Located in the West Arsi Zone of the Oromia State, this town has a latitude and longitude of 06°59′N 39°11′E / 6.983°N 39.183°E / 6.983; 39.183, with an elevation ranging from 2362 to 2493 meters above sea level.

[1] The Italian Guida described Dodola in 1938 as a town with an important market in an area rich in resources of agriculture and forest, and having 150 inhabitants.

[2] The Ethiopian Ministry of Education gave permission on 21 March 1949 to a group of Danish missionaries to establish a station at Dodola, but due to funding issues the mission was not started until 1952.

Over the following years the station had a constant problem with retaining staff, but by 1971 it had secured support from the Lutheran World Federation.

[2] Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Dodola has an estimated total population of 24,767 of whom 12,444 are men and 12,323 are women.