ABSTRACT
Falasha live scattered among northern Ethiopian populations, principally the Amhara-Tigrina, in Begemder and Tigre provinces. The general area of Falasha settlement is bounded by 12°-14° N. latitude and 36°-38° E. longitude. The largest concentrations of Falasha are found in and near the town of Gondar, in Dembya, a district north of Lake Tana, and in Gojjam, Woggera, Tschelga, Qwara, Uzaba, and Seqelt (Stem, 1968:187; Simoons, 1960:36; Leslau, 1951: xi-xii). At the time of d’Abbadie’s travels in Northern Ethiopia, in the mid-nineteenth century, there were Falasha settlements in Armachoho, Tagade, Walqayt, Semyen, Awa, Tagousa, Achafar, and Alafa, all west of the Takkaze River; also small groups of Falasha had settled among the Azebo Galla, and in Damot, Kafa, Jimma, and Dawro provinces (Aescoly, 1961:91-2; see also Flad, 1896:10; Rathjens, 1921:4; Halévy, 1869: 281-3). Today the regions the Falasha inhabitare distinguished by the general physiographic and climatic features of the Lava Plateau and the Blue Nile Valley (see the description given of the natural features of these regions on p. 17 above).
