   #copyright

Ethiopia

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Countries;
Countries

   SOS Children works in Ethiopia. For more information see SOS Children
   in Ethiopia, Africa

          Note: This article contains special characters. Can't See the
          fonts

   የኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራላዊ
   ዲሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ
   ye-Ītyōṗṗyā Fēdēralāwī Dīmōkrāsīyāwī Rīpeblīk
   Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

   Flag of Ethiopia Coat of arms of Ethiopia
   Flag             Coat of arms
   Motto: none
   Anthem: Wodefit Gesgeshi, Widd Innat Ityopp'ya
   "March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia"
   Location of Ethiopia
   Capital
   (and largest city) Addis Ababa
   9°01′N 38°44′E
   Official languages Amharic
   Government Federal republic^1
    - President Girma Wolde-Giorgis
    - Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
   Establishment
    - Traditional date c.980 BCE
    - Kingdom of Dʿmt 8th century BCE
    - Kingdom of Aksum 1st century BCE
   Area
    - Total 1,104,300 km² ( 27th)
   426,371 sq mi
    - Water (%) 0.7
   Population
    - 2006 estimate 75,067,000 ( 15th^2)
    - 1994 census 53,477,265
    - Density 70/km² ( 123rd)
   181/sq mi
   GDP ( PPP) 2005 estimate
    - Total $60.099 billion ( 69th)
    - Per capita $823 ( 173rd)
   HDI  (2004) 0.371 (low) ( 170th)
   Currency Birr ( ETB)
   Time zone EAT ( UTC+3)
    - Summer ( DST) not observed ( UTC+3)
   Internet TLD .et
   Calling code +251
   ^1 Ostensibly Ethiopia is a democracy, but has a dominant-party system
   led by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front.
   ^2 Rank based on 2005 population estimate by the United Nations.

   Ethiopia ( Ge'ez: ኢትዮጵያ ʾĪtyōṗṗyā), officially the Federal Democratic
   Republic of Ethiopia, is a country situated in the Horn of Africa. It
   is the second-most populous nation in Africa, bordered by Eritrea to
   the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the southeast, Kenya
   to the south, and Sudan to the west. Ethiopia is the oldest independent
   country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world. Recently being
   regarded as "the cradle of civilization", Ethiopia is also the
   second-oldest official Christian nation in the world after Armenia. It
   has long been an intersection between the civilizations of North
   Africa, the Middle East and the rest of Africa. Unique among African
   countries, Ethiopia was never colonised, maintaining its independence
   throughout the Scramble for Africa. In addition, Ethiopia has long been
   a member of international organisations: it became a member of the
   League of Nations, signed the Declaration by United Nations in 1942,
   founded the UN headquarters in Africa, was one of the fifty-one
   original members of the United Nations, and is the headquarters for and
   the main founder of the former Organisation of African Unity and
   current African Union.

   Ethiopia was also historically called Abyssinia, derived from the
   Arabic form of the Ethiosemitic name "ḤBŚT," modern Habesha. In some
   countries, Ethiopia is still called by names cognate with "Abyssinia,"
   e.g. Turkish Habesistan and Arabic Al Habesh, meaning land of the
   Habesha people. The English name "Ethiopia" is thought to be derived
   from the Greek word Αἰθιοπία Aithiopia, from Αἰθίοψ Aithiops ‘an
   Ethiopian’, derived from Greek terms meaning "of burnt ( αιθ-) visage
   (ὄψ)". However, this etymology is disputed, since the Book of Aksum, a
   Ge'ez chronicle first composed in the 15th century, states that the
   name is derived from "' Ityopp'is", a son (unmentioned in the Bible) of
   Cush, son of Ham who according to legend founded the city of Axum.

History

   Human settlement in Ethiopia is very ancient: bones of the earliest
   ancestors to the human species, discovered in Ethiopia, have been
   assigned dates as long ago as 5.8 million years. Together with Eritrea
   and the southeastern part of the Red Sea coast of Sudan, it is
   considered the most likely location of the land known to the ancient
   Egyptians as Punt (or "Ta Netjeru," meaning land of the Gods), whose
   first mention dates to the twenty-fifth century BC. Around the eighth
   century BC, a kingdom known as Dʿmt was established in northern
   Ethiopia and Eritrea, with its capital at Yeha in northern Ethiopia.
   Most modern historians consider this civilization to be indigenous,
   although Sabaean-influenced due to the latter's hegemony of the Red
   Sea, while others view D`mt as the result of a mixture of "culturally
   superior" Sabaeans and indigenous peoples; a very small minority even
   views the kingdom as wholly Sabaean and Ethiopians as the descendents
   of an admixture of ancient Sabaean immigrants and Indigenous Africans.
   However, there is archaeological evidence to prove that at one point in
   time a region in Northern Ethiopia and Eritrea was called Saba.
   However, most modern scholars often refer to it as Ethiopian Saba since
   it had a separate entity than the Saba in Yemen.

