|- | align="center" colspan=Deuce | National motto: —'' |- | align=center colspan=Two | Location of Ethiopia |- | Official language | Amharic |- | Capital | Addis Ababa |- | President | Girma Wolde-Giorgis |- | Prime Minister | Meles Zenawi |- | Area
 - Total
 - % water | Ranked 26th
1,127,127 km²
0.7% |- | Population
 -Total
 -Density | Ranked 16th
73,053,286
60.0/km² |-

|- | Currency | Birr (ETB) |- | Time zone | UTC +3 |- | National anthem | Wodefit Gesgeshi, Widd Inate Ityopp'ya (March Forward, My Dear Mother Ethiopia) |- | Internet TLD | .et |- | Calling Code | 251 |}

History
A Kingdom of Aksum, a number 1 verifiable kingdom of wonderful power to rise within Ethiopia, rose in the period of the first century CE. A Persian religious figure Mani listed Axum with Rome, Persia, and China as one of the quaternary swell powers of his instance. It was in the early 4th century that the Syro-Greek castaway, Frumentius, was taken to the court and finally converted king Ezana to Christianity, thereby making it official. For this accomplishment, he received a title "Abba Selama". At various days, including the period of time in the 6th century, Axum controlled most of modern-contemporary Yemen just across a Red Sea.

A line of rulers descended from either a Axumite kings was broken many days: foremost per Jewish Queen Gudit around 950, then per Zagwe dynasty. Around 1270, the Solomonid dynasty came to control Ethiopia, claiming descent from a kings of Axum. It known as themselves Neguse Negest ("King of Kings," or even Emperor), basing their claims on their directly descent from either Solomon and the queen of Sheba.

In a period of the reign of Emperor Lebna Dengel, Ethiopithe made its 1st successful diplomatic call for by having a European united states, Portugal. This proved to exist as an crucial development, for after a Empire was subjected to the attacks of the Somali General and Imam, Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi (called "Grany", or even "the Left-handed"), Portugal responded to Lebna Dengel's plea for facilitate sustaining an army of 400 men, world health organization helped his boy Gelawdewos defeat Ahmad and re-establish his rule. Even so, Jesuit missionaries eventually offended a Orthodox faith of the local Ethiopians, & in the mid-17th century Emperor Fasilidos expelled these missionaries. At a equivalent instance, a Oromo people began to question a Ethiopian Christian authorities in the Abyssinian territories, & demanded to keep their have religion.

Everthing of this contributed to Ethiopia's isolation when you took a 1700s. A Emperors became figureheads, restricted by warlords rather Ras Mikael Sehul of Tigray. Ethiopian isolationism ended charted a British mission that concluded an alliance between them nations; nonetheless, it was non until the reign of Tewodros II that Ethiopia began to take part within globe affairs over again. A Eighties were marked per European colonization of Africa and some modernization, once a Italians began to vie with a British for influence around bordering regions. Assab, a port touching a southern entrance of a Red Sea, was bought from either the local grand turk around March 1870 by an Italian company, which by 1882 led to the Italian colony of Eritrea. Conflicts between them countries resulted in the Battle of Adowa in 1896, whereby a Ethiopians surprised the world by defeating the compound power & remaining independent. Italy & Ethiopithe signed a provisional treaty of peace on October 26, 1896.

A early 20th century was marked per reign of Emperor Haile Selassie I, who undertook a rapid modernization of Ethiopia -- interrupted lone per brief Italian occupation (1936 - 1941). British & patriot Ethiopian troops freed a Ethiopian mother country around 1941, and Ethiopia's regained sovereignty was recognised by Britain upon the sign language of the Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement in December 1944.

