Northern Ethiopia
Northern Ethiopia is the historic heartland of Ethiopia. Administratively, it consists of most of Amhara, all of Tigray, and the northern part of Afar.| Tap on a place to explore it |
Photo: Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Essential Destinations
Top destinations include Axum and Lalibela.
Axum
Axum is a city of 56,000 in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, just south of Eritrea, with which it shares the language of Tigrinya. It was for nearly 800 years the administrative centre of one of the great empires of the old world along with those of Rome, Persia and China and remains the ecclesiastical capital of the Ethiopian church.
Lalibela
Lalibela is a rural town of 15,000 people in a stunning setting at an elevation of 2,600 m in the midst of the Lasta mountains in the eastern highlands of Northern Ethiopia.
Mekele
Mekele is in the Tigrayan Highlands in Ethiopia. It is the capital of the Tigray region and has a population of 200,000.
Destinations to Discover
Explore places such as Gondar and Simien National Park.
Gondar
Gondar is a historic royal city of Ethiopia, in the northern Amhara region. It was the home of many emperors and princesses who ruled the country from the 12th century to the last decade of the 20th century, including Suseneos, Fasiledes, Empress Mentwab, Iyasu I, Tewodros II and Empress Taitu.
Simien National Park
Photo: Bgag, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Simien National Park, also known as Simien Mountains National Park, is in the Amhara region in northern Ethiopia. It was one of the first sites added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978.
Bahir Dar
Bahir Dar, also spelt Bahar Dar, on the southern shore of Lake Tana, the biggest lake in Ethiopia, is the third largest city in the nation, after Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, with a population of half a million.
Adwa
Adwa is a city in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, not far south of the border with Eritrea. The small village of Yeha is in the same area and its ancient temple is a bigger drawcard than anything in Adwa.
Danakil Depression
The Danakil Depression is a desert area in the Afar region of northeastern Ethiopia, north of the Great Rift Valley that is widely known locally as the Dallol depression.
Adigrat
Photo: Bgag, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Adigrat is a city around 120 km north of Mekele. It's the capital of Tigray region in Northern Ethiopia.
Wukro
Photo: Bgag, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Wukro is a town in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. It can be used as a base for exploring the rock-hewn churches of north-eastern Tigray.
Kafta Sheraro National Park
Kafta Humera National Park is a national park in the Amhara. Kafta Humera National Park is the only national park that boarders Tigrai and one of the few highly bio-diversified parks in East Africa.Hawzien
Hawzien is a town in the Gheralta area of the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. It is frequently used as a base for exploring the many rock-hewn churches of north-eastern Tigray.
Northern Ethiopia
- Type: region
- Description: northern part of Ethiopia
- Location: Ethiopia, East Africa, Africa
- View on OpenStreetMap
Latitude of center
12.31° or 12° 18′ 36″ northLongitude of center
38.85° or 38° 51′ eastWikidata ID
Q61313680
This page is based on Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikivoyage.
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Satellite Map
Discover Northern Ethiopia from above in high-definition satellite imagery.
In Other Languages
From Esperanto to Slovenian—“Northern Ethiopia” goes by many names.
- Esperanto: “Nordetiopio”
- German: “Nordäthiopien”
- Hebrew: “צפון אתיופיה”
- Slovenian: “Severna Etiopija”
Ethiopia: Must-Visit Destinations
Delve into Addis Ababa, Harar, Dire Dawa, and Adama.
Explore These Curated Destinations
Discover places selected for their distinct character and enduring appeal.
About Mapcarta. Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, except for photos, directions, and the map. Description text is based on the Wikivoyage page “Northern Ethiopia”. Photo: Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 3.0.