Āfdem lies at the base of its namesake Mount Afdem, a volcanic cone with a denuded caldera.

Town amenities included a telegraph station and a good restaurant with some hotel rooms.

[1] Āfdem features a Semi arid but is influenced by the highland that are close by and gets around 600mm of rainfall a year so the land is somewhat well watered with warm, but hot, summers and cool winters.

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia published in 2005, Āfdem has an estimated total population of 2,129 of whom 1,092 are men and 1,037 women.

[3] The town's inhabitants belong to various mainly Afro-Asiatic-speaking ethnic groups, with the Issa Somali predominant.