Debarwa (Tigrinya: ድባርዋ^?) is a market town with a population of about 25,000 in central Eritrea, about 25 kilometers south of the capital Asmara. It is the capital of the Debarwa district (Tsilima) in the Debub ("Southern") administrative region (one of five in Eritrea). A High School and Junior school serve the local villages, while telephone and mail services are provided for the outlying population.

Debarwa was formerly the capital of an ancient Kingdom named Medri Bahri which roughly translates as sealand, and was ruled by the Bahr negus (King of the sea). The Portuguese expedition under Cristóvão da Gama spent the rainy season of 1542 in Debarwa as the guests of the Bahr negus. The Ottomans invaded part of Midre Bahri in 1557, and for several decades struggled for control over the local population and their Ethiopian neighbors. By the time everything settled, the Ottomans were confined to Suakin, Massawa, Hergigo and the immediate hinterlands, but at times their raids would reach into Bogos, Hamasien and Habab districts of Eritrea.