   After the fall of D`mt in the fifth century BC, the plateau came to be
   dominated by smaller successor kingdoms, until the rise of one of these
   kingdoms during the first century BC, the Aksumite Kingdom, ancestor of
   medieval and modern Ethiopia, which was able to reunite the area. They
   established bases on the northern highlands of the Ethiopian Plateau
   and from there expanded southward. The Persian religious figure Mani
   listed Axum with Rome, Persia, and China as one of the four great
   powers of his time. It was in the early fourth century AD that a
   Syro-Greek castaway, Frumentius, was taken to the court and eventually
   converted King Ezana to Christianity, thereby making it the official
   state religion. For this accomplishment, he received the title "Abba
   Selama" ("Father of peace"). At various times, including a fifty-year
   period in the sixth century, Axum controlled most of modern-day Yemen
   and some of southern Saudi Arabia just across the Red Sea, as well as
   controlling southern Egypt, northern Sudan, northern Ethiopia, Eritrea,
   Djibouti, and northern Somalia.

   The line of rulers descended from the Axumite kings was broken several
   times: first by the Jewish (unknown/or pagan) Queen Gudit around 950
   (or possibly around 850, as in Ethiopian histories). It was then
   interrupted by the Zagwe dynasty; it was during this dynasty that the
   famous rock-hewn churches of Lalibela were carved under King Lalibela,
   allowed by a long period of peace and stability. Around 1270, the
   Solomonic dynasty came to control Ethiopia, claiming descent from the
   kings of Axum. They called themselves Neguse Negest ("King of Kings,"
   or Emperor), basing their claims on their direct descent from Solomon
   and the queen of Sheba.

   During the reign of Emperor Yeshaq, Ethiopia made its first successful
   diplomatic contact with a European country since Aksumite times,
   sending two emissaries to Alfons V of Aragon, who sent return
   emissaries that failed to complete the trip to Ethiopia. The first
   continuous relations with a European country began in 1508 with
   Portugal under Emperor Lebna Dengel, who had just inherited the throne
   from his father. This proved to be an important development, for when
   the Empire was subjected to the attacks of the Adal General and Imam,
   Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi (called "Grañ", or "the Left-handed"),
   Portugal responded to Lebna Dengel's plea for help with an army of four
   hundred men, who helped his son Gelawdewos defeat Ahmad and
   re-establish his rule. However, when Emperor Susenyos converted to
   Roman Catholicism in 1624, years of revolt and civil unrest followed
   resulting in thousands of deaths. The Jesuit missionaries had offended
   the Orthodox faith of the local Ethiopians, and on June 25, 1632
   Susenyos' son, Emperor Fasilides, declared the state religion to again
   be Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and expelled the Jesuit
   missionaries and other Europeans.

   All of this contributed to Ethiopia's isolation from 1755 to 1855,
   called the Zemene Mesafint or "Age of Princes." The Emperors became
   figureheads, controlled by warlords like Ras Mikael Sehul of Tigray,
   and later by the Oromo Yejju dynasty. Ethiopian isolationism ended
   following a British mission that concluded an alliance between the two
   nations; however, it was not until the reign of Emperor Tewodros II,
   who began modernizing Ethiopia and recentralizing power in the Emperor,
   that Ethiopia began to take part in world affairs once again.
   Yohannes IV of EthiopiaEmperor of Ethiopia and King of Zion, with his
   son and heir, Ras Araya Selassie Yohannis.
   Enlarge
   Yohannes IV of EthiopiaEmperor of Ethiopia and King of Zion, with his
   son and heir, Ras Araya Selassie Yohannis.

   The 1880s were marked by the Scramble for Africa and modernization in
   Ethiopia, when the Italians began to vie with the British for influence
   in bordering regions. Assab, a port near the southern entrance of the
   Red Sea, was bought from the local Afar sultan, vassal to the Ethiopian
   Emperor, in March 1870 by an Italian company, which by 1890 led to the
   Italian colony of Eritrea. Conflicts between the two countries resulted
   in the Battle of Adowa in 1896, whereby the Ethiopians surprised the
   world by defeating the colonial power and remaining independent, under
   the rule of Menelik II. Italy and Ethiopia signed a provisional treaty
   of peace on October 26, 1896.

   The early twentieth century was marked by the reign of Emperor Haile
   Selassie I, who undertook the rapid modernization of Ethiopia —
   interrupted only by the brief Italian occupation ( 1936– 1941). British
   and patriot Ethiopian troops liberated the Ethiopian homeland in 1941,
   which was followed by sovereignty on January 31, 1941 and British
   recognition of full sovereignty (i.e. without any special British
   privileges) with the signing of the Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement in
   December 1944.

