North Wollo (Amharic: ሰሜን ወሎ, Semien Wollo) is a zone in the north-east of Ethiopia’s Amhara Region, with its capital at Weldiya. It holds nine woredas plus the Weldiya town administration and covers about 12,172 square kilometres of mountain country between the Tekeze headwaters and the Afar lowlands. The 2007 census counted 1,500,303 people in the zone as then bounded; on its present boundaries the same census total is 1,372,532, with 1,801,238 projected for 2022.
The zone is named after the historic province of Wollo. Its best known place is Lalibela, the rock-hewn church complex in Lasta woreda.
| Capital | Weldiya |
|---|---|
| Woredas | 9 plus Weldiya town |
| Area | about 12,172 km2 |
| Population (2007 census) | 1,500,303 as then bounded |
| Population (2022 projection) | 1,801,238 |
| Highest point | Mount Abuna Yosef |
Woredas (Districts)
| Woreda | 2007 census | 2022 projection |
|---|---|---|
| Bugna | 75,486 | 90,524 |
| Dawunt | 65,363 | 78,930 |
| Gidan | 158,428 | 198,127 |
| Guba Lafto | 139,825 | 172,818 |
| Habru | 192,742 | 253,895 |
| Kobo | 221,958 | 301,102 |
| Lasta | 117,777 | 159,484 |
| Meket | 226,644 | 284,157 |
| Wadla | 128,170 | 158,196 |
| Weldiya town | 46,139 | 104,005 |
Delanta woreda, counted with North Wollo at the 2007 census, is now grouped with South Wollo.
Major Towns
| Town | Woreda | Population (2022 proj.) |
|---|---|---|
| Weldiya | Town administration | 104,000 |
| Kobo | Kobo | 56,100 |
| Lalibela | Lasta | 39,100 |
| Mersa | Habru | 36,300 |
| Filakit | Meket | 26,500 |
Geography
North Wollo borders South Wollo to the south, South Gondar to the west, Wag Hemra to the north, Tigray Region to the north-east and Afar Region to the east. Part of the southern boundary follows the Mille River.
Most of the zone is mountainous, with steep slopes that limit cultivation. A land survey found only 24 per cent of the zone arable, 4.6 per cent pasture and 47.3 per cent degraded or unusable. The highest ground is Mount Abuna Yosef above Lalibela, which carries afro-alpine moorland and one of the surviving Ethiopian wolf populations. In the east the land drops through Habru and Guba Lafto to the Kobo plain, a broad rift-margin valley that runs north into Tigray.
Demographics
The 2007 census recorded 1,500,303 people for the zone as then constituted, 752,895 men and 747,408 women, in 355,974 households, a 19.04 per cent rise on 1994. Just 10.35 per cent lived in towns.
The Amhara were 99.38 per cent of the population and Amharic the first language of 99.28 per cent. Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity was reported by 82.74 per cent and Islam by 17.08 per cent, the Muslim share concentrated in Habru, Kobo and the eastern lowland margins. The 2022 figure of 1,801,238 is a projection, not a count.
Economy & Local Life
All the rural woredas of this zone are on the regional list of the 48 most drought-prone and food-insecure districts in Amhara. Rural households average about 0.7 hectares, below the national figure. Barley, wheat and pulses are grown on the highlands; sorghum, teff and maize on the Kobo plain, where shallow groundwater irrigation in the Kobo-Girana valley has expanded onion, pepper and fruit production. Twelve irrigation schemes across five woredas were built to steady yields.
Lalibela is the zone’s tourism centre. Its eleven rock-hewn churches, carved under King Gebre Meskel Lalibela in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978 and draw both foreign visitors and large Ethiopian Orthodox pilgrimages at Genna in January. Weldiya is the commercial and transport hub, sitting at the junction of the highland and Rift routes.
Getting There
Weldiya is about 520 kilometres north of Addis Ababa on Ethiopian highway 2, the road through Debre Birhan, Dessie and Kombolcha. From Weldiya a paved road climbs about 110 kilometres west and north to Lalibela; another runs north through Kobo to Mekelle. Lalibela has its own airport at Gashena road junction, with flights from Addis Ababa, and Kombolcha airport lies about 120 kilometres south of Weldiya.
This zone saw heavy fighting during the 2020 to 2022 Tigray war, and travel across the Amhara Region has been disrupted since 2023 by clashes between federal forces and Fano militias. Flights and roads to Lalibela have closed at short notice; check conditions before travelling.
FAQ
Where is North Wollo Zone?
In the north-east of the Amhara Region, between Wag Hemra and Tigray to the north and South Wollo to the south, with Afar Region on its eastern edge.
What is the capital of North Wollo Zone?
Weldiya, also spelled Woldia, a town of about 104,000 on the main road north from Dessie.
How many woredas are in North Wollo Zone?
Nine rural woredas plus the Weldiya town administration.
Is Lalibela in North Wollo?
Yes. Lalibela is in Lasta woreda, North Wollo Zone, about 110 kilometres from Weldiya.
What is the population of North Wollo Zone?
1,500,303 at the 2007 census on its boundaries at that time, with 1,801,238 projected for 2022 on current boundaries.
What language is spoken in North Wollo?
Amharic, reported as the first language of 99.28 per cent of residents at the 2007 census.