The Amhara people (, Āmara; , ʾÄməḥära) are an ethnic group inhabiting the northern and central highlands of Ethiopia, particularly the Amhara Region. According to the 2007 national census, they numbered 19,867,817 individuals, comprising 26.9% of the country's population. They speak Amharic, an Afro-Asiatic language of the Semitic branch, and are one of the Habesha peoples.