-
You are here:
- Homepage » Ethiopia
Ethiopia Country Guide
Explore Ethiopia in Africa
Ethiopia with the capital city Addis Ababa is located in Africa (Eastern Africa, west of Somalia). It covers some 1,127,127 square kilometres (slightly less than twice the size of Texas) with 78,254,000 citizens.
The terrain features high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley. The average density of population is approximately 69 per km². The notable climate conditions in Ethiopia can be described as tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation. Potential natural disasters are geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions or frequent droughts.
To reach someone in Ethiopia dial +251 prior to a number. There are 915,100 installed telephones. And there are 4,052,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".et". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 220V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Ethiopia
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.
Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of a short-lived Italian occupation from 1936-41. 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. In November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission(EEBC) issued specific coordinates as virtually demarcating the border and pronounced its work finished. Alleging that the EEBC acted beyond its mandate in issuing the coordinates, Ethiopia has not accepted them and has not withdrawn troops from previously contested areas pronounced by the EEBC as belonging to Eritrea.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Africa Neighbours: Eritrea, Kenya, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti Capital: Addis Ababa |
| Size | 1,127,127 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 435,186 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly less than twice the size of Texas |
| Population | 78,254,000 |
| Currency | Name Birr, Currency Code:ETB |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .et |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +251 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 4,052,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 915,100 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 1,104,300 (sq km) | 27 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 93,877,025 | 13 |
| Population growth rate | 2.90 (%) | 11 |
| Birth rate | 38.07 (births/1,000 population) | 14 |
| Death rate | 8.87 (deaths/1,000 population) | 70 |
| Net migration rate | -0.23 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 120 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 350.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 31 |
| Infant mortality rate | 58.28 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 29 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 60.00 (years) | 193 |
| Total fertility rate | 5.31 (children born/woman) | 14 |
| Health expenditures | 4.90 (% of GDP) | 143 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 1.10 (%) | 191 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 29.20 (%) | 17 |
| Education expenditures | 4.70 (% of GDP) | 89 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 24.90 (%) | 38 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 105,000,000,000 | 73 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 7.00 (%) | 28 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 1,200 | 211 |
| Labor force | 37,900,000 | 17 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 30.00 | 116 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 22.70 (% of GDP) | 66 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 14.50 (% of GDP) | 192 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -2.70 (% of GDP) | 102 |
| Public debt | 44.40 (% of GDP) | 77 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 21.70 (%) | 218 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 16.00 (%) | 34 |
| Stock of narrow money | 7,851,000,000 | 84 |
| Stock of broad money | 13,350,000,000 | 94 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 13,910,000,000 | 90 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 9.50 (%) | 14 |
| Current account balance | -2,950,000,000 | 149 |
| Exports | 3,163,000,000 | 130 |
| Imports | 10,600,000,000 | 94 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 3,024,000,000 | 107 |
| Debt - external | 9,956,000,000 | 97 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 4,039,000,000 (kWh) | 124 |
| Electricity - consumption | 3,648,000,000 (kWh) | 126 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 1,180,000 (kW) | 120 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 17.20 (% of total installed capacity) | 192 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 82.10 (% of total installed capacity) | 14 |
| Electricity - from other renewable sources | 0.60 (% of total installed capacity) | 75 |
| Crude oil - proved reserves | 430,000 (bbl) | 101 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 49,080 (bbl/day) | 101 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 42,480 (bbl/day) | 73 |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 113,000,000,000 (cu m) | 53 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 6,740,000 (Mt) | 113 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 829,000 | 86 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 14,127,000 | 56 |
| Internet hosts | 179 | 204 |
| Internet users | 447,300 | 119 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 58 | 82 |
| Railways | 681 (km) | 102 |
| Roadways | 36,469 (km) | 93 |
| Merchant marine | 8 | 121 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 0.90 (% of GDP) | 142 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Aksum The ruins of the ancient city of Aksum are found close to Ethiopia's northern border. They mark the location of the heart of ancient Ethiopia, when the Kingdom of Aksum was the most powerful state between the Eastern Roman Empire and Persia. The mass ... | 1980 |
| Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region In the 16th and 17th centuries, the fortress-city of Fasil Ghebbi was the residence of the Ethiopian emperor Fasilides and his successors. Surrounded by a 900-m-long wall, the city contains palaces, churches, monasteries and unique public and private ... | 1979 |
| Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town The fortified historic town of Harar is located in the eastern part of the country on a plateau with deep gorges surrounded by deserts and savannah. The walls surrounding this sacred Muslim city were built between the 13th and 16th centuries. Harar J ... | 2006 |
| Konso Cultural Landscape Konso Cultural Landscape is a 55km2 arid property of stone walled terraces and fortified settlements in the Konso highlands of Ethiopia. It constitutes a spectacular example of a living cultural tradition stretching back 21 generations (more than 400 ... | 2011 |
| Lower Valley of the Awash The Awash valley contains one of the most important groupings of palaeontological sites on the African continent. The remains found at the site, the oldest of which date back at least 4 million years, provide evidence of human evolution which has mod ... | 1980 |
| Lower Valley of the Omo A prehistoric site near Lake Turkana, the lower valley of the Omo is renowned the world over. The discovery of many fossils there, especially Homo gracilis, has been of fundamental importance in the study of human evolution. ... | 1980 |
| Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela The 11 medieval monolithic cave churches of this 13th-century 'New Jerusalem' are situated in a mountainous region in the heart of Ethiopia near a traditional village with circular-shaped dwellings. Lalibela is a high place of Ethiopian Christianity, ... | 1978 |
| Simien National Park Massive erosion over the years on the Ethiopian plateau has created one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world, with jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping some 1,500 m. The park is home to some extremely rare anim ... | 1978 |
| Tiya Tiya is among the most important of the roughly 160 archaeological sites discovered so far in the Soddo region, south of Addis Ababa. The site contains 36 monuments, including 32 carved stelae covered with symbols, most of which are difficult to deci ... | 1980 |