Located in the Sitti Zone of the Somali Region, it is 9km northeast of Dire Dawa, the first station of the Ethio-Djibouti Railways east of Dire Dawa is at Shinile.

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

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Shinile has an estimated total population of 207,367.

[2] The 1997 census reported this town had a total population of 8,809 of whom 4,464 were men and 4,345 women.

Shinile has a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) in Köppen-Geiger system.