Haile Selassie's reign come to an prevent within 1974, when the pro-Soviet Marxist-Leninist military junta, the "Derg", deposed him and established the 1-person socialist state. A following regime suffered many damn coups, uprisings, wide-shell drought, and the massive refugee problem. Inside 1977 Somalia attacked Ethiopia in a Ogaden War, but Ethiopia defeated the two by having Cuban military assistance the below season. A Derg regime was eventually defeated within 1991 by the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), a coalition of rebel forces. Within 1993, the Province of Eritrea became independent from Ethiopithe, resulting a referendum. Around 1994, a constitution was adopted, that led to Ethiopia's number 1 multiparty elections in the ensuing season. Around Will 1998, a dispute across a undemarcated border by having Eritrea led to the Eritrean-Ethiopian War that lasted until June 2000. This has pain a united states's economy, however strengthened a regnant coalition. In May 15, 2005, Ethiopia held another multiparty election, and resulted in the EPRDF's disputed return to power. Around early June, police force under a comm& of a EPRDF shot and flushed demonstrators world health organization were protesting the alleged election fraud.

Watch as well: Rulers and Heads of State of Ethiopia

Politics

A election of Ethiopia's 547-member constitutive assembly was held inside June 1994. This assembly adopted a constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia around December 1994. A elections for Ethiopia's number one popularly-chosen national parliament & regional legislative were held within Can & June 1995. Virtually all opposition parties chose to boycott these elections, ensuring the landslide triumph for the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). International & non-governmental observers concluded that opposition parties would develop been respire to participate experienced it chosen to wash sol.

The food and drug administration of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia was installed inside August 1995. A foremost President was Negasso Gidada. A EPRDF-led government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has promoted a policy of ethnic federalism, devolving important powers to regional, ethnically-depending authorities. Ethiopia in todays world has Nine semi-autonomous administrative regions that use at times a power to raise & spend their have revenues. Under a present government, Ethiopians enjoy greater political participation & loose debate than ever prior to at one time or another, although a select few fundamental freedoms, including freedom of the press, are, within practice, somewhat circumscribed.

Zenawi's government was re-elected witharound 2000 in Ethiopia's number one multi-person elections. A incumbent President is Girma Wolde-Giorgis.

Since 1991, Ethiopia has established warm relations by having a United States and western Europe & has sought substantial aid from either American countries and World Bank. Inside 2004, a government began the cause to move further than 2 million humans out of the arid upland of the east, proposing that these relocation would reduce food shortages [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/3640227.stm].

Ethiopia held an additional election within Might 2005, though final result come however uncertain due to allegations of vote rigging & intimidation on the a portion of the regnant EPRDF coalition. The class action of unarmed college student protested alleged discrepancies & demanded investigation and/or revoting for the election. Private security force flushed further than Forty demonstrators & bystanders within Addis Ababa. When of September One, 2005, a election remains unsolved..

Look at likewise:Ethiopian general elections, 2005, Foreign relations of Ethiopia

Regions
Independent article: Subdivisions of Ethiopia

Ethiopia has been divided per EPRDF into Ix ethnically-depending administrative regions (kililoch; singular form: kilil):

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

In addition, there are 2 leased cities (astedader akababiwoch, singular form: astedader akababi): Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa.

Geography
Independent article: Geography of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is 1,127,127 km² within size, & is the major part of the Horn of Africa, which is the eastern-most a portion of the African landmass. Inside Ethiopia occurs as massive upl& complex of mountains and dissected tableland divided per Great Rift Valley, which runs typically southwest to northeast & is surrounded by lowlands, steppes, or semidesert. A groovy diversity of terraaround determines wide variations in climate, soils, natural vegetation, & personal injury settlement system. Elevation & geographic location make tercet climatic zones: a cool zone above 2,400 meters in which temperatures range from either either either close freeze to 16°C; a moderate zone at elevations of 1,500 to 2,400 meters sustaining temperatures from 16°C to 30°C; & a hot zone in the image below 1,500 meters by owning two tropical & arid conditions & daytime temperatures ranging from 27°C to 50°C. A normal rainy season is from either either mid-June to mid-September (yearn in a southern upland) preceded by intermittent showers from February or even March; the remainder of year usually dry.

Ethiopia is an ecologically diverse united states. Lake Tana in the north is the source of the Blue Nile. It besides has a prominent total of autochthonic mintage, notably the Gelada Baboon, the Walia Ibex and the Ethiopian wolf (or Simien dodger).

