Lesser Abay

Lesser Abbay (ግልገል ዓባይ, Gǝlgäl Abbay) is a river of central Ethiopia. Rising in the mountains of Gojjam, it flows northward to empty into south-western Lake Tana at 11°48′N 37°7′E / 11.800°N 37.117°E / 11.800; 37.117Coordinates: 11°48′N 37°7′E / 11.800°N 37.117°E / 11.800; 37.117. Tributaries of the Lesser 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 Lesser Abbay means Lesser Nile, as Abbay is the name for the Blue Nile.