Adama, also known as Nazareth (Amharic Nazret), is a city in Ethiopia and the capital of the Oromia Administrative State. It is located approximately 100 km southeast of Addis Ababa. The city sits below an escarpment to the west, and above the Great Rift Valley to the east. The 1994 population was 127,842. Recent estimates indicate that the current population exceeds 200,000.[1] Adama is one of the largest cities in Ethiopia and continues to grow rapidly.

Emperor Haile Selassie renamed the town after Biblical Nazareth, and this name was used throughout the twentieth century. The city has officially reverted to to its original Oromo language name, Adama, though "Nazareth" is still widely used.

In the early twenty-first century, the Ethiopian government moved the regional capital of Oromia from Addis Ababa to Adama, sparking considerable controversy. Critics of the move believe the national government wishes to deemphasize Addis Ababa's location within Oromia.[2],[3] On the other hand, the government maintains that Addis Ababa "has been found inconvenient from the point of view of developing the language, culture and history of the Oromo people."[4]

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 Assab (though the latter is not currently used by Ethiopia, following the 1998-2000 war with Eritrea). Additionally, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad runs through Adama.

Further reading

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