The
Awash (sometimes spelled
Hawash;
Afar We'ayot) is a major river of
Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and empties into a chain of interconnected lakes that begin with Lake Gargori and end with
Lake Abbe (or Abhe Bad) on the border with
Djibouti, some 100 kilometers (60 or 70 miles) from the head of the
Gulf of Tadjoura. It is the principal stream of an
endorheic drainage basin covering parts of the
Amhara,
Oromia and
Somali Regions, as well as the southern half of the
Afar Region.