Adama

City in Oromia Region, Ethiopia

For other uses, see Adama (disambiguation).

"Nazreth" redirects here. For other uses, see Nazareth (disambiguation).

City in Oromia, Ethiopia

Adama

Adaamaa (Oromo)
አዳማ (Amharic)

Nazareth

City

From top: Addis Ababa-Dire Dawa Road; Saint Mary's Ethiopian Orthodox Church; Oromia Martyrs Monument; Adama City; Addis Ababa–Adama Expressway

Adama

Location within Ethiopia

Show map of Ethiopia

Adama

Location within the Horn of Africa

Show map of Horn of Africa

Adama

Location within Africa

Show map of Africa

Coordinates: 08°32′29″N 39°16′08″E﻿ / ﻿8.54139°N 39.26889°E﻿ / 8.54139; 39.26889
Country|  Ethiopia
Region|  Oromia
Zone| East Shewa
Area

[1]

• Total

| 29.86 km2 (11.53 sq mi)
Elevation

| 1,712 m (5,617 ft)
Population

(2007)[2]

• Total

| 220,212

• Estimate

(2021)[3]

| 435,222
• Density| 14,500/km2 (38,000/sq mi)
Time zone| UTC+3 (EAT)
Area code| (+251) 22
Climate| Aw

Adama (Oromo: Adaamaa, Amharic: አዳማ), formerly Nazreth (Amharic: ናዝሬት),[4] is one of the cities of Oromia Region of Ethiopia.[5][6][needs update?] Located in the East Shewa Zone 99 km (62 mi) southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, the city sits between the base of an escarpment to the west, and the Great Rift Valley to the east.

## Overview

[edit]

Adama is a busy transportation center. The city is situated along the road that connects Addis Ababa with Dire Dawa. A large number of trucks use this same route to travel to and from the seaports of Djibouti and Asseb (though the latter is not currently used by Ethiopia, following the Eritrean-Ethiopian War). Additionally, the new Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway runs through Adama.[6][7][8][9]

Adama Science and Technology University (ASTU) (formerly Nazareth Technique College) is located in Adama. Adama Stadium is the home of Adama City FC, a member of the Ethiopian Football Federation league.

## History

[edit]

The city name Adama may have been derived from the Oromo word adaamii, which means a cactus or a cactus-like tree.[10] More specifically, adaamii means Euphorbia candelabrum,[11] a tree of the spurge family, while hadaamii would mean Indian fig.[12] Following World War II, Emperor Haile Selassie renamed the town after Biblical Nazareth, and this name was used for the remainder of the twentieth century.[8] In 2000, the city officially reverted to its original Oromo name, Adama,[8][13] though Nazareth is still widely used.[14]

In 2000, the government moved the regional capital of Oromia from Addis Ababa to Adama,[8] sparking considerable controversy. Critics of the move believed that the Ethiopian government wished to deemphasize Addis Ababa's location within Oromia.[15][16] On the other hand, the government maintained that Addis Ababa "has been found inconvenient from the point of view of developing the language, culture and history of the Oromo people".[14]

On 10 June 2005, the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization (OPDO), part of the ruling EPRDF coalition, officially announced plans to move the regional capital back to Addis Ababa.[17]

## Demographics

[edit]

Ethnic groups of Adama as of 2007[update][2][failed verification]

1. Oromo (39.0%)
2. Amhara (34.5%)
3. Gurage (12.0%)
4. Siltʼe (5.02%)
5. Other (9.45%)

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this city has a total population of 220,212, an increase of 72.25% over the population recorded in the 1994 census, of whom 108,872 are men and 111,340 women. With an area of 29.86 square kilometers, Adama has a population density of 7,374.82; all are urban inhabitants. A total of 60,174 households were counted in this city, which results in an average of 3.66 persons to a household, and 59,431 housing units. The four largest ethnic groups reported in Adama were the Oromo (39.02%), the Amhara (34.53%), the Gurage (11.98%) and the Silte (5.02%); all other ethnic groups made up 9.45% of the population. Amharic was spoken as a first language by 59.25%, 26.25% spoke Oromo and 6.28% spoke Guragiegna; the remaining 8.22% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 63.62% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 24.7% of the population were Muslim, and 10.57% were Protestant.[2]

The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 127,842 of whom 61,965 were males and 65,877 were females.

