Dire Dawa is one of the largest cities in Ethiopia, in the east of the country, a busy commercial city set in the hot lowlands below the eastern highlands. The city owes its existence to the railway: it grew up in the early twentieth century as a station and workshop town on the historic line built between Addis Ababa and the port of Djibouti, and it soon became a major trading centre, larger than the older walled city of Harar nearby. Today Dire Dawa is a lively hub of commerce and industry, at a crossroads of routes between the highlands, Djibouti and Somaliland, with markets, a mix of peoples and a distinct character of its own. Dire Dawa is reached by air into its airport, from Addis Ababa and elsewhere, and by rail and road. The climate is hot and dry for most of the year, with a couple of rainy spells and very warm temperatures.
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