   However, Haile Selassie's government suffered various economic issues
   that led to the 1972-74 drought in Wallo killing 200,000 Ethiopians.
   Although Haile-Selassie was seen as a national and African hero,
   opinion turned against him as nobility filled their pockets while
   millions of landless peasants went hungry. In 1974 students, workers,
   peasants and the army rose against him. Haile Selassie's reign came to
   an end in 1974, mostly due to the economic hardship when a pro- Soviet
   Marxist-Leninist military junta, the " Derg", deposed him and
   established a one-party communist state. The ensuing regime suffered
   several coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and a massive refugee
   problem. In 1977 Somalia attacked Ethiopia, which sparked the Ogaden
   War, but Ethiopia quickly defeated them with a massive influx of Soviet
   military hardware and a Cuban military presence coupled with East
   Germany and South Yemen the following year. However from 1975- 1978,
   Mengistu Haile Mariam's Red Terror and massive relocation project led
   to the democide of 1,500,000 Ethiopians. In spite of accruing one of
   the largest armies in Africa due to benevolent military assistance from
   Socialist Bloc countries, an unending insurgency in the then provinces
   of Eritrea and Tigray, a major drought in 1985 and regime changes in
   the former Socialist Bloc culminated in the Derg regime being defeated
   in 1991 by the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) in the far
   north, and elsewhere by the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic
   Front (EPRDF), a loose coalition of rebel forces mainly dominated by
   the Tigrean People's Liberation Front. In 1993, following a referendum,
   the province of Eritrea became independent from Ethiopia, ending more
   than twenty years of armed conflict, one of the longest in Africa. In
   1994, a constitution was adopted that led to Ethiopia's first
   multiparty elections in the following year. In May 1998, a dispute over
   the undemarcated border with Eritrea led to the Eritrean-Ethiopian War
   that lasted until June 2000. This has hurt the nation's economy, but
   strengthened the ruling coalition. On May 15, 2005, Ethiopia held
   another multiparty election, and resulted in the EPRDF's disputed
   return to power. In early June and again in November, police under the
   command of the EPRDF shot and killed 194 demonstrators and imprisoned
   thousands (including prominent opposition figures) who were protesting
   the alleged election fraud. However 8,000 prisoners have already been
   freed. And in October 2006, CUD supporters went to court as witnesses
   to accuse the opposition sub-party AEUP's leadership of attempting to
   stage a "coup" and encouraging its supporters to start an armed
   rebellion.

Politics

   Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
   Enlarge
   Prime Minister Meles Zenawi

   The election of Ethiopia's 547-member constituent assembly was held in
   June 1994. This assembly adopted the constitution of the Federal
   Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in December 1994. The elections for
   Ethiopia's first popularly-chosen national parliament and regional
   legislatures were held in May and June 1995. Most opposition parties
   chose to boycott these elections. There was a landslide victory for the
   Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).
   International and non-governmental observers concluded that opposition
   parties would have been able to participate had they chosen to do so.

   The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia was
   installed in August 1995. The first President was Negasso Gidada. The
   EPRDF-led government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has promoted a
   policy of ethnic federalism, devolving significant powers to regional,
   ethnically-based authorities. Ethiopia today has nine semi-autonomous
   administrative regions that have the power to raise and spend their own
   revenues. Under the present government, Ethiopians enjoy greater
   political participation and freer debate than ever before in their
   history, although some fundamental freedoms, including freedom of the
   press, are, in practice, somewhat circumscribed.

   Zenawi's government was re-elected in 2000 in Ethiopia's first
   multi-party elections. The incumbent President is Girma Wolde-Giorgis
   with his term ending in 2006.

   Since 1991, Ethiopia has established warm relations with the United
   States and western Europe and has sought substantial economic aid from
   Western countries and the World Bank. In 2004, the government began a
   drive to move more than two million people away from the arid highlands
   of the east, proposing that these resettlements would reduce food
   shortages.

   Ethiopia held another general election in May 2005, which drew a record
   number of voters, with 90% of the electorate turning out to cast their
   vote. While the election was deemed by the European Union election
   observer team of Ana Gomes to fall short of international standards for
   fair and free elections, other teams drew totally different
   conclusions. The African Union report on September 14 commended "the
   Ethiopian people's display of genuine commitment to democratic ideals",
   and on September 15 the US Carter Centre concluded that "the majority
   of the constituency results based on the May 15 polling and tabulation
   are credible and reflect competitive conditions". However, it was noted
   that foreign election observers (including Ana Gomez, EU) were not
   given the authority and/or documentations in order to travel and
   monitor rural areas of the country. Even worse, these delays occurred a
   couple of days right before the election day and some have indicated
   the governments role in these delays, but couldn't provide substantial
   proof for their accusations. Still, the US Department of State said on
   September 16, "these elections stand out as a milestone in creating a
   new, more competitive multi-party political system in one of Africa's
   largest and most important countries." Even the EU preliminary
   statement of 2005 also said "...the polling processes were generally
   positive. The overall assessment of the process has been rated as good
   in 64% of the cases, and very good in 24%."

