Semera

Samara (Afar: Samara; Amharic: ሰመራ) is the capital of Afar Region, Ethiopia. It is a town on the Awash–Assab highway in north-east Ethiopia, having been planned and built to replace Asaita. Located in Administrative Zone 1, Samara has a latitude and longitude of 11°47′32″N 41°0′31″E / 11.79222°N 41.00861°E / 11.79222; 41.00861. One of the completed buildings is Samara University, which began holding classes in 2007.

The 2006 Lonely Planet guide to Ethiopia had this description of Samara:

With its quirky mix of barracks, modern apartment blocks, and soulless administrative buildings, it looks like a microscopic version of Brasília emerging incongruously in the middle of the desert – except that it's a completely botched attempt at creating a new town.

The 2009 Lonely Planet guide omitted the final phrase following the dash. The 2002 edition of Ethiopia: the Bradt travel guide described Semera as consisting of "one active filling station (complete with fridge) and a cluster of modern offices and tall apartment blocks in various states of construction – all in mad isolation from any existing settlement!"

The area is served by Sultan Ali Mirah Airport, which has scheduled service to Addis Ababa.