## Transport

[edit]

Adama is a busy transportation center. The city is situated along the road that connects Addis Ababa with Dire Dawa. A large number of trucks use this same route to travel to and from the seaports of Djibouti and Asseb (though the latter is not currently used by Ethiopia, following the Eritrean-Ethiopian War). Additionally, the new Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway runs through Adama.[6][7][8][9]

## Education

[edit]

The Adama University was founded in 1993.

## Places of worship

[edit]

Among the places of worship, they are predominantly found Christian churches and temples (Oriental Orthodox: Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Muslim mosques and madresas; Protestant: Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, Evangelical Christian: Kale Heywet Word of Life Church, Full Gospel Believers Church, Catholic: Ethiopian Catholic Archeparchy of Addis Abeba).[18]

## Sport

[edit]

Adama Stadium is the home of Adama City FC, a member of the Ethiopian Football Federation league.

## Climate

[edit]

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as tropical wet and dry (Aw).

Climate data for Adama

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)  | 27.3
(81.1)  | 28.8
(83.8)  | 29.7
(85.5)  | 29.8
(85.6)  | 30.8
(87.4)  | 29.9
(85.8)  | 26.3
(79.3)  | 25.8
(78.4)  | 27.2
(81.0)  | 27.8
(82.0)  | 27.3
(81.1)  | 26.7
(80.1)  | 28.1
(82.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)  | 12.6
(54.7)  | 14.4
(57.9)  | 15.0
(59.0)  | 15.4
(59.7)  | 16.2
(61.2)  | 17.2
(63.0)  | 15.7
(60.3)  | 15.7
(60.3)  | 15.1
(59.2)  | 12.8
(55.0)  | 12.2
(54.0)  | 12.0
(53.6)  | 14.5
(58.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches)  | 15.4
(0.61)  | 33.3
(1.31)  | 56.4
(2.22)  | 58.1
(2.29)  | 62.3
(2.45)  | 58.6
(2.31)  | 232.8
(9.17)  | 227.0
(8.94)  | 100.8
(3.97)  | 37.4
(1.47)  | 10.2
(0.40)  | 8.0
(0.31)  | 900.3
(35.45)
Average relative humidity (%)  | 55  | 54  | 51  | 56  | 54  | 55  | 70  | 70  | 68  | 56  | 55  | 56  | 58
Source 1: Ethiopian Meteorological Institute[19]
Source 2: FAO (humidity)[20]

## Twin towns – sister cities

[edit]

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Ethiopia

Adama is twinned with:

* Aurora, United States[21]
* Sivas, Turkey[22]

## References

[edit]

* Africa portal

1. ^ Adama (Special District, Ethiopia)
2. ^ a b c Central Statistical Agency. 2010. Population and Housing Census 2007 Report, National. [ONLINE] Available at: http://catalog.ihsn.org/index.php/catalog/3583/download/50086. [Accessed 10 January 2017].
3. ^ "Population Projection Towns as of July 2021" (PDF). Ethiopian Statistics Agency. 2021. p. 31\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
4. ^ Alain Gascon, "Adaama" in Siegbert Uhlig, ed., Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2003, p.70.
5. ^ 2009 CIA map marks Nazrēt (Adama) as an administrative (regional) capital.
6. ^ a b c Eritrea and Ethiopia (Map). 1:5,000,000. Central Intelligence Agency. 2009. Map #803395.
7. ^ a b bing Maps (Map). Microsoft. 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
8. ^ a b c d e Lindahl, Bernhard (2005). "Naader - Neguz" (PDF). Nordic Africa Institute. pp. 8–13\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-03. Retrieved 2011-09-20. "The name was changed from Adama (Hadama) to Nazret (Nazareth) a little before 1948. This belonged to a general pattern of introducing Christian names instead of traditional Oromo names."
9. ^ a b Lindahl, Bernhard (2005). "Dil Amba - Djibiet" (PDF). Local History in Ethiopia. The Nordic Africa Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-03. Retrieved 2011-09-20. "The Franco-Ethiopian railway company in 1960-1963 carried out surveys for extending the railway with a 310 km line from Nazret to Dilla."
10. ^ "Origin and Development of Adama City". Adama City Administration. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
11. ^ Workineh Kelbessa (2001). "Traditional Oromo Attitudes towards the Environment: An Argument for Environmentally Sound Development" (PDF). Social Science Research Report Series (19): 44. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
12. ^ Ayele, Azimitachew (2010). "Chromosome Study of Local Farmers' Varieties of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. (Cactaceae) from Tigray, Northern Ethiopia" (PDF). p. 1.[permanent dead link]
13. ^ "Aadu - Alyume" (PDF). Local History in Ethiopia. Nordic Africa Institute. 2008. p. 28\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
14. ^ a b "Nazareth Selected as Oromiya's Capital". Walta Information Center. July 13, 2000. Archived from the original on 3 March 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2006.
15. ^ Hameso, Seyoum and Tilahun Ayanou Nebo (2000). "Ethiopia: A New Start?". The Sidama Concern. Archived from the original on 23 February 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2006.
16. ^ Mosisa, Abraham T. (January 13, 2004). "Letter to U.N. Secretary-General". Oromo Studies Association. Archived from the original on February 22, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2006.
17. ^ "Chief Administrator of Oromia says decision to move capital city based on study". Walta Information Center. 2005-06-11. Archived from the original on June 13, 2005. Retrieved February 25, 2006.
18. ^ J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 1004-1007
19. ^ "Climate of Major Cities". National Metrology Institute of Ethiopia. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
20. ^ "CLIMWAT climatic database". Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
21. ^ "Our Sister Cities". Aurora Sister Cities International. 20 January 2019. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
22. ^ "Uzaklar Yakinlaşti - Sivas Twin Towns". Archived from the original on December 27, 2013.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Briggs, Philip. Guide to Ethiopia. Old Saybrook, Connecticut: Globe Pequot Press, 1995. ISBN 1-56440-814-0

