Hawassa known historically as Adare is a city in Ethiopia, on the shores of Lake Hawassa in the Great Rift Valley. It is 273 km south of Addis Ababa via Bishoftu, 130 km east of Sodo, and 75 km north of Dilla. The town serves as the capital of the Sidama Region. It lies on the Trans-African Highway 4 Cairo-Cape Town and has a latitude and longitude of 7°3′N 38°28′E and an elevation of 1,708 meters above sea level. Its name comes from a Sidamic word meaning "wide body of water".