The Gurage are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group inhabiting Ethiopia. They inhabit the Gurage Zone and East Gurage Zone, a fertile, semi-mountainous region in Central Ethiopia Regional State, about 125 kilometers southwest of Addis Ababa, bordering the Awash River in the north, the Gibe River, a tributary of the Omo River, to the southwest, and Hora-Dambal in the east.

The Harari Region, officially the Harari People's National Regional State, is a regional state in eastern Ethiopia, covering the homeland of the Harari people. Formerly named Region 13, its capital is Harar, and the region covers the city and its immediate surroundings. Harari Region is the smallest regional state in Ethiopia in both land area and population. Harari and Oromo are the two official languages of the region. The region was created by splitting the Hundane woreda from East Hararghe Zone. As a result, Harari Region is enclaved by Oromia.