The Atbarah River in northeast Africa rises in northwest Ethiopia, approximately 50 km north of Lake Tana and 30 km west of Gondar. It flows about 805 km (500 mi) to the Nile in north-central Sudan. Its tributary, the Tekezé River (Amharic: "Terrible"), is perhaps the true upper course of the Atbarah, as the Tekezé follows the longer course prior to the confluence of the two rivers (at 14° 10' N., 36° E) in northeastern Sudan. The Atbarah joins the Nile at the city of Atbarah, and is the last tributary of the Nile before it reaches the Mediterranean.

For much of the year, it is little more than a stream. However during the rainy season (generally June to October), the Atbarah rises some 18 ft (5 m) above its normal level. At this time it forms an formidable barrier between the northern and central districts of Ethiopia.

An important tributary of the Atbarah is the Senfa River, which rises west of Lake Tana.

A major battle was fought beside the river in April 1898 between forces of the Khalifa of Sudan and the British Empire, which resulted in the Khalifa's 20,000-strong detachment being destroyed by the British. In 1964, the river was dammed at Kashm-el-Girba in Sudan to provide irrigation in an otherwise fairly arid region.

External link

• Maps of Ethiopia - Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, University of Texas