ETH-Profile
This map does not reflect a position by DRMFSS on the legal status of any country or territory or the delimitation of any frontiers.Ethiopia
Facts
Location: landlocked - Eastern Africa, latitudes 3° and 15°N, and Longitudes 33° and 48°E
Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
abbreviation: FDRE
conventional short form: Ethiopia
local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik
local short form: Ityop'iya
former: Abyssinia
Establishment: Traditional date980 BC; Current constitution1991
Area:27th-largest country total: 1,104,300 sq km; land: 1 million sq km; water: 104,300 sq km
Capital: Addis Ababa; 9.03°N 38.74°E
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
Terrain: high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Danakil Depression -125 m; highest point: Ras Dejen 4,533 m
Administrative Division: 9 Regional States: Afar; Amhara; Benshangul-Gumuz; Gambela; Harari; Oromia; Somali; Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP); Tigrai and 2 chartered cities: Addis Ababa (capital city) and Dire Dawa
Main Language: Amarigna (Amharic) (official) 32.7%, Oromigna (official regional) 31.6%, Tigrigna (official regional) 6.1%, Somaligna 6%, Guaragigna 3.5%, Sidamigna 3.5%, Hadiyigna 1.7%, other 14.8%, English (official) (major foreign language taught in schools), Arabic (official) (1994 census)
Ethnic groups: Oromo 34.49%, Amhara 26.89%, Somali 6.20%, Tigray 6.07%; Sidama 4.01%, Gurage 2.53%, Welayta 2.31%[1][2] and around eighty other small ethnic groups.
Religions: Orthodox 43.5%, Muslim 33.9%, Protestant 18.6%, traditional 2.6%, Catholic 0.7%, other 0.7% (2007 Census)
Independence: Oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years (may be traced to the Aksumite Kingdom, which coalesced in the first centuries B.C.)
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; green represents hope and the fertility of the land, yellow symbolizes justice and harmony, while red stands for sacrifice and heroism in the defense of the land; the blue of the disk symbolizes peace and the pentagram represents the unity and equality of the nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia
note: Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag (adopted ca. 1895) were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the Pan-African colors; the emblem in the center of the current flag was added in 1996
National anthem: adopted 1992: name: "Whedefit Gesgeshi Woude Henate Ethiopia" (March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia)
lyrics/music: DEREJE Melaku Mengesha/SOLOMON Lulu
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
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 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 directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 23 May 2010 (next to be held in 2015)
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 party in power:Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)
Leader of EPRDF: H.E. Mr. Meles Zenawi
Chief of state: President -Girma Wolde-Giorgis (since 8 October 2001)
Head of government:Prime Minister - Meles Zenawi(since August 1995)
Natural resources: small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower
Wild Life : Ethiopia has 31 endemic species of mammals
Climate: The predominant climate type is tropical monsoon, with wide topographic-induced variation.The town of Dallol, in the Danakil Depression in this eastern zone, has the world's highest average annual temperature of 34 °C (93.2 °F).
Crops:
three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean
Agriculture - products: cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, qat, cut flowers; hides, cattle, sheep, goats; fish
Industries:
food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, chemicals, metals processing, cement, motor vehicles assy.
Natural gas - proved reserves:24.92 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
Exports - commodities:coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds, flowers
Imports - commodities:food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles
Airports:61 (2010) 17 with paved runways, and 44 with unpaved runways
Railways:total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the 781 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad)
Roadways:total: 36,469 km (paved: 6,980 km; unpaved: 29,489 km (2004))
Merchant marine:total: 9
Population90,873,739 (July 2011 est.)[3] 82,101,998[4] (14th) Second most populous country in Africa (2011 estimate)
73,918,505(2007 census); Density 74/km2
Labor force: 37.9 million (2007)
Calendar:Ethiopia has its own calendar, which is based on the Coptic calendar, and is roughly eight years behind the Gregorian calendar
Music: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 distinct modal system that is pentatonic, with characteristically long intervals between some notes
Sport:The main sports in Ethiopia are athletics and football. Ethiopian athletes have won many Olympic gold medals in track and field, particularly distance running. Haile Gebrselassie is a world-renowned marathon runner, having set the world record several times. Another sportsman, Kenenisa Bekele, is also a dominant runner, particularly in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Other notable Ethiopian athletes are Abebe Bikila, Mamo Wolde, Miruts Yifter, Derartu Tulu, Tirunesh Dibaba, Meseret Defar
Currency: Birr (ETB)
Time zone: EAT (UTC+3)
Drives on the: right)
ISO 3166 code: ET
Internet TLD: .et
Calling code: 251
Economy - overview: Ethiopia's economy is based on agriculture, accounting for almost 45% of GDP, and 85% of total employment.
GDP (PPP) 2010 estimate: Total - $86.123 billion; Per capita - $1,015
GDP (nominal) 2010 estimate: Total - $29.717 billion, Per capita - $350
Gini (1999-00): 30 (medium)
HDI (2010): 
0.328 (low) 157