It is named after the Robe River, 80 kilometers of which flows through the woreda.

Part of the Arsi Zone, Robe is bordered on the south by the Shebelle River which separates it from the Bale Zone, on the southwest by Sherka, on the west by Tena,[1] on the north by Sude, on the northeast by Amigna, and on the east by Seru.

A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 51.1% is arable or cultivable, 4.9% pasture, 16.3% forest, and the remaining 27.7% is considered swampy, mountainous or otherwise unusable.

Other commercial activity consists of 1160 registered businesses of which 32.8% are wholesalers, 42.2% retailers and 19% service providers.

[4] Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 168,043, of whom 84,551 were males and 83,492 were females; 22,947 or 13.66% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 12.3%.