   The opposition complained that the ruling EPRDF engaged in widespread
   vote rigging and intimidation, alleging fraud in 299 constituencies.
   The ruling party also complained that the main opposition party CUD's
   AEUP sub party was engaged in intimidation. All allegations were
   investigated by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia in cooperation
   with election monitors, a process which delayed the release of the
   final results. In June 2005, with the results of the election still
   unclear, a group of opposition supporters protested these alleged
   discrepancies despite a one month ban on protests imposed by the
   government. The government said that if there are no protests for one
   month, it would ease the high political tension in Ethiopia. Street
   protests broke out again later in the year when the CUD opposition
   called for a general strike and boycotted the new Parliament, refusing
   to accept the results of the election. The police forces once again
   attempted to contain the protests and this time forty-two people were
   killed in Addis Ababa, including seven policemen, and another of whom
   later died because of fatal injuries caused by a hand grenade
   detonation. Thousands were arrested, and were taken to various
   detention centers across the country. On 14 November, the Ethiopian
   Parliament passed a resolution to establish a neutral commission to
   investigate the incidents of June 8 and November 1 and 2. On September
   5, 2005, the National Elections Board of Ethiopia released the final
   election results in which confirmed that the ruling Ethiopian People's
   Revolutionary Democratic Front retained its control of the government,
   but showed that opposition parties had increased their share of
   parliamentary seats, from 12 to 176. The Coalition for Unity and
   Democracy won all but one of the seats in Addis Ababa, both for the
   Parliament and the City Council. Now half of CUD, including Medhin have
   joined the parliament.

   In February 2006, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, acknowledging that the
   EPRDF has won the election, said he wanted to see Ethiopia resolve its
   internal problems and continue on a democratic path. By February 2006,
   hundreds remained in custody, facing trial in March. Now there are
   about 119 that face trial, including journalists for defamation and
   opposition party leaders for treason. Human rights organisations have
   raised concerns over the well-being of some of these prisoners. However
   8,000 prisoners have already been freed. There have also been concerns
   related to the implications for freedom of the press.

Independent report & leak

   On October 18, 2006 an independent report said Ethiopian police
   massacred 193 protesters, mostly in the capital Addis Ababa, in the
   violence of June and November following the May 2005 elections. The
   information was leaked before the official independent report was
   handed to the parliament. The leak made by Ethiopian judge
   Wolde-Michael Meshesha found that that the government had concealed the
   true extent of deaths at the hands of the police. This leak also
   brought more accusations that the opposition party which provoked the
   riots was trying to damage the reputation of the government by leaking
   the inquiry unlawfully. Gemechu Megerssa, a member of the independent
   Inquiry commission, which Mr.Meshesha once worked with, said Mr.
   Meshesha taking the report "out of context and presenting it to the
   public to sensationalise the situation for his political end is highly
   unethical."

   The judge in Europe described the deaths as a "massacre" and said the
   toll could well have been higher. However the judge was filing for a
   Asylum and is currently living in Europe, bringing a speculation that
   he was bias to begin with in support of the opposition party. But he
   claimed that he had to leave the country because he thought he would be
   "harassed" by the government. He speculated that Zenawi ordered troops
   to shoot at protesters.

   The official report described by the parliament and the government gave
   the exact same details as the leaked inquiry. It said that 193 people
   had been killed, including 40 teenagers. Six policemen were also killed
   and some 763 people injured. Police records showed 20,000 people were
   initially arrested during the anti-government protests. However various
   witnesses from the Kinijit (CUD) opposition party members have
   testified that CUD leaders assured them of a demise of Zenawi's party &
   government in order to start an armed rebellion. The witnesses stated
   that CUD leaders encouraged them to start military training and planing
   to overthrow the government. The commission members living in Addis
   Ababa also criticised the government saying;

   "We are not saying the government was totally clean. The government has
   a lot to be accountable for. The mentality of the police needs to be
   changed, and then we will be able to minimize those kinds of casualties
   in the future. Building of [democratic] institutions is required, but
   that is going to take time. [So] The government was not prepared to
   tackle violence like that which took place last year. They could have
   brought an alternative way of dispersing rioting crowds."

   But the independent Inquiry commission members added Mr.Meshesha going
   to Europe and reporting out of context information was "dishonest",
   ugly politics as well as insensitive to the process of developing
   Ethiopia's young democracy. Then the commission said Ethiopians need to
   solve their problems themselves so that these kinds of violences won't
   occur again. It said respecting authority & eachother and working
   together is important as well as changing the mentality of the police
   is what the "government has to think about seriously."

   Despite all these post-election issues & complications, in addition to
   the Carter Centre and the US government, British MPs continued to
   praise the democratic process in Ethiopia. After meeting with some
   opposition parties, the British MPs also stated that the Ethiopian
   government should always stand firmly against those who try to use
   "undemocratic and unconstitutional means" to change government.

   Presently, all except 20 of the elected opposition members have joined
   the Ethiopian parliament along with the EPRDF party members. The other
   top opposition parties,UEDF and UEPD-Medhin, are peacefully working
   with the government for negotiations on the democratic process. Yet
   many opposition parties are still represented in the Ethiopia
   Parliament where representatives from Oromia state hold the most
   positions and representatives from the Amhara State hold the second
   most position, in correlation with the population order of the
   corresponding states. Various opposition parties including UEDF,
   UEPD-Medhin, Somali People's Democratic Party (SPDP),EDL, Gambella
   People's Democratic Movement (GPDM), All Ethiopian Unity Organization
   (AEUO),Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM)and Benishangul-Gumuz
   People's Democratic Unity Front (BGPDUF)hold positions in the
   parliament.

