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Ethiopia lies in the northern hemisphere between the Equator
and the Tropic of Capricorn. It occupies 1,133,380 square
kilometers of land. Its elevation runs from 120 meters below
sea level to 4,620 meters above sea level. Most of the elevated
plateau rises from 2100 to 4400 meters. It is divided into
climate regions marked as highlands, midlands, lowlands
and the peculiar "Danakil Depression" which at
some points descends more than 120 meters below sea level.
A high plateau capped with rugged mountains covers much
of Ethiopia.
The lowland deserts surround the plateau region. Majestic
mountains, imposing peaks, alluring and glamorous gorges,
ravishing tablelands, verdant pasture-lands, luxuriant tropical
regions and the magnificent Rift Valley are some of its
physical formations. Being close to the equator and having
high altitude makes the weather all year around pleasant
and beautiful.
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Map of Ethiopia |
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Splendid landscapes, sparsely wooded semi-desert tracts,
tremendous and unfamiliar physical relief, and the infrequent
wilderness are some of the captivating, astonishing and
outlandish attractions that Ethiopia offers. As a land of
great physical contrast, its different territories are scenic
and awe-inspiring.
The innumerable, magnificent crater lakes characterized
by their aquatic life, the alarming abysses, the interweaving
rivers, the enticing and graceful waterfalls, the extraordinary
savannah, the unusual wild domains and the uncommon natural
phenomena in some parts of this bounteous country are mystery-shrouded
and bizarre. The extensive national parks, game reserves
and sanctuaries shelter a great number of wildlife species.
Ethiopia has a unique and ancient culture . It is the
heir of an eminent, marvelous history. The rich culture
of its affluent society is prominent. Its societies comprise
a mosaic of over 70 ethnic and linguistic groups. A sumptuous
culture and a profuse tradition flourished here for millennia.
The close contacts of these various social communities
are symbolic of its diverse legacies. The virtuous patrimonies
of these societies ever endeared its indelible cultural
and social history.
There are great and formidable stelea, timeless monuments,
prehistoric cave-paintings, exotic rock-hewn churches, old
monasteries, castles, mosques, temples and other shrines
which harbor and shield all sorts of irreplaceable, irretrievable,
priceless mementos.
Ethiopia is the source of the Blue Nile “Abay”
river. The river flows from an altitude of 1,830 meters
in the region of Lake Tana, in northwestern Ethiopia, Its
journey takes it to south and then west joining the White
Nile at Khartoum to form the Nile proper.
The 3.5 million year old skeleton of Lucy, the oldest maiden
in the human race, Ramidus, the 4.4 million years remains
of Lucy's ancestors, the 1.7 million year old tools of the
primitive man are some of the rare relics preserved in the
archaeological and ethnological museums of Addis. Ethiopia
offers these and other dream haven treasures and inheritances.
What is most astonishing is that Ethiopia is Abyssinian
of yore, with romantic names like Queen of Sheba, Prester
John, Lion of Judah and Rasselas. These names build an improbable
land, nor a reality and, therefore, will surprise yourself
one day by saying, "I am going to Ethiopia."
Ethiopia offers a wide scope for enjoying an invigorating
climate and has excellent facilities for sight-seeing, mountaineering,
hunting, fishing, motoring, photography, swimming and surprisingly
enough for studying an ancient civilization. Few other countries
offer such facilities.
Ethiopia is truly one of the most colorful countries in
the world for it possess towering mountains, cool temperate
uplands, tropical lowlands, hot deserts, lakes, forests
full of wild game, ruins of monuments dating from the past
2000 years, rock-hewn churches ancient monasteries, fashionable
spas, picturesque native life and nomadic culture in its
most natural background.
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Physical
Features |
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The physical structure of the country is very unique. The
central part of the country is a high tableland known as
the Ethiopian plateau. The plateau is split diagonally in
a northeastern to southwestern direction by the Great Rift
Valley where natural springs and spas are found. Although
the average elevation of the plateau is about 1,680 meters,
it is cut by many rivers and deep valleys, some of which
are 600 meters below the level of the plateau. Ras Dashen,
the highest peak in Ethiopia and the fourth highest in Africa,
towers over the Ethiopian plateau at 4,620 meters.
The Denakil desert which is centered on the Danakil Depression
drops to 120 meters below sea level.
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Population |
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The
population of Ethiopia is estimated to be more than
80 million. Ethiopia is a country with over eighty nationalities.
The Amharas and the Tigreans occupy the north and northwestern
part of Ethiopia including the area north of Addis Ababa.
The Oromo live mainly in central and southwestern Ethiopia.
The Shankella reside in the western part of the country.
The Somali live in the east and southeast, notably in
the Ogaden region. The Denakil inhabit the semi desert
plains east of the highlands. |
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Religion |
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Christianity
The introduction of Christianity
into Ethiopia is around the year 350 A.D. The famous
Ezana, king of Axum, was the first king to accept
Christianity. The man who was instrumental in introducing
the religion to the Axumite court was a young Christian
known as Fromentius, probably a Syrian by origin.
He sailed through the red sea and was forced to land
on the Ethiopian coast for provisioning the ship.
But the occupants of the ship were attacked by the
natives who massacred the crew except Formentius and
his brother Edesius. They were both taken as captives
to the king. The king was impressed by the rich information
the brothers had of the outside world. He gave them
important posts in the court. Fromentius who had a
deep knowledge of the Christian faith and was also
an ardent believer succeeded in converting the king
and his household. Fromentius traveled to Alexandria
and discussed with Athanasius, the then newly elected
patriarch of Alexandria about the possibility of converting
Ethiopia into Christanity. Athanasius being interested
in the project and subsequently, consecrated Fromentius
bishop in about 340 A.D.
