Atbarah or Atbara (both: ătbä´rə), town (1993 pop. 87,878), E Sudan, at the junction of the Atbara and Nile rivers. An important rail junction, it is also the headquarters of Sudan railway system and has large railroad workshops. Most of the town's workers are connected with service and maintenance jobs on the rail lines. Sudanese trade unionism originated in Atbarah in 1946 with the founding of a workers' association among railroad employees.

Atbara (ăt´bärä), river, NE Africa, rising in NW Ethiopia and flowing c.500 mi (800 km) to the Nile at Atbarah, Sudan; before entering Sudan it forms the Eritrean-Ethiopian border. There are few permanent settlements along its banks. The Atbara's water level is very low, except during the rainy season (from June to October). The river is called the Tekeze in its early stages in Ethiopia and the Setit in W Ethiopia and E Sudan.