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Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the north-east. Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in the world and Africa's second-most populous nation.

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

Nationality:

  • noun: Ethiopian(s)
  • adjective: Ethiopian

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)

Independence:

  • oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years

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.)

Population growth rate:

  • 2.231% (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

  • 4.4% (2003 est.)

Ethnic groups:

  • Oromo 32.1%
  • Amara 30.1%
  • Tigraway 6.2%
  • Somalie 5.9%
  • Guragie 4.3%
  • Sidama 3.5%
  • Welaita 2.4%
  • other 15.4%
  • (1994 census)

Religions:

  • 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 type:

  • federal republic

Location:

  • Eastern Africa, west of Somalia

Area - comparative:

  • slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Climate:

  • tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

Natural resources:

  • small reserves of gold
  • platinum
  • copper
  • potash
  • natural gas
  • hydropower

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.

GDP - real growth rate:

  • 11.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

  • $800 (2007 est.)

Background:

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.

Environment - current issues:

  • deforestation
  • overgrazing
  • soil erosion
  • desertification
  • water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management

    • For more info please contact:
    African Studies
    (310) 825-3686
    africa@international.ucla .edu