Located in the East Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region, it has a latitude and longitude of 08°54′N 39°55′E / 8.900°N 39.917°E / 8.900; 39.917 with an elevation of 947 meters above sea level.

[1] Notable local landmarks include Metehara Mikael Bet church, Mount Fentale to the north, Awash National Park to the northeast, and Lake Basaka to the south of the town.

[6] Despite that, few people lived in the area until the arrival of the Dutch corporation Handelsvereeningung Amsterdam (HVA), which established a factory to process sugar at Metehara, after it had been expelled from Indonesia in 1954.

[7] In 1970, the Karrayyu Oromo staged an armed demonstration in Metehara which destroyed fences and buildings at the HVA plantation.

[8] Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Metehara has an estimated total population of 21,348 of whom 10,763 were men and 10,585 were women.