List of Towns, Villages and Cities in South Gondar Zone

South Gondar (Amharic: ደቡብ ጎንደር, Debub Gondar) is a zone of Ethiopia’s Amhara Region, with its capital at Debre Tabor. It covers 14,095.19 square kilometres between the eastern shore of Lake Tana and the Wollo highlands, and holds ten woredas plus the Debre Tabor town administration. The 2007 census counted 2,051,738 residents; the Ethiopian Statistics Service projects 2,666,413 for 2022.

The zone takes its name from Gondar, the city that was Ethiopia’s capital until the mid-nineteenth century, and which lies to the north in a separate zone.

Woredas (Districts)

Major Towns

Geography

South Gondar borders Lake Tana to the west, the Gondar zones to the north, Wag Hemra to the north-east, North Wollo to the east and South Wollo to the south-east. To the south and south-west the Abay (Blue Nile) separates it from East Gojjam, West Gojjam and the Bahir Dar Special Zone.

The zone runs from the flat Fogera plain on the lake shore, around 1,800 metres, up through the Farta and Gayint highlands to Mount Guna at 4,231 metres, a broad basalt massif that feeds the Reb and Gumara rivers into Lake Tana. Debre Tabor stands on a ridge at 2,706 metres with at least 48 springs in its surrounds, which is why the town grew there. The east of the zone, in Simada and Tach Gayint, drops into the deep gorges of the Abay tributaries.

Demographics

The 2007 census recorded 2,051,738 people, 1,041,061 men and 1,010,677 women, in 468,238 households, 16 per cent above the 1994 count of 1,768,732. Only 9.53 per cent lived in towns.

The Amhara were 99.7 per cent of the population and Amharic the first language of 99.7 per cent. Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity was practised by 96.14 per cent and Islam by 3.68 per cent. The 2022 figure of 2,666,413 is a projection, not a count.

Economy & Local Life

The Fogera plain is the zone’s agricultural asset. Its seasonally flooded black soils carry Ethiopia’s largest concentration of smallholder rice, grown around Woreta and Addis Zemen since the 1970s and now milled and traded across the country. The plain is also home to the Fogera cattle breed, valued for milk and draught work, and supports large-scale grazing in the dry months.

The highlands grow barley, wheat, pulses and potatoes, with teff at middle altitudes. Fishing on the Lake Tana shore adds income at Dera and Fogera. Debre Tabor has a university and a general hospital and functions as the market and service centre for the whole zone; Nefas Mewcha and Wegeda serve the eastern highlands.

Getting There

Debre Tabor lies about 100 kilometres south-east of Gondar and 50 kilometres east of Lake Tana, on the paved road that runs from Bahir Dar through Woreta and on towards Weldiya. Bahir Dar is roughly 100 kilometres to the west and has the nearest airport, with daily flights to Addis Ababa; Gondar airport is a similar distance to the north. Buses from Addis Ababa take a full day.

Road travel across the Amhara Region has been disrupted since 2023 by fighting between federal forces and Fano militias. Check current conditions before travelling.

FAQ

Where is South Gondar Zone?

In the centre of the Amhara Region, east of Lake Tana, between the Gondar zones to the north and the Abay gorge to the south.

What is the capital of South Gondar Zone?

Debre Tabor, a historic town at 2,706 metres that served as the imperial seat under Tewodros II and Yohannes IV.

How many woredas are in South Gondar Zone?

Ten rural woredas plus the Debre Tabor town administration.

What is the population of South Gondar Zone?

2,051,738 at the 2007 census, projected at 2,666,413 for 2022.

What is grown in South Gondar?

Rice on the Fogera plain, along with teff, barley, wheat, pulses and potatoes in the highlands, and cattle across the zone.

What is the highest mountain in South Gondar?

Mount Guna, 4,231 metres, between Farta and Lay Gayint woredas.