Gambella at the shore of the Baro River is the last city before the Sudanese border and it tastes Sudanese as well as Ethiopian. It has a subtropical hot and humid climate. Its inhabitants, the Anuak and Nuer are very friendly people.
The Anuak are fisherman and mixed agriculturists, very tall and dark skinned, and they speak a language related to that of the Luo in Kenya.

The Nuer came from Sudan and are smaller than the Anuak but also dark-skinned. It is interesting to visit the markets of the Nuer and Anuak in the town or to visit their villages outside and taste their culture and way of living. Or you can meet them near the Baro River where they come together for a bath, a walk or a gossip which is a colorful picture. It is a pleasant walk going along the riverside to see the old pier and steamship, silent witnesses of the industrious past of Gambella.

In 1907 Gambella was established by the Ethiopian emperor Menelik and the British as a port for export of coffee and other agricultural products via the Baro river to Sudan and Egypt. It became a British territory and was a prosperous trade centre. In 1936 the Italians captured Gambella but after a bloody battle it was returned to England in 1941. Then it became a part of Sudan but was given back to Ethiopia in 1956. Under the regime of Mengistu the port ceased functioning but nowadays the government is planning to revive it. So probably Gambella will regain its old glory again in the near future.