From this time on, the Christian faith gradually
spread to many parts of Ethiopia, although conditions
in the country in the period between 650-1270, were
not characterized by peace and stability, Christianity
did spread southwards. The Orthodox Christian faith
which is also the religion of the Egyptian Coptic
church becomes the predominant faith especially in
the northern part of Ethiopia.
Islam
Next to the Orthodox Christian
faith, Islam has the largest followers in Ethiopia.
Islam, one of the world's major religions, started
to expand into many parts of the world starting from
the seventh century A.D. From its early inception,
its followers had contacts with Ethiopia. When the
Prophet Mohammed's followers were being persecuted
in Mecca by the qureish, the prophet thought of sanctuary
for his followers. Ethiopia, the country which had
sent effective help to the persecuted Christians of
Yemen was chosen to be the sanctuary. He told his
followers "if you go to Abyssinia you will find
a king under whom none are persecuted. It is a land
of righteousness where God will give you relief from
what you are suffering." Based on this, in the
fifth year of his call (615 A.D.) refugees began crossing
the red sea in groups. This is what is termed by Muslims
as the first Hijra (migration). It is reported that
some of these emigrants remained in Ethiopia to spread
Islam while others returned back home. Thus, people
in several regions of Ethiopia become Muslims.
Starting from mid-sixteenth century, Catholic missionaries
introduced their faith into Ethiopia. Towards the
late 19th century Protestant missionaries were also
active in spreading their faith. This religion along
with other ones is being practiced in the country.
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Language |
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There are over 80 or more languages and 200 dialects
spoken in Ethiopia. These are divided into four
major language families namely Semitic, Omotic,
Cushitic and Nilotic. Most belong to the Semitic
and Cushitic branches of the Afro-Asiatic family.
Ge'ez gave rise to the Semitic cluster of languages:
Amharic, Tigrinya and Tigre. Amharic, the official
language of the country, is spoken by more than
half of the population. English, French and Arabic
are also spoken. |
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Traditional
Dishes |
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Different ethnic groups have their own food
specialties. However the most dominant dish
in all the major towns of the country is "Qayy
Wot" and "Alicha Wot" which are
served with "Injera". The "Wot"
is a stew of pea flour, meat or potatoes seasoned
with spices.
Meat dishes are unique in that they are either
cooked very lightly or not at all. Kitfo, a
specialty from the Gurage tribe is a type of
minced meat served lukewarm with a little butter,
berbere sauce, accompanied by Kocho (bread type
food prepared from false banana tree), a special
cheese, Ayib (containing herbs which give a
bitter lemon taste and provide coloring) and
Kosta, chopped spinach. Kwalima is a kind of
meat sausage which is a specialty in Harar.
The local beverages are "Tella" (local
bear), "Tej" (mead, wine made of honey)
and "Arekie" (liquor).
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Climate |
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The climate of Ethiopia varies mainly according
to elevation. The tropical zone below approximately
1,800 meters has an average annual temperature
of about 270c. The subtropical zone which includes
most of the highland plateau, located between
1,800 and 2,400 meters elevation, has an average
temperature of about 220c. The temperate zone's
averages 160c. The principal rainy season occurs
between mid June and September, followed by a
dry (sunny) season that may be interrupted by
a short rainy season. The climate does not coincide
with the conventional four seasons with no snow
fall being experienced.
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History |
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The forerunner of modern Ethiopia was the
kingdom of Axum. This ancient Solomonic dynasty
flourished in northeastern Africa from the 1st
century BC until the early 7th century AD. Axum
a powerful trading center controlled the highlands
of northern Ethiopia and the Red Sea coast.
Axumite kings built massive stelea (stone pillars)
to adorn their tombs. Some of these stelae are
standing still to witness the kingdom's history.
After the overthrown of Solomonic dynasty, different
kings and rulers rose at different times.
The story of king Lalibella founded eleven
rock-hewn churches which are still in existence
today, are considered as the wonders of the
world. The castles of Gondar built by Fasil
and others which was capital city of the nation
in the medieval period signify Ethiopia as one
of the oldest country in East Africa. A history
lover will find plenty to see and explore.
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Calendar |
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The calendar of Ethiopia is another unique feature
having 13 months. Using the Julian calendar, Ethiopia
has twelve lunar months of thirty days each, plus
one month of five or six days, depending on the
leap year. The Julian calendar began 7 years and
133 days after the introduction of Christianity,
making the first day of the New Year September
11 or 12 depending on the leap year. Unlike many
countries around the world Ethiopians celebrated
the year 2000 (Ethiopian Millennium) in September
2007 making the day a day to remember for years.
It was a special day that this generation was
privileged to witness the last days of the 2nd
millennium. September 11, 2008 in European Calendar
is the same as September 11 (or “Meskerem
1) 2000 using the Ethiopian Julian Calendar.
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Infrastructure
& Communication |
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The country has many access roads for surface
transportation. Air service is provided by Ethiopian
Air lines, the national carrier and other privately
owned Airlines. The capital is connected by
rail with the port of Djibouti.
The telecommunication system provides both
land line and mobile telephone services. Fast
speed internet service is also available in
major cities and towns.
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Currency
& Banking |
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Ethiopia's unit of currency is “Birr”.
One dollar approximately equals to 9.60 Birr.
There are government and privately owned Commercial
as well as Agricultural and Industrial banks
in the country. Commercial Bank of Ethiopia
is the biggest bank in Ethiopia.
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Hotels |
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Three, Four and Five star Hotels are available
in the country. Sheraton Addis, a member of
the starwood hotels and resorts is one of the
best luxury hotel in Africa. It is conveniently
located in the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis
Ababa. Hilton, Ghion, Wabishebele, Imperial,
Ibex are among the other known hotels in the
country.
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