Gilgel Abay

The Gilgel Abay (Amharic: ግልገል አባይ, Gǝlgäl Abbay), or Lesser Abay, is a river of central Ethiopia. Rising in the mountains of Gojjam, it flows northward to empty into south-western Lake Tana in a bird's-foot delta. Tributaries of the Gilgel Abbay include the Ashar, Jamma, Kelti and the Koger. It was regarded as the true source of the Nile for a long time and the Jesuit priest Pedro Paez visited it in 1618. The name Gilgel Abbay means Lesser Nile, as Abbay is the name for the Blue Nile.

Gilgel Abay Lesser Abay
Gilgel Abay at BIkolo, during flood
Map of Lake Tana, showing rivers flowing into it
Etymology	Literally "Lesser Nile"
Native name	ግልገል አባይ (Amharic)
Location
Country	Ethiopia
Region	Amhara
Zone	West Gojjam
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Near Gish Abay
• coordinates	11.01147°N 37.15229°E / 11.01147; 37.15229
• elevation	2,454 m (8,051 ft)
Mouth	Lake Tana
• location	12.5 km (7.8 mi) SE of Kunzila
• coordinates	11.798679°N 37.125324°E / 11.798679; 37.125324
• elevation	1,786 m (5,860 ft)
Length	154.5 km (96.0 mi)
Basin size	3,887 km2 (1,501 sq mi)
Width
• maximum	71 m (233 ft)
Basin features
Progression	Lake Tana → Blue Nile → Nile → Mediterranean Sea
River system	Nile Basin
Population	1,220,000

Characteristics

It is a meandering river, with a catchment area of 3,887 km² (1,501 sq mi). It is 71 meters wide near its mouth, with a slope gradient of 0.7 m/km. The average diameter of the bed material is 0.37 mm (sand).^[1]

Sediment transport

The river carries annually 22,185 tonnes of bedload and 7.6 million tonnes of suspended sediment to Lake Tana.^[1]

See also

• List of Ethiopian rivers