Part of the Mirab Gojjam Zone, this woreda is bordered on the south by Yilmana Densa, on the southwest by Mecha, on the northwest by the Gilgel Abay River which separates it from Semien Achefer, on the north by Lake Tana, on the shores of Lake Tana situates the city and special zone of Bahir Dar, and on the east by the Abay River which separates it from the Debub Gondar Zone.

Bahir Dar Zuria includes the forested Zege Peninsula, known for its numerous medieval churches, of which the best known is Ura Kidane Mehret, and associated monasteries.

A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 21% is arable or cultivable, 9% pasture, 8% forest or shrubland, 36% covered with water, and the remaining 26% is considered degraded or other.

[3] Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 182,730, of whom 93,642 are men and 89,088 women; no urban inhabitants were reported.

The majority of the inhabitants practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 98.22% reporting that as their religion, while 1.74% were Muslim.