Ethiopia on Pixibot

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Amharic Ityop'iya) is a country situated in the Horn of Africa. It has one of the most extensive known histories as an independent nation on the continent. Unique among African countries, Ethiopia maintained independence during the Scramble for Africa, and continued to do so except for a 5 year period when it was under Italian ocupation. Ethiopia was historically called Abyssinia.

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(In Detail) (Full size)

National motto: â€”

Official language Amharic

Capital Addis Ababa

President Girma Wolde-Giorgis

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi

Area - Total - % water Ranked 26th 1,127,127 kmÂ² 0.7%

Population -Total -Density Ranked 16th 67,673,031 60.0/kmÂ²

Currency Birr (ETB)

Time zone UTC 3

National anthem Whedefit Gesgeshi Woude Henate Ethiopia (March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia)

Internet TLD .et

Calling Code 251

History

History of Ethiopia

The Kingdom of Aksum, the first verifiable kingdom of great power to rise in Ethiopia, rose during the first century CE. 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 4th century that a Syro-Greek castaway, Frumentius, was taken to the court and eventually converted king Ezana to Christianity, thereby making it official. For this accomplishment, he received the title "Abba Selama". At various times, including a period in the 6th century, Axum controlled most of modern-day Yemen just across the Red Sea.

The line of rulers descended from the Axumite kings was broken several times: first by the Jewish Queen Judith around 950, then by the Zagwe dynasty. Around 1270, the Solomonid 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 Lebna Dengel, Ethiopia made its first successful diplomatic contact with a European country, Portugal. This proved to be an important development, for when the Empire was subjected to the attacks of Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi (called "Grany Ethiopia ", or "the Left-handed"), Portugal responded to Lebna Dengel's plea for help with an army of 400 men, who helped his son Gelawdewos defeat Ahmad and re-establish his rule. However, Jesuit missionaries eventually offended the Orthodox faith of the local Ethiopians, and in the mid-17th century Emperor Fasilidos expelled these missionaries. At the same time, the Oromo people began to question the Ethiopian Christian authorities in the Abyssinian territories, and demanded to keep their own religion, Gadaa, thought to have origins in the late Egyptian kingdom.

All of this contributed to Ethiopia's isolation during the 1700s. The Emperors became figureheads, controlled by warlords like Ras Mikael Sehul of Tigray. Ethiopian isolationism ended following a British mission that concluded an alliance between the two nations; however, it was not until the reign of Tewodros II that Ethiopia began to take part in world affairs once again.

The 1880s were marked by the European colonization of Africa and some modernisation, 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 sultan in March 1870 by an Italian company, which by 1882 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. Italy and Ethiopia signed a provisional treaty of peace on October 26, 1896.

The early 20th 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, and Ethiopia's regained sovereignty was recognised by Britain upon the signing of the Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement in December 1944.

Haile Selassie's reign came to an end in 1974, when a pro-Soviet Marxist-Leninist military junta, the "Derg", deposed him and established a one-party socialist state. The ensuing regime suffered several bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and a massive refugee problem. It was finally defeated in 1991 by the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), a coalition of rebel forces. In 1993, the Province of Eritrea became independent from Ethiopia in an amicable separation, following a referendum. 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 returned the EPRDF to power. In early June, police shot and killed demonstrators who were protesting alleged election fraud.

Rulers and Heads of State of Ethiopia

Politics

Politics of Ethiopia Ethiopia News

Politics of Ethiopia

Politics of Ethiopia Political parties in Ethiopia Elections in Ethiopia

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, ensuring 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 9 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.

Ethiopia remains one of Africa's poorest states: many Ethiopians rely on food aid from abroad. Since 1991, Ethiopia has established warm relations with the United States and western Europe and has sought substantial economic aid from Western countries and 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 [1].

Ethiopian general elections, 2005, Foreign relations of Ethiopia

Regions

Regions of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is divided into 9 ethnically-based administrative regions (kililoch; singular - kilil):

Afar
Amhara
Benishangul-Gumaz
Gambela
Harari
Oromia
Somali
Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region
Tigray

Additionally, there are two chartered cities (astedader akababiwach, singular - astedader akabibi): Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa.

Geography

Geography of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is 1,127,127 kmÂ² in size, and is the major portion of the Horn of Africa, which is the eastern-most part of the African landmass. 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 semidesert. The great diversity of terrain determines wide variations in climate, soils, natural vegetation, and settlement patterns. Elevation and geographic location produce three climatic zones: the cool zone above 2,400 meters where temperatures range from near freezing to 16Â°C; the temperate zone at elevations of 1,500 to 2,400 meters with temperatures from 16Â°C to 30Â°C; and the hot zone below 1,500 meters with both tropical and arid conditions and daytime temperatures ranging from 27Â°C to 50Â°C. 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 year generally dry.

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).

Economy

Economy of Ethiopia Ethiopia Adoption

After the 1974 revolution, the economy of Ethiopia was run as a socialist economy: strong state controls were implemented, and a large part of the economy was transferred to the public sector, including most modern industry and large-scale commercial agriculture, all agricultural land and urban rental property, and all financial institutions. 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.

