Metu

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Metu

Metu is a market town

Market town

Market town or market right is a law term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host Market, distinguishing them from villages and city....
in southwestern Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast....
. Located in the Illubabor Zone

Illubabor Zone

Illubabor is one of the 12 zones of the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Illubabor is named for the former province Illubabor Province.Illubabor is bordered on the south by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on the southwest by the Gambela Region, on the west by Misraq Welega Zone, on the north by the Benishangul-Gumuz Region...
of the Oromia Region

Oromia Region

Oromia is one of the nine Regions of Ethiopia of Ethiopia. Covering 353,632 square kilometers stretching from the eastern border in an arc to the southwestern corner of the country, its population was estimated in 2002 at about twenty-four million, making it the largest state in terms of both population and area....
(or kilil) along the Sor River, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an altitude of 1605 meters. Metu was the capital of the former Illubabor Province

Illubabor Province

Illubabor was a province in the south-western part of Ethiopia, along the border with Sudan. The name Illubabor is said to come from two Oromo language words, "Illu" and "Ababor"....
from 1978 until the adoption of the 1995 constitution.

Metu has been an important market of the coffee

Coffee

Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the Coffea. Caffeinated coffee has a stimulating effect in humans....
trade, with several foreigners residing in the town as early as the 1930s to buy the crops from local farmers.

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Encyclopedia

Metu is a market town

Market town

Ethiopia

Illubabor Zone

Oromia Region

Illubabor Province

Coffee

Gore, Ethiopia

Gore is a town in southwestern Ethiopia. Located south of Metu in the Illubabor Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 2085 meters....
and Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia and the African Union and its predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity. It is also the largest city in Ethiopia....
. The town's source of electricity is a single generator; the Spectrum Guide to Ethiopia describes how it "chugs and puffs bravely for an hour or two before it is closed down and darkness and silence fall over the town."

Metu is known for its local waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is usually a geology geologic formation resulting from water, often in the form of a stream, flowing over an erosion-resistant rock formation that forms a nickpoint, or sudden break in elevation....
s, the best known being the and their surrounding forest

Forest

File:Stara planina suma.jpgA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on various criteria....
with its wildlife

Wildlife

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals, and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
.

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency

Central Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)

The Central Statistical Agency is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field....
in 2005, Metu has an estimated total population of 22,103 of whom 11,442 were males and 10,661 were females. The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 19,298 of whom 9,686 were males and 9,612 were females. It is the largest settlement in Metu

Metu (woreda)

Metu is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Illubabor Zone, Metu is bordered on the south by Ale , on the southwest by Bure , on the west by the Mirab Welega Zone, on the north by Darimu, on the northeast by Supena Sodo, on the east by Yayu and on the southeast by Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples R...
woreda

Woreda

Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district. Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia....
.

History

On 9 July 1927, the Greek

Greeks in Ethiopia

The Greek community in Ethiopia today numbers about 500 persons and can be traced back to the 18th century. It is mainly located in the capital, Addis Ababa, and the city of Dire Dawa....
nationals T. Zewos and A. Donalis were awarded a contract to link the town and Gore by road with Gambela

Gambela, Ethiopia

Gambela is a city in Ethiopia and the capital of the Gambela Region or kilil. Located in Administrative Zone 1 , at the confluence of the Baro River and its tributary the Jajjaba, the city has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 526 meters....
, a distance of 180 kilometers. In the 1930s, Metu was the last stop before reaching Gore. At the time it was a center for mule caravans and later also as a terminal for the Ethiopian Transport Motor Company.

The private weekly Urji reported 11 July 1995 that some 400 prisoners reportedly escaped when a grenade was set off at the Bisheri prison in Metu. The prison guards were killed immediately as well as at least six other people.