Unique among African countries,
the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule
with the exception of the 1936-41 Italian occupation during World War II.
In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who
had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody
coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the
regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution
was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held
in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990s ended with a peace
treaty in December 2000. The Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission in
November 2007 remotely demarcated the border by geographical coordinates,
but final demarcation of the boundary on the ground is currently on hold
because of Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding
requiring it to surrender territory considered sensitive to Ethiopia.
Geography
Ethiopia
Location:
Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 1,127,127 sq km
land: 1,119,683 sq km water: 7,444 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the
size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 5,328 km
border countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861
km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
tropical monsoon with wide
topographic-induced variation
Terrain:
high plateau with central
mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Denakil
Depression -125 m highest point: Ras Dejen 4,533 m
Natural resources:
small reserves of gold,
platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower
total: 5.56 cu km/yr
(6%/0%/94%) per capita: 72 cu m/yr (2002)
Natural hazards:
geologically active Great Rift
Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; overgrazing;
soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from
water-intensive farming and poor management
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not
ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
landlocked - entire coastline
along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24
May 1993; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume,
rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops
are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and
castor bean
People
Ethiopia
Population:
78,254,090 note:
estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of
excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy,
higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth
rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than
would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
total: 18.1 years
male: 18 years female: 18.2 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.231% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
36.8 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
14.49 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA note:
repatriation of Ethiopian refugees residing in Sudan is expected to
continue for several years; some Sudanese, Somali, and Eritrean refugees,
who fled to Ethiopia from the fighting or famine in their own countries,
continue to return to their homes (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83
male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 90.24
deaths/1,000 live births male: 99.72 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 80.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.43
years male: 48.26 years female: 50.64 years (2008
est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.99 children born/woman (2008
est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4.4% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.5 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
120,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases:
malaria respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies water contact
disease: schistosomiasis (2008)
Christian 60.8% (Orthodox
50.6%, Protestant 10.2%), Muslim 32.8%, traditional 4.6%, other 1.8% (1994
census)
Languages:
Amarigna 32.7%, Oromigna 31.6%,
Tigrigna 6.1%, Somaligna 6%, Guaragigna 3.5%, Sidamigna 3.5%, Hadiyigna
1.7%, other 14.8%, English (major foreign language taught in schools)
(1994 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write total population: 42.7%
male: 50.3% female: 35.1% (2003 est.)
Government
Ethiopia
Country name:
conventional long form:
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia conventional short
form: Ethiopia local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi
Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik local short form: Ityop'iya
former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa abbreviation:
FDRE
Government type:
federal republic
Capital:
name: Addis Ababa
geographic coordinates: 9 02 N, 38 42 E time
difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
Administrative divisions:
9 ethnically based states
(kililoch, singular - kilil) and 2 self-governing administrations*
(astedaderoch, singular - astedader); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar,
Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela
Peoples), Hareri Hizb (Harari People), Oromiya (Oromia), Sumale (Somali),
Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations,
Nationalities and Peoples)
Independence:
oldest independent country in
Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years
National holiday:
National Day (defeat of
MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991)
Constitution:
ratified 8 December 1994,
effective 22 August 1995
Legal system:
based on civil law; currently
transitional mix of national and regional courts; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8 October 2001) head of
government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since August 1995)
cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided for in the December
1994 constitution; ministers are selected by the prime minister and
approved by the House of People's Representatives elections:
president elected by the House of People's Representatives for a six-year
term (eligible for a second term); election last held 9 October 2007 (next
to be held in October 2013); prime minister designated by the party in
power following legislative elections election results: GIRMA
Woldegiorgis elected president; percent of vote by the House of People's
Representatives - 79%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists
of the House of Federation (or upper chamber responsible for interpreting
the constitution and federal-regional issues) (108 seats; members are
chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of
People's Representatives (or lower chamber responsible for passing
legislation) (547 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote from
single-member districts to serve five-year terms) elections:
last held 15 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election
results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPRDF 327, CUD 109,
UEDF 52, SPDP 23, OFDM 11, BGPDUF 8, ANDP 8, independent 1, others 6,
undeclared 2 note: some seats still remain vacant as detained
opposition MPs did not take their seats
Judicial branch:
Federal Supreme Court (the
president and vice president of the Federal Supreme Court are recommended
by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's
Representatives; for other federal judges, the prime minister submits to
the House of People's Representatives for appointment candidates selected
by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council)
Political parties and leaders:
Afar National Democratic Party
or ANDP; Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF
[Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for Unity and Democratic Party or CUDP [AYELE
Chamisso] (awarded to AYELE by the National Electoral Board on 11 January
2008, but AYELE has virtually no support among former CUD MPs, other CUD
MPs must now be affiliated with their original CUD-precursor parties);
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi]
(an alliance of Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM, Oromo
People's Democratic Organization or OPDO, the South Ethiopian People's
Democratic Front or SEPDF, and Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front or
TPLF); Gurage Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM; Oromo Federalist
Democratic Movement or OFDM [BULCHA Demeksa]; Omoro People's Congress or
OPC [IMERERA Gudina]; Somali People's Democratic Party or SPDP; United
Ethiopian Democratic Forces or UEDF [BEYENE Petros]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Ethiopian People's Patriotic
Front or EPPF; Ogaden National Liberation Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation
Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]
chief of mission:
Ambassador Samuel ASSEFA chancery: 3506 International Drive NW,
Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200
FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195 consulate(s) general: Los
Angeles consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Donald Y. YAMAMOTO embassy: Entoto Street, Addis
Ababa mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
telephone: [251] 11-517-40-00 FAX: [251]
11-517-40-01
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of
green (top), yellow, and red with a yellow pentagram and single yellow
rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk
centered on the three bands; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in
Africa, and the three main colors of her flag were so often adopted by
other African countries upon independence that they became known as the
pan-African colors
Economy
Ethiopia
Economy - overview:
Ethiopia's poverty-stricken
economy is based on agriculture, accounting for almost half of GDP, 60% of
exports, and 80% of total employment. The agricultural sector suffers from
frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the
Ethiopian economy with exports of some $350 million in 2006, but
historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to
supplement income. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought
have buffeted the economy, in particular coffee production. In November
2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor
Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in December 2005 the IMF voted to forgive
Ethiopia's debt to the body. Under Ethiopia's constitution, the state owns
all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the system
continues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneurs are
unable to use land as collateral for loans. Drought struck again late in
2002, leading to a 3.3% decline in GDP in 2003. Normal weather patterns
helped agricultural and GDP growth recover during 2004-07.
