Kombolcha travel guide

Kombolcha is a city and woreda in north-central Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, it has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation between 1842 and 1915 meters above sea level. Some guide books describe Kombolcha as the twin city of Dessie to the southeast.
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Kombolcha has an estimated total population of 68,766 of whom 36,102 were males and 32,664 were females. The woreda has an estimated area of 8.66 square kilometers, which gives Kombolcha a density of 7,940.60 people per square kilometer. According to the 1994 national census, Kombolcha had a population of 39,466.
This city shares Combolcha Airport (ICAO code HADC, IATA DSE) with neighbouring Dessie. It is also home to Kombolcha Steel products, a metalworking factory that is part of MIDROC, a conglomerate owned by billionaire Sheikh Mohammed Al Amoudi.
Kombolcha was used as a base by the United Nations relief organization and other humanitarian groups during the 1984 famine. On 19 November 1989 the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) claimed to have captured Kombolcha. However, the highway from Kombolcha to Assab was not fully brought under TPLF control until the Derg was expelled from Tigray later that year. (...) more....