Belessa

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Belessa is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the former province Belessa, which lay in the same area.

Part of the Semien Gondar Zone, Belessa is bordered on the south by the Debub Gondar Zone, on the west by Gondar Zuria, on the northwest by Wegera, on the northeast by Jan Amora, and on the east by the Wag Hemra Zone. Towns in Belessa include Arbaya and Hamusit.

Rivers in Belessa include the Balagas. A notable landmark is Mount Wehni, where the former royal prison of the heirs to the throne of the Emperor of Ethiopia was located.

Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 190,968, of whom 93,207 were males and 97,761 were females; 10,121 or 5.30% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 14.1%. With an estimated area of 2,560.63 square kilometers, Belessa has an estimated population density of 74.6 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 60.23.^[1]