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Dire Dawa
Dire Dawa is city in Harar region,
Ethiopia. It is a commercial and industrial center located
on the Addis Ababa–Djibouti railroad. Manufactures include
processed meat, vegetable oil, textiles, and cement. There
are also railroad workshops in the city. Dire Dawa was
founded in 1902 when the railroad from Djibouti reached
the area, and its growth has resulted largely from trade
brought by the railroad.
Climate
The climatic
condition of Dire Dawa seems to be greatly influenced by
its topography, which lies between 950 – 1250 meter above
sea level, and which is characterized by warm and dry
climate with a relatively low level of precipitation. The
mean annual temperature of Dire Dawa is about 25.40C. The
average maximum temperature of Dire Dawa is 31.40C, while
its average minimum temperature is about 18.20C. The
region has two rain seasons; that is, a small rain season
from March to April, and a big rain season that extends
from August to September. The aggregate average annual
rainfall that the region gets from these two seasons is
about 604 mm. On the other hand, the region is believed to
have an abundant underground water resource.
Population:
According to the 1994
census, the total population was 151,864, of which 127,286
were males and 124,578 females. Dire Dawa has
become home for peoples from a number of nations and
nationalities found in the country as well as for people
from India, Yemen, Turkey, etc.2.4.
LANGUAGES AND RELIGION
Language and Religion:
A number of Ethiopian Languages including
Oromiffa, Amharic, Somali, Guragigna, Tigrigna, Harari,
etc. are widely spoken in Dire Dawa by the people from the
various nations and nationalities living in Dire Dawa.
Amharic is used as a working language in the city. Arabic
also serves as a medium of communication in some sectors
of the city.
The presence of conducive environments
like similarity in lifestyles, closeness and friendship
among the people of the city have contributed to the
creation of a unique blending of custom thattranscends any
cultural and language barriers. As a result of this,
nearly all the people living especially in the central and
eastern sections of the city are able to speak two or more
languages. The predominant religions practiced in the
region are Islam and Christianity. However, we can find
people from other religious groups like Hindu and the like
in the city.
Tourism:
Dire Dawa has
a rich wealth of pre-historic cave paintings some of which
have achieved international recognition through the
efforts of the French and American Geologists that have
studied them several times in the last 75 years, while
there are still other caves that have never been studied
so far.
The remains of
the British airmen and African soldiers who, during the
second World War, fought besides the Ethiopian forces to
liberate Ethiopia from Italian occupation.
The railway
line that reached Dire Dawa in 1902 is believed to have
been the reason the city came into being in the first
place. That is why the railway station is one of the
destinations of tourists and other visitors coming to the
city.
Kefira is a
traditional market place where one can see the colorful
presentation of all people of the region in their cultural
dresses. The presence of camels, donkeys, and the
inevitable Gharris, two wheeled carts drown by a horse or
a mule, gives it an aura of going back to medieval times.
This is one of
largest mosques found in the city. It is called Italian
Mosque because the Italians built it during their
short-lived occupation of Ethiopia.
St. Michel’s
Catholic Church was built over 115 years ago, and is
located 26 kilometres from the city near a place called
Beyo Awale. During the month of October Catholic believers
from Dire Dawa, Harar, and other place annually gather at
the church in there thousands.
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