Dawro Zone

Dawuro is a zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR). It located at about 500km in southwestern of Addis Abeba, the capital of Ethiopia and 275 km Hawassa, the capital of SNNPR. Dawruo is bordered on the south by Gamo Gofa, on the west by the Konta special woreda, on the north by the Gojeb River which defines its boundary with the Oromia Region, on the northeast by Hadiya and Kembata Tembaro, and on the east by Wolayita; the Omo River defines its eastern and southern boundaries. The administrative center of Dawuro was Waka before it was transferred to Tarcha.

Dawuro has 111 kilometers of all-weather roads and 123 kilometers of dry-weather roads, for an average road density of 53 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. High points in this Zone include Mount Holla (3720 meters).

Dawuro used to be part of the Semien (North) Omo Zone, and the 1994 national census counted its inhabitants as part of that Zone. However friction between the various ethnic groups in Semien Omo, which was often blamed on the Welayta for "ethnic chauvinism" and despite the efforts of the ruling party to emphasize the need to co-ordinate, consolidate, and unify the smaller ethnic units to achieve the "efficient use of scarce government resources", led to the division of the zone in 2000, resulting with the creation of the Dawuro, Gamo Gofa, and Wolayita Zones, and two special woredas.