Prisoners

   Currently, some of the main opposition party's (CUD) leaders are in
   jail for an alleged attempt to overthrow the government and initiating
   the post election violence. All of these charges are denied by CUD
   leadership both in Ethiopia & international, and the European Union
   continues to plea for the political prisoners to be released after a
   speedy trial. Some of these elected CUD officials endure very harsh
   conditions inside Ethiopia's poorly maintained prisons and they are at
   risk of various medical complications. As a result of the violence
   after the elections, many thousands were arrested and imprisoned, even
   though some have been freed few still remain in prison. Upto the end of
   2005, around 8,000 Ethiopian rioters were freed.

The Crown Council of Ethiopia

   The Crown Council of Ethiopia is the constitutional body which advises
   the reigning Emperors of Ethiopia, acts on behalf of the Crown and the
   council’s members are appointed by the Emperor.

   The Ethiopian monarchy has been abolished, but Ethiopian royalists
   continue to operate the Crown Council. On March 16, 2005, Prince Ermias
   Sahle Selassie was reconfirmed by Crown Prince Zera Yacob Amha Selassie
   as President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia. Zera Yacob Amha Selassie
   is considered Emperor in Exile of Ethiopia.

Geography

   Satellite image of Ethiopia, generated from raster graphics data
   supplied by The Map Library
   Enlarge
   Satellite image of Ethiopia, generated from raster graphics data
   supplied by The Map Library

   At 435,071  mi² (1,127,127  km² ), Ethiopia is the world's 27th-largest
   country (after Colombia). It is comparable in size to Bolivia, and is a
   third smaller than the US state of Alaska.

   The major portion of Ethiopia lies on the Horn of Africa, which is the
   eastern-most part of the African landmass. Bordering Ethiopia is Sudan
   to the west, Djibouti and Eritrea to the north, Somalia to the east,
   and Kenya to the south. Within Ethiopia is a massive highland complex
   of mountains and dissected plateaus divided by the Great Rift Valley,
   which runs generally southwest to northeast and is surrounded by
   lowlands, steppes, or semi-desert. The great diversity of terrain
   determines wide variations in climate, soils, natural vegetation, and
   settlement patterns.

Climate and ecology

   Elevation and geographic location produce three climatic zones: the
   cool zone above 2,400  meters (7,900  ft) where temperatures range from
   near freezing to 16° C (32°–61° F); the temperate zone at elevations of
   1,500 to 2,400 meters (4,900–7,900 ft) with temperatures from 16°C to
   30°C (61°–86° F); and the hot zone below 1,500 meters (4,900 ft) with
   both tropical and arid conditions and daytime temperatures ranging from
   27°C to 50°C (81°–122° F). The normal rainy season is from mid-June to
   mid-September (longer in the southern highlands) preceded by
   intermittent showers from February or March; the remainder of the year
   is generally dry.
   Ethiopian highlands
   Enlarge
   Ethiopian highlands

   Ethiopia is an ecologically diverse country. Lake Tana in the north is
   the source of the Blue Nile. It also has a large number of endemic
   species, notably the Gelada Baboon, the Walia Ibex and the Ethiopian
   wolf (or Simien fox).

Administrative divisions

   Before 1996, Ethiopia was divided into thirteen provinces, many derived
   from historical regions. Ethiopia now has a tiered government system
   consisting of a federal government overseeing ethnically-based regional
   states, zones, districts ( woredas), and neighborhoods ( kebele).

   Ethiopia is divided into nine ethnically-based administrative regions
   (kililoch, sing. kilil) and subdivided into sixty-eight zones and two
   chartered cities (astedader akababiwoch, sing. astedader akababi):
   Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa (subdivisions 1 and 5 in the map,
   respectively). It is further subdivided into 550 woredas and six
   special woredas.

   The constitution assigns extensive power to regional states that can
   establish their own government and democracy according to the federal
   government's constitution. Each region has its appex regional council
   where members are directly elected to represent the districts and the
   council has legislative and excutive power to direct internal affairs
   of the regions. Article 39 of the Ethiopian Constitution further gives
   every regional state the right to secede from Ethiopia. There is
   debate, however, as to how much of the power guaranteed in the
   constitution is actually given to the states.

   The councils implement their mandate through an executive committee and
   regional sectoral bureaus. Such elaborate structure of council,
   executive, and sectoral public institutions is replicated to the next
   level (woreda).
   The regions and chartered cities of Ethiopia, numbered alphabetically.
   Enlarge
   The regions and chartered cities of Ethiopia, numbered alphabetically.

   The nine regions and two chartered cities are:

   1 Addis Ababa
   2 Afar
   3 Amhara
   4 Benishangul-Gumaz
   5 Dire Dawa
   6 Gambela

                        7 Harari
                        8 Oromia
                        9 Somali
                      10 SNNPR*
                      11 Tigray

   Chartered cities shown in italics.
   * Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region.

