Metu, Ethiopia
| Metu | |
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 Metu
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| Coordinates: 8°18′N 35°35′E / 8.300°N 35.583°ECoordinates: 8°18′N 35°35′E / 8.300°N 35.583°E | |
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Region | Oromia |
| Zone | Illubabor |
| Elevation | 1,605 m (5,266 ft) |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Total | 28,782 |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Metu (also Mettu) is a market town and separate woreda in south-western Ethiopia. Located in the Illubabor Zone of the Oromia Region (or kilil) along the Sor River, this town has a latitude and longitude of 8°18′N 35°35′E / 8.300°N 35.583°E and an altitude of 1605 meters. Metu was the capital of the former Illubabor Province from 1978 until the adoption of the new constitution in 1995.
Metu has been an important market of the coffee trade, with several foreigners residing in the town as early as the 1930s to buy the crops from local farmers. At this early date, the town was connected by telephone to Gore and Addis Ababa. The town's source of electricity is the nearby Sor Hydroelectric Station. The city also has a high school and hospital.
Metu is known for its local waterfalls, the best known being the Sor Falls and their surrounding forest with its wildlife.
On 9 July 1927, the Greek nationals T. Zewos and A. Donalis were awarded a contract to link the town and Gore by road with Gambela, 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.
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