Description of the autonomy
One of the nine ethnic regions of the country. It was established in 1994 after the overthrow of the military regime of the Derg and the coming to power of the EPRDF (The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front). It is located in the north-western and central parts of Ethiopia. The capital is the city of Bahr Dar. The autonomous status was ensured by the 1994 Constitution.
The titular ethnic group of the autonomy is Amhara people. They are also one of the state-forming groups of Ethiopia. This group is considered as the "core ethnicity" around which the Ethiopian statehood was formed. From the middle XIX century, Amhara occupied a privileged position in Ethiopian society. However, after the victory of EPRDF, Amhara was forced to recognize the political domination of the Tigrayans. Amhara live in the mountainous areas in the north of the country. They are adherents of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and speak Amharic (the Semitic branch of the Afrasian languages).