West Gojjam is bordered on the south by the Abay River which separates it from the Oromia Region and Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the west by Agew Awi, on the north and northwest by North Gondar and also on the north by South Gondar, and on the east by East Gojjam.

Towns in West Gojjam include Bahir Dar, Adet, Finote Selam, Bure, Quarit, Dega Damot, Sekela, Merawi, and Dembecha.

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this Zone has a total population of 2,106,596, of whom 1,058,272 are men and 1,048,324 women; with an area of 13,311.94 square kilometers, West Gojjam has a population density of 158.25.

[6] The Zonal Water Resource Development Office announced 29 July 2009 that it had completed construction of 943 wells and 89 springs in West Gojjam, which will benefit 331,000 people.

Using funds from the government, local NGOs and the public, this program improved the rate of access to clean water for inhabitants in the Zone from 39% to 50.6%.