History of Amhara people

Amharas (Amharic: አማራ, Āmara; Ge'ez: አምሐራ, ʾÄməḥära) are a Semitic ethnic group traditionally inhabiting parts of the northern and central highlands of Ethiopia, particularly in Addis Ababa and the Amhara Region. According to the 2007 national census, Amharas numbered 19,867,817 individuals, comprising 26.9% of Ethiopia's population and they are mostly Orthodox Christians members of Ethiopian Orthodox Church.[1] They are also found within the Ethiopian expatriate community, particularly in North America.[2][13] They speak Amharic, an Afro-Asiatic language of the Semitic branch, a member of the Ethiosemitic group, which serves as the official language of Ethiopia.

Some scholars have classified the Amhara and the Tigrayans as Abyssinians.