Kembata Zone

Kembata(Amharic ከምባታ) is one of the zones of the Central Ethiopia Regional State of Ethiopia. The Central Ethiopia Regional State which was established on August 19, 2024 is divided into seven zones: Hadiya, Gurage, Siltie, East Gurage, Kembata, Halaba, and Yem zones, and three special districts (Tembaro, Mareko, and Qebena special districts). Kambata Zone (Amharic ከምባታ ዞን) is named after the Kambaata people. The Kambata language, Kambaatissa (ከምባቲሳ), belongs to the Cushtic language family in general and the Highland Eastern Cushitic in particular. The Kambata/Kambaatissa language group within the Highland Eastern Cushitic comprises Kambaatissa, Tembaro, Halaba and Qebena.

The Kambata Zone is bordered on the south by Wolayita, on the southwest by Dawro, on west by Tembaro special woreda, on the northwest by Hadiya, on the north by Gurage, on the east by the Alaba special woreda, and on the southeast by an exclave of the Hadiya Zone. The administrative center is Durame; other important towns include Shinshicho, Doyogena, Hadero, Damboya and Marre. Other local landmarks include the three mountains of Ambaricho, Kataa, and Datoo, and the hot springs at Motokoma. Mount Hambaricho is one of the highest mountains in the Southern Ethiopia, and it is also a historical center of the Kambata people. The longest river in the area is the Lagabora which in Kambaata means the "river of Bora".

Kembata has 217 kilometers of all-weather roads and 140 kilometers of dry-weather roads, for an average road density of 249 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. The Central Statistical Agency (CSA) reported that 8,364 tons of coffee were produced in Gurage, Hadiya and Kembata in the year ending in 2005, based on inspection records from the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea authority. This represents 8.33% of the SNNPR's output and 3.36% of Ethiopia's total output.