place in the boundaries of some regions as well as their subdivision into zones and the number and configuration of the districts and kebele.
Most of these changes never were officially published but could be reconstructed only by reports in the government-owned media, sometimes only by the appearance of new districts in other reports. In 1995, following directives ultimately coming from the TPLF-leadership, in nearly all regions many districts (wereda) were merged, in some regions also zones. In Tigray the number of districts was reduced from over 80 to 35. However, in many places the local population did not easily accept these changes and agitated for the re-establishment of the former districts and zones.
Starting in 2001, a new major restructuring movement of districts and zones started, which is still not completed. In the Southern Region some ethnic communities were granted zones and districts of their own and in many regions districts, which had been merged in 1995 were separated again or additional ones established. The decentralization of powers to district level, which includes the allocation of block grants to the districts to finance their operations, gave the process of the creation of new districts and zones additional impetus.
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Thus it was reported in 2006 that in 2005 "Oromia had planned to increase its number of weredas by 50. However, more recent information from the Oromia BOFED indicates that the Oromia Council has decided to increase the number of weredas by 46 and the number of its zones by 3. Similarly, SNNPR is adding a zone and 29 weredas. Other regions are also planning to increase their number of weredas. A strategy for the introduction of the budget and accounts reforms at these new jurisdictions needs to be developed in conjunction with BOFEDs.
Here is a table describing the new divisions.
Ethiopian regions be like
The Amhara National Regional State
The Amhara Region (Amharic: አማራ ክልል, romanized: Åmara Kilil), officially the Amhara National Regional State (Amharic: የአማራ ብሔራዊ ክልላዊ መንግሥት), is a regional state in northern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Amhara, Awi, Argobba, and Qemant people. Its capital is Bahir Dar which is the seat of the Regional Government of Amhara. The Amhara region has the most world heritage sites of any region in Ethiopia and is endowed with natural and geographic wonders and ecosystems.
Geography and Natural Wonders
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 to the east, Gambela region to southwest, and Gurage to the south.
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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.
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. 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 (4,543 m (14,905 ft)). The park is home to endangered species found nowhere else in the world, examples of endemic fauna include the iconic walia ibex, the gelada baboon, and the Ethiopian wolf (or Simien fox) among others.
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 1970 completion of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt, the Blue Nile, together with the Atbara River to its north (which also flows out of the Ethiopian Highlands), caused annual Nile floods that contributed to the fertility of the Nile Valley.
Lake Tana contains several islands, whose numbers vary depending on the water level in the lake. The lake islands were the home of ancient Ethiopian emperors. Treasures of the Ethiopian Church are kept in the isolated island monasteries (including Kebran Gabriel, Ura Kidane Mehret, Narga Selassie, Daga Estifanos, Medhane Alem of 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, Zara Yaqob, Za Dengel and Fasilides. 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 Virgin Mary had rested during her journey back from Egypt.
Historical Context
During the Ethiopian Empire, Amhara included several provinces (such as Bete Amhara, Gojjam, Gonder, Angot, Dembiya, Bezemo, Shewa and Lasta), most of which were ruled by native 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.
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With the rise of the Solomonic Dynasty in 1270 under Emperor Yekuno Amlak in Bete Amhara near town Dessie around Lake Hayk (born in the 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 Wolloye-Shewan emperors. The region's recorded history, in fact, goes back to the early 13th century. For example, St. 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 Emperor Naod (1494-1508) and completed by his son Emperor 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 bin Ibrahim.
Cultural Heritage
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 site by Unesco in the cultural criteria in 1978. Lalibela and its medieval monolithic churches attracts by far the most number of pilgrims annually of any religious site in Ethiopia. The New Jerusalem was built in response to 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.
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 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.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 census conducted by the 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 154,708.96 km2 (59,733.46 sq mi), this region has an estimated density of 108.2 people per square kilometer. At 91.47% of the local population, the region is predominantly inhabited by people from the Semitic-speaking Amhara ethnic group. Most other residents hail from other Afro-Asiatic language communities, including the Agaw/Awi, Oromo, Beta Israel, Qemant, Agaw/Kamyr and Argobba.
Religion and Culture
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 Protestant ("P'ent'ay"). The Ethiopian Orthodox Church maintains close links with the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. Easter and Epiphany are the most important celebrations, marked with services, feasting and dancing.
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.
Economy
There are several industrial parks that are in operation or under construction. Barley, corn, millet, wheat, sorghum, and teff, along with beans, peppers, chickpeas, and other vegetables, are the most important crops. In the highlands one crop per year is normal, while in the lowlands two are possible.
Government and Administration
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. 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. 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.
Like other regions in Ethiopia, Amhara is subdivided into administrative zones.
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