Nefas Mewch’a, Ethiopia
ነፋስ መውጫ
Nefas Mewch’a is a town of 44,200 people in Amhara, Ethiopia.
Why visit Nefas Mewch’a
Townapedia lists 1 place to stay in and around town.
Weather in Nefas Mewch’a
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About Nefas Mewch’a
Nefas Mewcha is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of 11°44′N 38°28′E and an elevation of 3150 meters above sea level. It is the administrative center of Lay Gayint woreda.
From the Wikipedia article Nefas Mewcha (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay1
Churches and places of worship4
Gas and EV charging1
Healthcare1
History
One of the earliest mentions of Nefas Mewcha is in the Royal chronicle of Emperor Susenyos, where the Emperor stopped during his campaign against the rebel Yona'el in 1620.
The Scots explorer James Bruce, who visited Ethiopia in the early 1770s, described Nefas Mewcha as "in the farthest limits" of the province of Begemder at the time, with the Wollo Oromo ruling the territories "behind this". James Bruce mentioned that the area south-east of Nefas Mewcha was a natural Barrier against the Oromo expansions and prevented them from settling in Begemder. In the last years of his reign, emperor Iyoas I fought a battle against the governor of Begemder, Ya Mariam Bariaw, who had killed his uncle Birale in an earlier battle. Ya Mariam Bariaw was defeated, and severely wounded; he fled to the nearby Wollo, who handed Ya Mariam Bariaw back to the half-Oromo Emperor for punishment.
By 1964, Nefas Mewcha was the administrative center of Gayint awraja.
Amnesty International reported that between 12-21 August 2021, during the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) occupation of the Amharan town of Nefas Mewcha. Fighters from Tigray committed heinous crimes against humanity against women including mass rape, gang rape, physical and verbal assaults, on top of looting medical facilities and private property.
From the History section of Nefas Mewcha on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Map of Nefas Mewch’a
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Getting there and nearby towns
Debre Tabor Airport (DBT) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 53 km away.
- Filakit 37 km east, about 37 min by car
- Debre Tabor 51 km west, about 51 min by car
- Wegeda 59 km south, about 59 min by car
- Ibnat 64 km northwest, about 1 h by car
- Lalibela 71 km northeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Werota 86 km west, about 1 h 30 min by car
- Ādīs Zemen 86 km northwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Page built November 4, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.