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This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008


Map of Ethiopia
Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Ethiopia Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
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 1990's ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. The Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission in November 2007 remotely demarcated the border by coordinates, but final demarcation of the boundary on the ground is currently on hold due to Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender territory considered sensitive to Ethiopia.
   Geography    Ethiopia Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
8 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Africa
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 1,127,127 sq km
land: 1,119,683 sq km
water: 7,444 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 5,328 km
border countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
none (landlocked)
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Denakil Depression -125 m
highest point: Ras Dejen 4,620 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 10.01%
permanent crops: 0.65%
other: 89.34% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
2,900 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
Definition Field Listing
110 cu km (1987)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Definition Field Listing
Total: 5.56 cu km/yr (6%/0%/94%)
Per capita: 72 cu m/yr (2002)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean
   People    Ethiopia Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
76,511,887
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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 43.4% (male 16,657,155/female 16,553,812)
15-64 years: 53.8% (male 20,558,026/female 20,639,076)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 953,832/female 1,149,986) (2007 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 18 years
male: 17.8 years
female: 18.1 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
2.272% (2007 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
37.39 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
14.67 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees residing in Sudan is expected to continue for several years; some Sudanese, Somali, and Eritrean refugees, who fled to Ethiopia from the fighting or famine in their own countries, continue to return to their homes (2007 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.006 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.996 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.829 male(s)/female
total population: 0.995 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 91.92 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 101.57 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 81.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 49.23 years
male: 48.06 years
female: 50.44 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.1 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.4% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.5 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
120,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
Definition Field Listing
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and cutaneous leishmaniasis are high risks in some locations
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2007)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Ethiopian(s)
adjective: Ethiopian
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
Christian 60.8% (Orthodox 50.6%, Protestant 10.2%), Muslim 32.8%, traditional 4.6%, other 1.8% (1994 census)
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
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 Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 42.7%
male: 50.3%
female: 35.1% (2003 est.)
   Government    Ethiopia Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
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
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
federal republic
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: Addis Ababa
geographic coordinates: 9 02 N, 38 42 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
9 ethnically-based states (kililoch, singular - kilil) and 2 self-governing administrations* (astedaderoch, singular - astedader); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar, Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples), Hareri Hizb (Harari People), Oromiya (Oromia), Sumale (Somali), Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples)
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
National Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
ratified 8 December 1994, effective 22 August 1995
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on civil law; currently transitional mix of national and regional courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: President GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8 October 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since August 1995)
cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided for in the December 1994 constitution; ministers are selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives
elections: president elected by the House of People's Representatives for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 9 October 2007 (next to be held in October 2013); prime minister designated by the party in power following legislative elections
election results: GIRMA Woldegiorgis elected president; percent of vote by the House of People's Representatives - 100%
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation (or upper chamber) (108 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives (or lower chamber) (547 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 15 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPRDF 327, CUD 109, UEDF 52, SPDP 23, OFDM 11, BGPDUF 8, ANDP 8, independent 1, others 6, undeclared 2
note: irregularities at some polling stations necessitated the rescheduling of voting in certain constituencies
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
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 parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP; Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for Unity and Democratic Party or CUDP [TEMESGEN Zewdie] (contains elements of the former CUD); Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi] (an alliance of Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM, Oromo People's Democratic Organization or OPDO, the South Ethiopian People's Democratic Front or SEPDF, and Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front or TPLF); Gurage Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM; Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement or OFDM [BULCHA Demeksa]; Somali People's Democratic Party or SPDP; United Ethiopian Democratic Forces or UEDF [BEYENE Petros]; dozens of small parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front or EPPF; Ogaden National Liberation Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
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, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ASSEFA
chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200
FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Donald Y. YAMAMOTO
embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
telephone: [251] 11-517-40-00
FAX: [251] 11-517-40-01
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
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; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors
   Economy    Ethiopia Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
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 land tenure system, the government 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 in 2004-07.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$55.07 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$16.9 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9.8% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$700 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 48.8%
industry: 12.9%
services: 38.3% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
27.27 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 80%
industry: 8%
services: 12% (1985)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA%
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
38.7% (FY05/06 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 25.5% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
30 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
15.9% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
27.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $2.944 billion
expenditures: $3.683 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
54.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, qat, cut flowers; hides, cattle, sheep, goats; fish
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, chemicals, metals processing, cement
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.864 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.577 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2005)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
29,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
28,460 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
428,000 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
23.9 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
-$1.851 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
China 11%, Germany 9.1%, Japan 7.8%, US 7.1%, Saudi Arabia 6.1%, Djibouti 6%, Italy 5.2% (2006)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$4.54 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Saudi Arabia 18.1%, China 11.4%, India 8.1%, Italy 5.1% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$1.6 billion (FY05/06)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$840 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$3.793 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$NA
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
birr (ETB)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
birr per US dollar - 8.96 (2007), 8.69 (2006), 8.68 (2005), 8.6356 (2004), 8.5997 (2003)
note: since 24 October 2001 exchange rates are determined on a daily basis via interbank transactions regulated by the Central Bank
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
8 July - 7 July
   Communications    Ethiopia Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
725,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
866,700 (2006)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: inadequate telephone system; the number of fixed lines and mobile telephones is increasing from a very small base; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is only about 2 per 100 persons
domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; 2 domestic satellites provide the national trunk service
international: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 8, FM 0, shortwave 1 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
1 (plus 24 repeaters) (2001)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.et
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
89 (2007)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
164,000 (2005)
   Transportation    Ethiopia Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
84 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 69
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 29
under 914 m: 21 (2007)
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 699 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad)
narrow gauge: 699 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2006)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 36,469 km
paved: 6,980 km
unpaved: 29,489 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 10 ships (1000 GRT or over) 120,383 GRT/152,418 DWT
by type: cargo 8, roll on/roll off 2 (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Ethiopia is landlocked and uses the port of Djibouti
   Military    Ethiopia Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, Ethiopian Air Force
note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the secession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in Eritrean possession
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 14,568,277
females age 18-49: 14,482,885 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 8,072,755
females age 18-49: 7,902,660 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 803,777
females age 18-49: 801,789 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3% (2006)
   Transnational Issues    Ethiopia Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002 Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), which has monitored the 25-km-wide Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000, is extended for six months in 2007 despite Eritrean restrictions on its operations and reduced force of 17,000; the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; civil unrest in eastern Sudan has hampered efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Definition Field Listing
refugees (country of origin): 73,927 (Sudan), 15,901 (Somalia), 10,700 (Eritrea)
IDPs: 100,000-280,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000 and ethnic clashes in Gambela; most IDPs are in Tigray and Gambela Provinces) (2006)
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and destined for Europe, as well as cocaine destined for markets in southern Africa; cultivates qat (khat) for local use and regional export, principally to Djibouti and Somalia (legal in all three countries); the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money laundering center

This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008


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