Ambassel

Ambassel ዐምባሰል
Woreda
Country	Ethiopia
Region	Amhara
Zone	Debub Wollo
Area [2]
• Total	882.24 km2 (340.63 sq mi)
Population  (2012 est.)[2]
• Total	132,157 [1]

Ambassel (Amharic: ዐምባሰል) is a woreda in Amhara Region, Ethiopia, and an amba, or mountain fortress, located in the woreda. The word Ambasel is derived from two words "Amba" from the Amharic word for plateau, and “Asel” from the Arabic language, which means honey. Together, it means “plateau of honey” or the “land of honey” ^[3] the woreda is named for this feature. Located in the Debub Wollo Zone, Ambassel woreda is bordered on the west by the Bashilo which separates it from Tenta, on the north by the Semien Wollo Zone, on the southeast by the Mille River which separates it from Tehuledere, and on the south by Kutaber; the Walano, a tributary of the Bashilo, defines most of its southern border. Its largest town is Wuchale.

Elevations in this woreda range from 1200 to 3200 meters above sea level; the divide between the drainage areas of the Nile and the Awash runs through the middle of Ambassel. Rivers include the Waha Titu. Notable landmarks include Amba Geshen, where the medieval Emperors of Ethiopia would confine their male relatives to keep them from threatening his power.^[4] Ambassel has proven deposits of coal near Wuchale, which were exploited during the Italian occupation.^[5]