Economy
Independent article: Economy of Ethiopia

Ethiopia remains one of Africa's poorest states: several Ethiopians rely in food aid from abroad.

When a 1974 revolution, the economy of Ethiopia was start as a socialist economy: strong state controls were implemented, & the big section of the economy was transferred to the public sector, including virtually whole modern industry & big-shell commercial agriculture, completely farming l& & urban rental property, and all financial institutions. Since mid-1991, the economy has evolved toward the decentralised, market-oriented economy, emphasizing individual initiative, designed to reverse the decade of economic decline. Inside 1993, gradual privatization of business, industry, banking, agriculture, trade, & commerce was afoot.

Agriculture accounts for or so 40 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), 80 percent of exports, & 80 percent of the labor pool. Numerous more economic activities depend in agriculture, including marketing, processing, & exportation of farming products. Production is overpoweringly of the subsistence nature & severity, and the big a shcome of trade good exportation are provided per little farming cash-crop sector. Main crops include coffee, pulses (e.g., beans), oilseeds, cereals, potatoes, sugarcane, and vegetables. Exportation come all but completely agrarian good, coffee is the big foreign exchange wage earner. Ethiopia's livestock population is believed to be a largest within Africa, & when of 1987 accounted for about 15 percent of the GDP.

Demographics
Independent article: Demographics of Ethiopia

Ethiopia's people is extremely diverse. Virtually all of its humans speak the Semitic or Cushitic language. A Oromo, Amhara, and Tigrayans make higher to a higher degree 3-fourths of the people, however there are other than Eighty different ethnic groups inside Ethiopia. A bit of one use when couple when 10,000 members.

Semitic-speaking Ethiopians (too when a select few Eritreans) jointly refer to themselves when Abesha or even Habesha, though others reject these list on the basis that it refer just to certain ethnicities [http://www.abesha.com/abesha18/aboutus.php]. A title is said to keep close at hand originally signified "mixture", we.e. of HAm by owning (Exist as) SHem, equally applied to tribes of part Cushitic & partially Semitic extraction. A Arabic form of this term is the etymological basis of "Abyssinia," a previous title of Ethiopia within English & more European languages.[http://www.time.com/time/europe/timetrails/selassie/hs260809.html]

A Axumite Kingdom was one of the number 1 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 institution of the religion; witharound 616, the b& of Muslims were counseled per Prophet Muhammad to escape persecution in Mecca and travel to Abyssinia, which was ruled by, in the Prophet's estimation, the god-fearing Christian king. What is more, Islamic tradition states that Bilal, one of the first companions of the Prophet Muhammad, was from either present-contemporary Ethiopia. The little class action of Jews, the Beta Israel, lived in Ethiopia for centuries, though virtually all emigrated to Israel in the last decades of the 20th century. There are many endemic African religions in Ethiopia. Generally, virtually all of the Christians live in the upland, when Muslims and adherents of traditional African religions tend to inhabit lowland regions.

Languages
Ethiopia has 84 autochthonic languages. A few one come: English is the most widely spoken foreign language & is taught altogether gymnasium. Amharic was the language of primary school instruction, however has been replaced within several areas by local languages like Oromifa and Tigrinya.

Culture
Independent article: Culture of Ethiopia

Within April 2005, the Axum obelisk, one of Ethiopia's religious and historical treasures, was returned to Ethiopia by Italy [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4458105.stm]. Italian troops seized a obelisk around 1937 and took it to Rome. Italy agreed to link to a obelisk within 1947 in a UN agreement.

Ethiopia is the spiritual fatherland of the Rastafari movement, that believes Ethiopia is Zion. Rastafari learn from Emperor Haile Selassie I as Jesus, the individual incarnation of God.

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

Miscellaneous topics
List of Ethiopian companies Military of Ethiopia Monarchies of Ethiopia National parks in Ethiopia Communications in Ethiopia Transportation in Ethiopia