Dembiya (Amharic: ደምቢያDembīyā; also transliterated Dembea, Dambya, Dembya, Dambiya, etc.) is a historic region ofEthiopia, intimately linked withLake Tana. According to the account ofManuel de Almeida, Dembiya was "bounded on East byBegemder, on South byGojjam, on West byAgaws ofAchefer and Tangha.Lake Tsana, formerly called Dambaya, is in this region."The region included the current woredas of Dembiya, Gondar zuriya, Libo Kemkem, Fogera, Dera. Takusa and Alefa. Dembiya encircled more than 89% of lake Tana (previously called lake Dembiya).^[1] The region was governed byAhmed ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi and also served well as his personal residence and seat of government during theEthiopian-Adal War. The rest of the province was divided among the Adalite soldiers while the nativeAmhara population served as peasant farmers.^[2][3]Alexander Murray, in his preface to the third volume ofBruce's account, further describes it as "on the east it includesFoggora,Dara, and Alata; on the north-eastGondar, the metropolis, and the rich district beneath it; on the southwest, the district of Bed (the plain barren country) and, on the west, the lands around Waindaga andDingleber."^[4]

Dembiya was incorporated into theBegemder province (which previously only included lands to the east of Lake Tana) during the reign of EmperorHaile Selassie, and in 1996 became aworeda of theAmhara Region.

12°21′00″N37°15′20″E / 12.3500°N 37.2556°E /12.3500; 37.2556