Adwa, town, northern Ethiopia. Adwa lies on the east-west highway between Aksum and Adi Grat at its junction with the road north to Asmara (Asmera), in Eritrea. Adwa is a market centre (grains, honey, hides, coffee) for the Tigray people. The town is located 10 miles (16 km) west of an area of fantastic volcanic formations. On March 1, 1896, Emperor Menilek II defeated an Italian force there. Nearby are the ruins of Fremona, headquarters for the Portuguese Jesuits who came to Ethiopia in the 16th and 17th centuries. Pop. (2007 prelim.) 40,502.