coffee, qat, gold, leather
products, live animals, oilseeds
Exports - partners:
Germany 12.8%, China 10.6%,
Japan 7.5%, US 6.8%, Saudi Arabia 5.9%, Djibouti 5.8%, Italy 5% (2006)
Imports:
$4.54 billion f.o.b. (2007
est.)
Imports - commodities:
food and live animals,
petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles,
cereals, textiles
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 18%, China 11.3%,
India 8.1%, Italy 5.1%, Germany 4.1% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$1.6 billion (FY05/06)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$840 million (31 December 2007
est.)
Debt - external:
$3.793 billion (31 December
2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Currency (code):
birr (ETB)
Currency code:
ETB
Exchange rates:
birr per US dollar - 8.96
(2007), 8.69 (2006), 8.68 (2005), 8.6356 (2004), 8.5997 (2003)
note: since 24 October 2001, exchange rates are determined on a
daily basis via interbank transactions regulated by the Central Bank
Fiscal year:
8 July - 7 July
Communications
Ethiopia
Telephones - main lines in use:
725,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
866,700 (2006)
Telephone system:
general assessment:
inadequate telephone system; the number of fixed lines and mobile
telephones is increasing from a very small base; combined fixed and
mobile-cellular teledensity is only about 2 per 100 persons
domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication
in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; 2 domestic satellites provide the
national trunk service international: country code - 251;
open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and
Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2
Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 0, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios:
15.2 million (2002)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus 24 repeaters) (2001)
Televisions:
682,000 (2002)
Internet country code:
.et
Internet hosts:
89 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)
Internet users:
164,000 (2005)
Transportation
Ethiopia
Airports:
84 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15 over
3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m:
5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 69 over
3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m:
11 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 21 (2007)
Railways:
total: 699 km (Ethiopian
segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad) narrow gauge: 699
km 1.000-m gauge note: railway under joint control of Djibouti
and Ethiopia but remains largely inoperable (2006)
Roadways:
total: 36,469 km
paved: 6,980 km unpaved: 29,489 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 10 ships (1000
GRT or over) 120,383 GRT/152,418 DWT by type: cargo 8, roll
on/roll off 2 (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Ethiopia is landlocked and uses
ports of Djibouti in Djibouti and Berbera in Somalia
Military
Ethiopia
Military branches:
Ethiopian National Defense
Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, Ethiopian Air Force (ETAF) (2008)
note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the
secession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in Eritrean
possession
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory
and voluntary military service; theoretically, no compulsory military
service, but the military can conduct call-ups when necessary and
compliance is compulsory (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49:
17,666,967 females age 16-49: 17,530,211 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49:
10,060,775 females age 16-49: 9,854,710 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 16-49: 910,602
females age 16-49: 911,081 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3% (2006)
Transnational Issues
Ethiopia
Disputes - international:
Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to
abide by the 2002 Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's (EEBC)
delimitation decision, but neither party responded to the revised line
detailed in the November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; UN Peacekeeping
Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), which has monitored the
25-km-wide Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000, is extended for
six months in 2007 despite Eritrean restrictions on its operations and
reduced force of 17,000; the undemarcated former British administrative
line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within
Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Ethiopian forces
invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in
January 2007; 'Somaliland' secessionists provide port facilities in
Berbera and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; civil unrest in eastern
Sudan has hampered efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of
origin): 66,980 (Sudan); 16,576 (Somalia); 13,078 (Eritrea)
IDPs: 200,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000, ethnic
clashes in Gambela, and ongoing Ethiopian military counterinsurgency in
Somali region; most IDPs are in Tigray and Gambela Provinces) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
transit hub for heroin
originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and destined for Europe, as
well as cocaine destined for markets in southern Africa; cultivates qat
(khat) for local use and regional export, principally to Djibouti and
Somalia (legal in all three countries); the lack of a well-developed
financial system limits the country's utility as a money laundering center
