The
Amhara people (,
Āmara; ,
ʾÄməḥära) are an ethnic group inhabiting the northern and central
highlands of
Ethiopia, particularly the
Amhara Region. According to the 2007 national census, they numbered 19,867,817 individuals, comprising 26.9% of the country's population. They speak
Amharic, an
Afro-Asiatic language of the
Semitic branch, and are one of the
Habesha peoples.