Oromia in the context of "Amhara Region"

Addis Ababa (/ˌædɪs ˈæbəbə/ AD-iss AB-ə-bə; Amharic: አዲስ አበባ [adˈdis ˈaβəβa] , lit. 'new flower'; Oromo: Finfinnee, lit. 'fountain of hot mineral water') is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the eleventh-largest in Africa. At an elevation of 2,355 metres (7,726 ft), it is the fourth highest capital city in the world and the highest capital in Africa. Addis Ababa is a highly developed and important cultural, artistic, financial and administrative center of Ethiopia.

The founding history of Addis Ababa dates back to the late 19th century by Menelik II, Negus of Shewa, in 1886 after finding Mount Entoto unpleasant two years prior. At the time, the city was a resort town; its large mineral spring abundance attracted nobilities of the empire and led them to establish permanent settlement. It also attracted many members of the working classes – including artisans and merchants – and foreign visitors. Menelik II then formed his imperial palace in 1887. Addis Ababa became the empire's capital in 1889, and subsequently international embassies were opened. Urban development began with the 20th century, without any prior planning.

Oromo is an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Cushitic branch, primarily spoken by the Oromo people, native to the Ethiopian state of Oromia; and northern Kenya. It is used as a lingua franca in Oromia and northeastern Kenya. It is officially written in the Latin script, although traditional scripts are also informally used.

With more than 41.7 million speakers making up 33.8% of the total Ethiopian population, Oromo has the largest number of native speakers in Ethiopia, and ranks as the second most widely spoken language in Ethiopia by total number of speakers (including second-language speakers) following Amharic. Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by an additional half-million people in parts of northern and eastern Kenya. It is also spoken by smaller numbers of emigrants in other African countries such as South Africa, Libya, Egypt and Sudan. Oromo is the most widely spoken Cushitic language and among the five languages of Africa with the largest mother-tongue populations.

Dire Dawa (Oromo: Dirree Dhawaa, lit. 'Place of Remedy'; Somali: Diridhaba, meaning "where the Dir hit his spear into the ground" or "The true Dir", Amharic: ድሬዳዋ, Harari: ድሬዳዋ, lit. "Plain of Medicine") is a city in eastern Ethiopia near the Oromia Region and Oromo border and one of two chartered cities in Ethiopia (the other being Addis Ababa, the capital). Dire Dawa alongside present-day Sitti Zone were a part of the Dire Dawa autonomous region of the Somali Region stipulated in the 1987 Ethiopian Constitution until 1993 when it was split by the federal government into a separately administered chartered city.

It is divided administratively into two woredas, the city proper and the non-urban woredas of Gurgura.

The Hawiye (Somali: Hawiye; Arabic: بنو هوية) are one of the principal and largest of the Somali clans, tracing their lineage back to Sheikh Ahmed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Uthman, also known as Sheikh Hawiye, the eponymous figure of the clan. They are considered the earliest documented clan to have settled in the Somali peninsula, as noted in the 12th century by Al-Idrisi, occupying the regions spanning from Ras Hafun to Merca, which served as their capital. Presently, the Hawiye reside in central and southern Somalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, Ethiopia (specifically the Afar Region, Harari Region, Oromia, and the Somali Region), as well as Kenya (specifically the North Eastern Province and Eastern Province). Furthermore, they represent the majority of the population in the capital city of Mogadishu.

The Hawiye have historically exercised authority over large sections of the Horn of Africa as Sovereign Sultans and Imams overseeing crucial trade routes that have existed since the early periods of Somali maritime history. The coastal regions experienced a vibrant expansion of foreign trade and commerce, with numerous ships traversing between multiple kingdoms and empires in East Asia, South Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and East Africa making them very affluent. This political and economic influence continued to have relevance well into the modern age, with the Hawiye clan playing a pivotal and historically significant role in laying the foundations of the Somali nation. The enduring legacy of the Hawiye's governance and control over trade routes has left a lasting impact on the development and shaping of Somalia.

The Awash River (sometimes spelled Awaash; Oromo: Awaash or Hawaas, Amharic: ዐዋሽ, Afar: Hawaash We'ayot, Somali: Webiga Dir, Italian: Auasc) is a major river of Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia and empties into a chain of interconnected lakes that begins with Lake Gargori and ends with Lake Abbe (or Abhe Bad) on the border with Djibouti, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) from the head of the Gulf of Tadjoura. The Awash River is the principal stream of an endorheic drainage basin covering parts of the Amhara, Oromia and Somali Regions, as well as the southern half of the Afar Region. The Awash River basin, spanning 23 administrative zones, covers 10% of Ethiopia's area.

The basin usually has two rainy seasons, a shorter one around March (Belg), and a longer one between June and September (Kiremt), which partly fall into one longer rainy season. Climate change is predicted to increase the water deficiency in all seasons and for parts of the basin, due to a projected increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation.

The Somali Region (Somali: Dawlad Deegaanka Soomaalida, Amharic: ሱማሌ ክልል, romanized: Sumalē Kilil, Arabic: المنطقة الصومالية), also known as Soomaali Galbeed (lit. 'Western Somalia') and officially the Somali Regional State, is a regional state in eastern Ethiopia. It is the second largest region of Ethiopia in terms of area. The state borders the Ethiopian regions of Afar and Oromia to the west, as well as Djibouti to the north, Somaliland to the northeast, Somalia to the east and south; and Kenya to the southwest. Jijiga is the capital of the state.

The Somali regional government is composed of the executive branch, led by the President; the legislative branch, which comprises the State Council; and the judicial branch, which is led by the State Supreme Court.

The Oromo people (Oromo: Oromoo, pron. /ˈɒrəmoʊ/ ORR-əm-oh) are a Cushitic ethnic group native to the Oromia region of Ethiopia and parts of Northern Kenya. They speak the Oromo language (also called Afaan Oromoo), which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family.

They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Ethiopia. According to the last Ethiopian census of 2007, the Oromo numbered 25,488,344 people or 34.5% of the Ethiopian population. Recent estimates have the Oromo comprising 45,000,000 people, or 35.8% of the total Ethiopian population estimated at 116,000,000.

The Afar Region (/ˈɑːfɑːr/; Afar: Qafar Rakaakayak; Amharic: ዓፋር ክልል), formerly known as Region 2, is a regional state in northeastern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Afar people. Its capital is the planned city of Semera, which lies on the paved Awash–Assab highway. It is bordered by Eritrea to the north and Djibouti to the northeast; it also shares regional borders with the Tigray, Amhara, Oromo and Somali regions.

The Afar Triangle, the northern part of which is the Danakil Depression, is part of the Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia, and is located in the north of the region. It has the lowest point in Ethiopia and one of the lowest in Africa. The southern part of the region consists of the valley of the Awash River, which empties into a string of lakes along the Djibouti–Ethiopia border. Other notable landmarks include the Awash National Park.