## External links

[edit]

* Adama Chamber of Commerce
* Media related to Adama at Wikimedia Commons
* Adama travel guide from Wikivoyage

* v
* t
* e

Zones and Districts of the Oromia Region

List of districts in the Oromia Region

Arsi Zone|

* Aminya
* Aseko
* Asella Town
* Bale Gasegar
* Batu Dugda
* Chole
* Digeluna Tijo
* Diksis
* Dodota
* Enkelo Wabe
* Gololcha
* Guna
* Hitosa
* Jeju
* Limuna Bilbilo
* Lude Hitosa
* Merti
* Munesa
* Robe
* Seru
* Sire
* Sherka
* Sude
* Tena
* Tiyo

Bale Zone|

* Agarfa
* Robe Town
* Berbere
* Dawe Kachen
* Dawe Serara
* Delo Menna
* Dinsho
* Gasera
* Ginir
* Goba
* Goba Town
* Gololcha
* Goro
* Guradamole
* Legehida
* Raytu
* Seweyna
* Sinana

Borena Zone|

* Arero
* Dillo
* Dire
* Gomole
* Miyu
* Moyale
* Teltele
* Yabelo

Buno Bedele Zone|

* Bedele Zuria
* Bedele Town
* Borecha
* Chewaka
* Chora
* Dabo Hana
* Dega
* Didessa
* Gechi
* Mako

East Borana Zone|

* Guji woreda
* Gumi Eldalo
* Harena Buluk
* Liben
* Meda Welabu
* Moyale
* Moyale woreda
* Negele Borana
* Oborso
* Wachile

East Hararghe Zone|

* Babile
* Badeno
* Chinaksen
* Dadar
* Fedis
* Girawa
* Gola Oda
* Goro Gutu
* Gursum
* Haro Maya
* Jarso
* Kersa
* Kombolcha
* Kurfa Chele
* Malka Balo
* Meyumuluke
* Meta
* Midega Tola

East Shewa Zone|

* Ada'a
* Adami Tullu and Jido Kombolcha
* Batu town
* Bishoftu
* Bora
* Boset
* Dugda
* Fentale
* Gimbichu
* Liben
* Lome
* Nannawa Adama

East Welega Zone|

* Bonaya Boshe
* Diga
* Gida Kiremu
* Gobu Seyo
* Gudeya Bila
* Guto Gida
* Haro Limmu
* Ibantu
* Jimma Arjo
* Leka Dulecha
* Limmu
* Nekemte
* Nunu Kumba
* Sasiga
* Sibu Sire
* Wama Hagalo
* Wayu Tuka

Guji Zone|

* Adola
* Adola Town
* Ana Sora
* Bore
* Dima
* Girja
* Harenfema
* Odo Shakiso
* Uraga
* Wadera

