Dire Dawa (Amharic: ድሬ ዳዋ, Oromo: Dire Dhawaa, lit. “Place of Remedy”Somali: Diri Dhaba, meaning “where Dir hit his spear into the ground” or “The true Dir”, Arabic: ديري داوا‎ is one of two chartered cities (astedader akabibi) in Ethiopia (the other being the capital, Addis Ababa). It is divided administratively into two woredas, the city proper and the non-urban woreda of Gurgura.

Dire Dawa lies in the eastern part of the nation, on the Dechatu River, at the foot of a ring of cliffs that has been described as “somewhat like a cluster of tea-leaves in the bottom of a slop-basin.” The western outskirts of the city lie on the Gorro River, a tributary of the Dechatu River. At a latitude and longitude of 9°36′N 41°52′ECoordinates: 9°36′N 41°52′E, Dire Dawa is the second-largest city in Ethiopia.

The city is an industrial centre, home to several markets and the Diredhawa Airport.