Economy

   Woman coffee farmer filling cups with coffee in Ethiopia.
   Enlarge
   Woman coffee farmer filling cups with coffee in Ethiopia.

          extreme economic hardship and failure of the government to

   Ethiopia has historically had one of the best economies in the world,
   which had continued on during reign of Haile Selassie, during which the
   value of the Ethiopian dollar was equivalent to the US Dollar. But
   soon, Emperor Haile Selassie couldn't reform economic policies and
   failed to improve the living condition of the people. In 1972 and 1973,
   more than 200,000 people died in the Wallo famine. The Emperor Haile
   Sellasie tried to hide the famine but university students revealed the
   drought to the world. After the 1974 revolution, the economy of
   Ethiopia was run as Command economy. Stronger state controls were
   implemented, and a large part of the economy was transferred to the
   public sector, including all agricultural land and urban rental
   property, and all financial institutions. The bad weather also
   continued to harm the agriculture sector. However since Mengistu Haile
   Mariam's relationship with the west was bad, the government hid the
   famine in Tigray and Wallo region causing the death of more than
   250,000 Ethiopians. When the government finally allowed UN workers to
   witness the condition, one of the worst humanitarian crisis of the
   decade was revealed. Together with flawed relocation project and the
   Red Terror around 1,500,000 Ethiopians were killed under Mengistu Haile
   Mariam. Also six million people were in more famine before the
   EPRDF-led government overthrew the Derg regime. Then a lot of economic
   reforms were carried. Since mid- 1991, the economy has evolved toward a
   decentralized, market-oriented economy, emphasizing individual
   initiative, designed to reverse a decade of economic decline. In 1993,
   gradual privatization of business, industry, banking, agriculture,
   trade, and commerce was underway.

   Nevertheless, Ethiopia is still privatized. Many government owned
   properties during the previous regime have now been transferred to
   these EPRDF owned enterprises in the name of privatization.
   Furthermore, the Ethiopian constitution defines the right to own land
   as belonging only to "the state and the people," but citizens may only
   lease land (up to 99 years), unable to mortgage, sell, or own it.

   Agriculture accounts for almost 41 percent of the gross domestic
   product (GDP), 80 percent of exports, and 80 percent of the labor
   force. Many other economic activities depend on agriculture, including
   marketing, processing, and export of agricultural products. Production
   is overwhelmingly of a subsistence nature, and a large part of
   commodity exports are provided by the small agricultural cash-crop
   sector. Principal crops include coffee, pulses (e.g., beans), oilseeds,
   cereals, potatoes, sugarcane, and vegetables. Exports are almost
   entirely agricultural commodities, and coffee is the largest foreign
   exchange earner. Ethiopia's livestock population is believed to be the
   largest in Africa, and as of 1987 accounted for about 15 percent of the
   GDP.

Demographics

   Schoolboys in western Oromia, Ethiopia.
   Enlarge
   Schoolboys in western Oromia, Ethiopia.

   Ethiopia's population is highly diverse. Most of its people speak a
   Semitic or Cushitic language. The Oromo, Amhara, and Tigrayans make up
   more than three-fourths of the population, but there are more than 80
   different ethnic groups within Ethiopia. Some of these have as few as
   10,000 members.

   Semitic-speaking Ethiopians and Eritreans collectively refer to
   themselves as Habesha or Abesha, though others reject these names on
   the basis that they refer only to certain ethnicities. The Arabic form
   of this term (Al-Habesh) is the etymological basis of "Abyssinia," the
   former name of Ethiopia in English and other European languages.

   According to the Ethiopian national census of 1994, the Oromo are the
   largest ethnic group in Ethiopia at 32.1%. The Amhara represent 30.2%,
   while the Tigray people are 6.2% of the population. Other ethnic groups
   are as follows: Somali 6.0%, Gurage 4.3%, Sidama 3.4%, Wolayta 2%, Afar
   2%, Hadiya 2%, Gamo 1%.

Languages

   Ethiopia has eighty-four indigenous languages. Some of these are:
     * Afar
     * Amharic
     * Anfillo
     * Berto
     * Bussa

                * Hadiya
                * Harari
                * Konso
                * Ongota
                * Oromo

                          * Saho
                          * Soddo
                          * Silt'e
                          * Somali
                          * Tigrinya

   English is the most widely spoken foreign language and is taught in all
   secondary schools. Amharic was the language of primary school
   instruction, but has been replaced in many areas by local languages
   such as Oromifa and Tigrinya.

Religion

   This leather painting depicts Ethiopian Orthodox priests playing sistra
   and a drum.
   Enlarge
   This leather painting depicts Ethiopian Orthodox priests playing sistra
   and a drum.

   According to the most recent 1994 National Census, Christians make up
   61% of the country's population, Muslims 33%, and adherents of
   traditional faiths 5%. Orthodox Christianity has a dominant presense in
   the central & northern Ethiopia, while both Orthodox & Protestant
   Christianity has large representations in the South and Western
   Ethiopia.

   Sometimes Christianity in Africa is thought of as a European import
   that arrived with colonialism, but this is not the case with Ethiopia.
   The Kingdom of Aksum was one of the first nations to officially adopt
   Christianity, when St. Frumentius of Tyre, called Fremnatos or Abba
   Selama ("Father of Peace") in Ethiopia, converted King Ezana during the
   fourth century CE. Many believe that the Gospel had entered Ethiopia
   even earlier, with the royal official described as being baptised by
   Philip the Evangelist in chapter nine of the Acts of the Apostles.
   Today, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, part of Oriental
   Orthodoxy, is by far the largest denomination, though a number of
   Protestant ( Pentay) churches and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tehadeso
   Church have recently gained ground. Since the eighteenth century there
   has existed a relatively small Uniate Ethiopian Catholic Church in full
   communion with Rome, with adherents making up less than 1% of the total
   population.

