Quick answerDire Dawa is a city in Ethiopia, with 600,000 people inside the city limits in 2025. It is best known for the Railway heritage, the Kezira Old Town and the Khat trade. Its official languages include Afar, Amharic and 3 others, and its currency is the Ethiopian birr.
Dire Dawa is Ethiopia's second-largest city, with about 600,000 people in 2025. It stands in the east of the country on the railway to Djibouti and is known for its old quarter, Kezira, and its railway station.
Key facts
| Country | Ethiopia |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 600,000 (2025) |
| Elevation | 1276 m above sea level |
| Time zone | Africa/Addis_Ababa |
| Language | Afar, Amharic, Oromo, Somali, Tigrinya |
| Currency | Ethiopian birr (ETB, Br) |
| Coordinates | 9.6° N, 41.867° E |
Overview
Dire Dawa is Ethiopia's second-largest city, in the east of the country on the Dechatu River. It had about 600,000 people in 2025, with 277,000 in the urban area, and stands at 1,276 metres above sea level at the foot of a ring of cliffs.
The city was founded on 24 December 1902, when the railway from Djibouti reached the site, and it grew as a railway town and trading post. Its old quarter, Kezira, keeps French and Italian colonial buildings from the railway era, and the railway station is still its best-known landmark.
Today Dire Dawa is a chartered city with its own administration, a trading centre for the east and the gateway to Harar, the walled Muslim city to the south-east. Its markets trade khat, coffee and livestock, and the new standard-gauge railway to Djibouti runs past the city.
What Dire Dawa is known for
- Railway heritage
- Kezira Old Town
- Khat trade
- Gateway to Harar
- Colonial architecture
Landmarks
- Dire Dawa Railway Station
- Kezira Old Town
- Taiwan Market
- Dire Dawa University
- Dechatu River
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Dire Dawa?
About 600,000 people live in Dire Dawa (600,000 in 2025), with about 277,000 in the urban area. That makes Dire Dawa Ethiopia's second-largest city, far behind Addis Ababa, and the main city of the east, near the border with the Somali region.
What is Dire Dawa famous for?
Dire Dawa is famous as a railway city, founded in 1902 when the line from Djibouti reached the town. It is known for its old quarter, Kezira, with French and Italian colonial buildings, for its markets and khat trade, and as the gateway to the walled city of Harar.
Where is Dire Dawa located?
Dire Dawa is in eastern Ethiopia, on the Dechatu River at the foot of a ring of cliffs, about 500 kilometres east of Addis Ababa. It stands at 1,276 metres above sea level. Its coordinates are 9.60° N, 41.87° E, on the railway to Djibouti.
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Keep exploring
- Ethiopia — the country Dire Dawa is in
- Addis Ababa — another city in Ethiopia
- Mekelle — another city in Ethiopia
- Adama — another city in Ethiopia
- All cities in Ethiopia
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.