Agriculture accounts for approximately 40 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, 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.

Communications in Ethiopia, Transportation in Ethiopia

Demographics

Demographics of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is home to many different groups of people, the three largest groups being the Oromo, Amhara (whose Amharic language is used for official purposes), and Tigrawot. Some Ethiopians (as well as some Eritreans) collectively refer to themselves as Abesha or Habesha, though others reject these names on the basis that they refer only to certain ethnicities.[2] Both of these terms are Arabic in origin, and form the basis of "Abyssinia," the ancient name of Ethiopia.[3]

The Axumite Kingdom was one of the first nations to officially adopt Christianity, when St. Frumentius of Tyre converted Ezana of Axum during the fourth century CE. Islam in Ethiopia dates back almost to the founding of the religion; in 616, a band of Muslims were counseled by the Prophet Muhammad to escape persecution in Mecca and travel to Abyssinia, which was ruled by, in the Prophet's estimation, a pious Christian king. Moreover, Islamic tradition states that Bilal, one of the foremost companions of the Prophet Muhammad, was from present-day Ethiopia. A small group of Jews, the Beta Israel, lived in Ethiopia for centuries, though most emigrated to Israel in the last decades of the 20th century. There are numerous indigenous African religions in Ethiopia.

Languages

Ethopia has 84 indigenous languages. Some of these are:

Afar language

Amharic language

Anfillo language

Berta language

Bussa language

Ge'ez language

Konso language

Ongota

Oromo language

Rer Bare language

Saho language

Soddo language

Somali language

Tigrigna language

Weyto language

Culture

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

Culture of Ethiopia

In April 2005, the Axum obelisk, one of Ethiopia's religious and historical treasures, was returned to Ethiopia by Italy [4]. Italian troops seized the obelisk in 1937 and took it to Rome. Italy agreed to return the obelisk in 1947 in a UN agreement.

Cuisine of Ethiopia
Music of Ethiopia
Islam in Ethiopia
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

Holidays (also see Ethiopian calendar) Date English name Local name Remarks Cyber Ethiopia

January 7	Orthodox Christmas Day	Genna
January 19	Feast of Epiphany	Timket
February 2	Feast of the Sacrifice	Eid ul-Adha	varies; this date is for 2005
March 2	Adwa Day	Y'adowa B'al
April 21	Birthday of The Prophet Muhammad	Mawlid	varies; this date is for 2005
April 29	Orthodox Good Friday	Sikilet (Crucifixion)	varies; this date is for 2005
May 1	Orthodox Easter	Fasika	varies; this date is for 2005
May 2	Easter Monday (public holiday)		varies; this date is for 2005
May 5	Patriots' Day	Arbegnoch Qen
May 28	National Day		End of Derg Regime
September 11	Ethiopian New Year	Enkutatash
September 27	Finding of the True Cross	Meskel
November 3	End of Ramadan	Eid ul-Fitr	varies; this date is for 2005

Miscellaneous topics

List of Ethiopian companies
Military of Ethiopia
Monarchies of Ethiopia
National parks in Ethiopia

Ethiopia portal

media Commons has more media related to: Ethiopia Look up Ethiopia on Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Government

Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington DC information about the Ethiopian government
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia
Ministry of Information of Ethiopia
The Crown Council of Ethiopia official monarchy site
The Parliament of Ethiopia official site

News

Addis Tribune newspaper with a weekly online edition
allAfrica - Ethiopia news
Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) government agency
Nazret.com Ethiopian news portal
Ethiopian Review
Helm Magazine art, culture, fashion and talent from Ethiopia
Walta Information Center news

Overviews

BBC News - Country profile: Ethiopia
CIA - The World Factbook: Ethiopia
Guardian Unlimited - Special Report: Ethiopia 2000
Library of Congress - Country Study: Ethiopia most data as of July 1991

Directories

Ethio Search Ethiopian on-line directory and search engine
LookSmart - Ethiopia directory category
Open Directory Project - Ethiopia directory category
Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Ethiopia directory category
The Index on Africa - Ethiopia directory category
University of Pennsylvania - African Studies Center: Ethiopia directory category
Yahoo! - Ethiopia directory category

Tourism Travel guide to Ethiopia from travel

Portals

CyberEthiopia.com (Ethiopic)
Ethiopian Reporter
EthioSearch.com (Amharic and English)
EthioIndex.com (News, Directory, Forums)
EthioZena.net
myethiopia.info

Other

Amharic software store download free Unicode standard Geez software
ElectionsInfo.com - Forum
Ethiopundit blog of "Eclectic Ethiopian & Ethio-American Commentary"
rastafarian.nl - Ethiopia
Tezeta.org
Ethio Networks website developers in Amharic

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the Library of Congress Country Studies.
Pankhurst, Dr. Richard. "History of Northern Ethiopia - and the Establishment of the Italian Colony or Eritrea". Civic Webs Virtual Library. URL accessed on March 25, 2005.
This article incorporates information from The World Factbook, which is in the public domain.

Addis Ababa Ethiopia