   The name "Ethiopia" (Hebrew Kush) is mentioned in the Bible numerous
   times (thirty-seven times in the King James version), and is in many
   ways considered a holy place. Ethiopia is also mentioned many times in
   the Qu'ran and Hadith. While most Ethiopians accept that these are
   references to their own ancient civilisation, pointing out that the
   Gihon river, a name for the Nile, is said to flow through the land,
   most modern scholars believe that the use of the term referred to the
   Kingdom of Kush in particular or Africa outside of Egypt in general.
   Some have argued that biblical Kush was a large part of land that
   included Northern Ethiopia, Eritrea and most of present day Sudan.
   An Ethiopian depiction of Jesus and Mary with distinctively "Ethiopian"
   features.
   Enlarge
   An Ethiopian depiction of Jesus and Mary with distinctively "Ethiopian"
   features.

   Islam in Ethiopia dates back to the founding of the religion; in 615,
   when a band of Muslims were counseled by the Prophet Muhammad to escape
   persecution in Mecca and travel to Ethiopia, which was ruled by, in the
   Prophet Muhammad's estimation, a pious Christian king. Moreover,
   Islamic tradition states that Bilal, one of the foremost companions of
   the Prophet Muhammad, was from Ethiopia.

   There are numerous indigenous African religions in Ethiopia, mainly
   located in the far southwest and western borderlands. In general, most
   of the (largely members of the non-Chalcedonian Ethiopian Orthodox
   Tewahedo Church) Christians generally live in the highlands, while
   Muslims and adherents of traditional African religions tend to inhabit
   more lowland regions in the east and south of the country. A small
   ancient group of Jews, the Beta Israel, live in northwestern Ethiopia,
   though most have emigrated to Israel in the last decades of the
   twentieth century as part of the rescue missions undertaken by the
   Israeli government, Operation Moses and Operation Solomon.

   Ethiopia is also the spiritual homeland of the Rastafari movement,
   whose adherents believe Ethiopia is Zion. The Rastafari view Emperor
   Haile Selassie I as Jesus, the human incarnation of God, a view
   apparently not shared by Haile Selassie I himself, who was staunchly
   Ethiopian Orthodox Christian. The concept of Zion is also prevalent
   among Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, though it represents a separate
   and complex concept, referring figuratively to St. Mary, but also to
   Ethiopia as a bastion of Christianity surrounded by Muslims and other
   religions, much like Mount Zion in the bible. It is also used to refer
   to Axum, the ancient capital and religious centre of Ethiopian Orthodox
   Christians, or to its primary church, called Church of Our Lady Mary of
   Zion.

Culture

Cuisine

   Typical Ethiopian cuisine: Injera (pancake-like bread) and several
   kinds of wat (stew).
   Enlarge
   Typical Ethiopian cuisine: Injera (pancake-like bread) and several
   kinds of wat (stew).

   The best known Ethiopian cuisine consists of various vegetable or meat
   side dishes and entrees, usually a wat or thick stew, served atop
   injera, a large sourdough flatbread. One does not eat with utensils,
   but instead uses injera to scoop up the entrees and side dishes.
   Traditional Ethiopian cuisine employs no pork or shellfish of any kind,
   as both Muslims and Ethiopian Orthodox Christians are prohibited from
   eating either.

Music

   Mahmoud Ahmed, an Ethiopian singer of Gurage ancestry, in 2005.
   Enlarge
   Mahmoud Ahmed, an Ethiopian singer of Gurage ancestry, in 2005.

   The Music of Ethiopia is extremely diverse, with each of the country's
   80 ethnic groups being associated with unique sounds. Ethiopian music
   uses a unique modal system that is pentatonic, with characteristically
   long intervals between some notes. Influences include ancient Christian
   elements and Muslim and folk music from elsewhere in the Horn of
   Africa, especially Sudan and Somalia. Popular musicians included Aster
   Aweke Mahmoud Ahmed, Tilahun Gessesse, Asnaketch Worku, Gigi and Mulatu
   Astatke.

Archaeology

   Ethiopia offers a greater richness in archaeological finds and
   historical buildings than any other country in Sub-Saharan Africa
   (including Sudan). In April 2005, the Axum obelisk, one of Ethiopia's
   religious and historical treasures, was returned to Ethiopia by Italy.
   Under the orders of dictator Benito Mussolini, Italian troops seized
   the obelisk in 1937 and took it to Rome. Italy agreed to return the
   obelisk in 1947 in a UN agreement, and it was finally returned recently
   in 2005. There have been plenty of astonishing discoveries including
   the oldest complete human fossil, Lucy. Other discoveries are still
   being made

Sports

   Ethiopia has some of the finest athletes of the world, most notably
   middle-distance and long-distance runners. Kenya and Morocco are often
   its opponents in World Championships and Olympic middle and
   long-distance events. As of March 2006, two Ethiopians dominate the
   long-distance running scene, mainly: Haile Gebreselassie (World
   champion and Olympic champion) who has set over twenty new world
   records and currently holds the 20 km, half-marathon and 25 km world
   record, and young Kenenisa Bekele (World champion, World cross country
   champion, and Olympic champion), who holds the 5,000 m and 10,000 m
   world records.