Horo Guduru Welega Zone|

* Abay Chomen
* Abe Dongoro
* Amuru
* Guduru
* Hababo Guduru
* Horo
* Jardega Jarte
* Jimma Genete
* Jimma Rare
* Shambu Town

Illubabor Zone|

* Ale
* Alge Sache
* Bicho
* Bilo Nopha
* Bure
* Darimu
* Didu
* Doreni
* Huka Halu
* Hurumu
* Metu Zuria
* Metu Town
* Nono Sele
* Supena Sodo
* Yayu

Jimma Zone|

* Agaro Town
* Chora Botor
* Dedo
* Gera
* Gomma
* Guma
* Kersa
* Limmu Sakka
* Limmu Kosa
* Mana
* Omo Nada
* Seka Chekorsa
* Setema
* Shebe Senbo
* Sigmo
* Sokoru
* Tiro Afeta

Kelam Welega Zone|

* Anfillo
* Dale Sedi
* Dale Wabera
* Dembidolo Town
* Gawo Kebe
* Gidami
* Hawa Gelan
* Jimma Horo
* Lalo Kile
* Sayo
* Yemalogi Welele

North Shewa Zone|

* Abichu
* Aleltu
* Degem
* Dera
* Fiche Town
* Gerar Jarso
* Hidabu Abote
* Jido
* Kembibit
* Kuyu
* Liban
* Wara Jarso
* Wuchale
* Yaya Gulele

Southwest Shewa Zone|

* Amaya
* Becho
* Dawo
* Elu
* Goro
* Kersana Malima
* Seden Sodo
* Sodo Dacha
* Tole
* Waliso
* Waliso Town
* Wanchi

West Arsi Zone|

* Adaba
* Arsi Negele
* Dodola
* Gedeb Asasa
* Kofele
* Kokosa
* Kore
* Naannawa Shashamane
* Nensebo
* Seraro
* Shala
* Shashamane Town

West Guji Zone|

* Abaya
* Birbirsa Kojowa
* Bule Hora
* Bule Hora woreda
* Dugda Dawa
* Hambela Wamena
* Kercha
* Gelana
* Malka Soda
* Suro Barguda

West Hararghe Zone|

* Badessa Town
* Boke
* Char char
* Chiro Town
* Daru labu
* Doba
* Gamachis
* Guba Koricha
* Habro
* Kuni
* Masela
* Mieso
* Nannawa Chiro
* Tulo

West Shewa Zone|

* Abuna Ginde Beret
* Adda Berga
* Ambo Town
* Bako Tibe
* Cheliya
* Dano
* Dendi
* Dire Enchini
* Ejerie
* Elfata
* Ginde Beret
* Gurraacha Enchini
* Jeldu
* Jibat
* Meta Robi
* Midakegn
* Naannawa Ambo
* Nono
* Toke Kutaye

West Welega Zone|

* Ayra
* Babo Gambela
* Begi
* Boji Chokorsa
* Boji Dirmaji
* Genji
* Gimbi
* Gimbi Town
* Guliso
* Haru
* Homa
* Jarso
* Kondala
* Kiltu Kara
* Lalo Asabi
* Mana Sibu
* Nejo
* Nole Kaba
* Sayo Nole
* Yubdo

Oromia Special Zone
Surrounding Finfinne|

* Akaki
* Bereh
* Burayu Town
* Holeta Town
* Koye Feche
* Mulo
* Sebeta Hawas
* Sendafa Town
* Sululta
* Walmara

* v
* t
* e

Cities of Ethiopia

* Adama
* Addis Ababa
* Adigrat
* Adwa
* Ambo
* Arba Minch
* Areka
* Asella
* Awasa
* Axum
* Bahir Dar
* Batu
* Bedessa
* Bale Hawassa
* Bishoftu
* Bitena
* Boditi
* Bombe
* Debre Berhan
* Debre Marqos
* Debre Tabor
* Degehabur
* Dembidolo
* Dessie
* Dila
* Dimtu
* Dire Dawa
* Gambela
* Gesuba
* Goba
* Gode
* Gondar
* Gununo
* Harar
* Hosaena
* Irgalem
* Jijiga
* Jimma
* Kebri Dahar
* Kombolcha
* Mekelle
* Moyale
* Negele Arsi
* Negele Borana
* Nekemte
* Sebeta
* Shanto
* Shashamane
* Tebela
* Sodo
* Weldiya
* Wukro

Authority control databases

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