Metehara

Metehara is a town located in central Ethiopia, within the East Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region. It lies at coordinates 08°54′N 39°55′E and has an elevation of 947 meters above sea level. The town is accessible via a station on the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway and hosts a Tuesday livestock market. Notable landmarks include Metehara Mikael Bet church, Mount Fentale to the north, Awash National Park to the northeast, and Lake Basaka to the south.

Metehara's inhabitants include the Karrayyu Oromo, Afar, Somali Dir clans (Issa and Gadabuursi), and Amhara. Historically, the area was settled by Somali migrants from the Issa and Gadabuursi clans during Emperor Menelik II's reign. The Dutch corporation Handelsvereeningung Amsterdam (HVA) established a sugar factory in Metehara after being expelled from Indonesia in 1954, which later faced nationalization in 1975.

The town experienced ethnic tensions during the 2002 drought when a Karrayyu Oromo leader was killed, leading to conflicts between the Karrayyu Oromo and Afar communities. According to the Central Statistical Agency (2005), Metehara had an estimated population of 21,348, with slight gender parity. In 1994, its population was recorded as 11,934, with a female majority.