   Other notable Ethiopian distance-runners include Derartu Tulu, Abebe
   Bikila and Miruts Yifter. Derartu Tulu was the first Ethiopian woman
   from Africa to win an Olympic gold medal, doing so over 10,000 metres
   at Barcelona. Abebe Bikila won the Olympic marathon in 1960 and 1964,
   setting world records both times. He is well-known to this day for
   winning the 1960 marathon in Rome while running barefoot. Miruts
   Yifter, the first in a tradition of Ethiopians known for their
   brilliant finishing speed, won gold at 5,000 and 10,000 metres at the
   Moscow Olympics. He is the last man to achieve this feat.

Geographic locale

   Flag of Eritrea  Eritrea Flag of Djibouti  Djibouti
   Flag of Sudan  Sudan North Flag of Somalia  Somalia
   West    Flag of Ethiopia  Ethiopia     East
   South
   Flag of Kenya  Kenya

   Countries of East Africa

   Djibouti • Eritrea • Ethiopia • Kenya • Somalia • Tanzania • Uganda
   Member states of the African Union

   Algeria • Angola • Benin • Botswana • Burkina Faso • Burundi •
   Cameroon • Cape Verde • Central African Republic • Chad • Comoros •
   Democratic Republic of the Congo • Republic of the Congo •
   Côte d'Ivoire • Djibouti • Egypt • Eritrea • Ethiopia •
   Equatorial Guinea • Gabon • The Gambia • Ghana • Guinea •
   Guinea-Bissau • Kenya • Lesotho • Liberia • Libya • Madagascar •
   Malawi • Mali • Mauritania • Mauritius • Mozambique • Namibia • Niger •
   Nigeria • Rwanda • São Tomé and Príncipe • Senegal • Seychelles •
   Sierra Leone • Somalia • South Africa • Sudan • Swaziland • Tanzania •
   Togo • Tunisia • Uganda • Western Sahara  (SADR) • Zambia • Zimbabwe
   Countries of Africa

   Sovereign states: Algeria • Angola • Benin • Botswana • Burkina Faso •
   Burundi • Cameroon • Cape Verde • Central African Republic • Chad •
   Democratic Republic of the Congo • Republic of the Congo • Comoros •
   Côte d'Ivoire • Djibouti • Egypt ^1 • Equatorial Guinea • Eritrea •
   Ethiopia • France ^2 • Gabon • The Gambia • Ghana • Guinea-Bissau •
   Guinea • Kenya • Lesotho • Liberia • Libya • Madagascar • Malawi • Mali
   • Mauritania • Mauritius • Morocco • Mozambique • Namibia • Niger •
   Nigeria • Portugal ^2 • Rwanda • Senegal • Seychelles • Sierra Leone •
   Somalia • South Africa • Spain ^2 • Sudan • Swaziland • São Tomé and
   Príncipe • Tanzania • Togo • Tunisia • Uganda • Yemen ^3 • Zambia •
   Zimbabwe

   Dependencies: British Indian Ocean Territory (UK) • French Southern
   Territories (France) • Mayotte (France) • Réunion (France) • Saint
   Helena ^4 (UK)

   Unrecognized countries: Somaliland • Western Sahara •

   ^1  Partly in Asia. ^2  Mostly in Europe. ^3  Mostly in Asia.
   ^4 Includes the dependencies of Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha.
   Semitic-speaking nations

   Arabic and Maltese

   Flag of Algeria  Algeria • Flag of Bahrain  Bahrain • Flag of Egypt
   Egypt • Flag of Iraq  Iraq • Flag of Jordan  Jordan • Flag of Kuwait
   Kuwait • Flag of Lebanon  Lebanon • Flag of Libya  Libya • Flag of
   Malta  Malta • Flag of Mauritania  Mauritania • Flag of Morocco
   Morocco • Flag of Oman  Oman • Flag of Palestinian National Authority
   Palestine • Flag of Qatar  Qatar • Flag of Saudi Arabia  Saudi Arabia •
   Flag of Sudan  Sudan • Flag of Syria  Syria • Flag of Tunisia  Tunisia
   • Flag of United Arab Emirates  United Arab Emirates • Flag of Western
   Sahara  Western Sahara • Flag of Yemen  Yemen

   Northwest Semitic ( Aramaic and Hebrew)

   Flag of Iraq  Iraq • Flag of Israel  Israel • Flag of Syria  Syria

   South Semitic

   Flag of Eritrea  Eritrea • Flag of Ethiopia  Ethiopia • Flag of Oman
   Oman • Flag of Yemen  Yemen
   Cushitic-speaking nations

   Cushitic
   Flag of Djibouti  Djibouti • Flag of Eritrea  Eritrea • Flag of
   Ethiopia  Ethiopia • Flag of Kenya  Kenya • Flag of Somalia  Somalia
   Beja
   Flag of Egypt  Egypt • Flag of Eritrea  Eritrea • Flag of Sudan  Sudan
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
