|
Home
World
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua Barbuda
Arctic Ocean
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Ashmore Cartier Isle
Atlantic Ocean
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Baker Island
Bangladesh
Barbados
Bassas da India
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burma
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Rep
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Clipperton Island
Cocos
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Congo Republic
Cook Islands
Coral Sea Islands
Costa Rica
Cote d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Europa Island
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Antarctic Lands
Gabon
Gambia
Gaza Strip
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Glorioso Islands
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Heard McDonald Isle
Honduras
Hong Kong
Howland Island
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indian Ocean
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jarvis Island
Jersey
Johnston Atoll
Jordan
Juan de Nova Island
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kingman Reef
Kiribati
Jan Mayen
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia
Midway Islands
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Nauru
Navassa Island
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Korea
N Mariana Islands
Norway
Oman
Pacific Ocean
Pakistan
Palau
Palmyra Atoll
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paracel Islands
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn Islands
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
St Helena
St Kitts Nevis
St Lucia
St Pierre Miquelon
St Vincent Grenadines
Samoa
Sandwich Islands
San Marino
Sao Tome Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Korea
S Ocean
Spain
Spratly Islands
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad Tobago
Tromelin Island
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands
Wake Island
Wallis and Futuna
West Bank
Western Sahara
Yemen
Yugoslavia
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Guide
Introduction
| |
| Background: |
Unique among African
countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from
colonial rule, one exception being the Italian occupation of 1936-41. 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 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian
People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), in 1991. A constitution
was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held
in 1995. A two and a half year border war with Eritrea that ended with a
peace treaty on 12 December 2000 has strengthened the ruling coalition,
but has hurt the nation's economy. |
| Location: |
Eastern Africa, west of
Somalia |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
8 00 N, 38 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 1,127,127
sq km
land: 1,119,683 sq km
water: 7,444 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly less than twice the
size of Texas |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 5,311 km
border countries: Djibouti 337 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya
830 km, Somalia 1,626 km, Sudan 1,606 km |
| Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime
claims: |
none (landlocked) |
| Climate: |
tropical monsoon with wide
topographic-induced variation |
| Terrain: |
high plateau with central
mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Denakil Depression -125 m
highest point: Ras Dejen 4,620 m |
| Natural
resources: |
small reserves of gold,
platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 40%
forests and woodland: 25%
other: 22% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
1,900 sq km (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
geologically active Great
Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent
droughts |
| Environment
- current issues: |
deforestation; overgrazing;
soil erosion; desertification |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law
of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban |
| Geography
- note: |
landlocked - entire coastline
along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on
24 May 1993 |
| Population: |
65,891,874
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 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
47.18% (male 15,647,675; female 15,442,348)
15-64 years: 50.03% (male 16,584,765; female 16,378,060)
65 years and over: 2.79% (male 834,825; female 1,004,201)
(2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.7% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
44.68 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
17.84 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0.13 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.)
note: repatriation of Ethiopians who fled to Sudan for
refuge from war and famine in earlier years is expected to continue for
several years; small numbers of Sudanese and Somali refugees, who fled
to Ethiopia from the fighting or famine in their own countries, continue
to return to their homes |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.03
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
99.96 deaths/1,000 live
births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
44.68 years
male: 43.88 years
female: 45.51 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
7 children born/woman (2001
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
10.63% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
3 million (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
280,000 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Ethiopian(s)
adjective: Ethiopian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre
32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1% |
| Religions: |
Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian
Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 3%-8% |
| Languages: |
Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna,
Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other local languages, English (major
foreign language taught in schools) |
| Literacy: |
definition: age
15 and over can read and write
total population: 35.5%
male: 45.5%
female: 25.3% (1995 est.) |
| 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 |
| Government
type: |
federal republic |
| Administrative
divisions: |
9 ethnically-based states (kililoch,
singular - kilil) and 2 self-governing administrations* (astedaderoch,
singular - astedader): Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa); Afar; Amara,
Binshangul Gumuz; Dire Dawa*; Gambela Hizboch; Hareri Hizb; Oromiya;
Sumale; Tigray; YeDebub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern
Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region) |
| Independence: |
oldest independent country in
Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years |
| National
holiday: |
National Day (defeat of
MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991) |
| Constitution: |
ratified December 1994;
effective 22 August 1995 |
| Legal
system: |
currently transitional mix of
national and regional courts |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state:
President NEGASSO Gidada (since 22 August 1995)
head of government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since NA
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; election last held NA June 1995
(next to be held NA May 2001); prime minister designated by the party in
power following legislative elections
election results: NEGASSO Gidada elected president; percent
of vote by the House of People's Representatives - NA% |
| Legislative
branch: |
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 (548 seats; members are
directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 May 2000 (next to be held NA May
2005)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - OPDO 177,
ANDM 134, TPLF 38, WGGPDO 27, EPRDF 19, SPDO 18, GNDM 15, KSPDO 10, ANDP
8, GPRDF 7, SOPDM 7, BGPDUF 6, BMPDO 5, KAT 4, other regional political
groupings 22, independents 8; note - 43 seats unconfirmed
note: irregularities and violence at a number of polling
stations necessitated the rescheduling of voting in certain
constituencies; voting postponed in Somali regional state because of
severe drought |
| Judicial
branch: |
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: |
Afar National Democratic
Party or ANDP [leader NA]; All-Amhara People's Organization or AAPO [KEGNAZ
MATCH Neguea Tibeb]; Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM [TEFERA
Walwa]; Bench Madji People's Democratic Organization or BMPDO [leader
NA]; Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [leader
NA]; Coalition of Alternative Forces for Peace and Democracy or CAFPD [Kifle
TIGNEH Abate and BEYENE Petros]; Ethiopian Democratic Unity Party or
EDUP [Lt. Gen. TESFAYE Gebre Kidan]; Ethiopian National Democratic Party
or ENDP [FEKADU Gedamu]; Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic
Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi] (an alliance of the ANDM, OPDO, and TPLF);
Gedeyo People's Revolutionary Democratic Movement or GPRDF [leader NA];
Gurange Nationalities Democratic Movement or GNDM [leader NA]; Kafa
Shaka People's Democratic Organization or KSPDO [leader NA]; Kembata,
Alabaa, and Tembaro or KAT [leader NA]; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD
Ibsa Gudina]; Oromo People's Democratic Organization or OPDO [KUMA
Demeksa]; Sidama People's Democratic Organization or SPDO [leader NA];
South Omo People's Democratic Movement or SOPDM [leader NA]; Tigrai
People's Liberation Front or TPLF [MELES Zenawi]; Walayta, Gamo, Gofa,
Dawro, Konta People's Democratic Organization or WGGPDO [leader NA];
dozens of small parties |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Southern Ethiopia People's
Democratic Coalition; numerous small, ethnically based groups have
formed since the defeat of the former MENGISTU regime in 1991, including
several Islamic militant groups |
| International
organization participation: |
ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO,
G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200
FAX: [1] (202) 686-9857 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Tibor P. NAGY, Jr.
embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
telephone: [251] (1) 550666
FAX: [251] (1) 551328 |
| Flag
description: |
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 colors of her flag were so often adopted by
other African countries upon independence that they became known as the
pan-African colors |
| Economy
- overview: |
Ethiopia's economy is based
on agriculture, which accounts for half of GDP, 90% of exports, and 80%
of total employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent
periods of drought and poor cultivation practices, and as many as 4.6
million people need food assistance annually. Coffee is critical to the
Ethiopian economy, and Ethiopia earned $267 million in 1999 by exporting
105,000 metric tons. According to current estimates, coffee contributes
10% of Ethiopia's GDP. More than 15 million people (25% of the
population) derive their livelihood from the coffee sector. Other
exports include live animals, hides, gold, and qat. In December 1999,
Ethiopia signed a $1.4 billion joint venture deal to develop a huge
natural gas field in the Somali Regional State. The war with Eritrea
forced the government to spend scarce resources on the military and to
scale back ambitious development plans. Foreign investment has declined
significantly. Government taxes imposed in late 1999 to raise money for
the war depressed an already weak economy. The war forced the government
to improve roads and other parts of the previously neglected
infrastructure, but only certain regions of the nation benefited.
Recovery from the war is mostly contingent on natural factors. A drought
has continued into the end of 2000 and food relief is expected to be
needed through mid-2001 at least. Ethiopia may receive Highly Indebted
Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief by the end of the year. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity -
$39.2 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
2% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$600 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 45%
industry: 12%
services: 43% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 33.7% (1995) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
5% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture and animal
husbandry 80%, government and services 12%, industry and construction 8%
(1985) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $1
billion
expenditures: $1.48 billion, including capital expenditures
of $415 million (FY96/97) |
| Industries: |
food processing, beverages,
textiles, chemicals, metals processing, cement |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
1.625 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
3.08%
hydro: 96.92%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
1.511 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
cereals, pulses, coffee,
oilseed, sugarcane, potatoes, qat; hides, cattle, sheep, goats |
| Exports: |
$460 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
coffee, gold, leather
products, oilseeds, qat |
| Exports
- partners: |
Germany 16%, Japan 13%,
Djibouti 10%, Saudi Arabia 7% (1999 est.) |
| Imports: |
$1.25 billion (f.o.b., 1999) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
food and live animals,
petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles |
| Imports
- partners: |
Saudi Arabia 28%, Italy 10%,
Russia 7%, US 6% (1999 est.) |
| Debt
- external: |
$10 billion (1999 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$367 million (FY95/96) |
| Exchange
rates: |
birr per US dollar (end of
period) - 8.3140 (December 2000), 8.3140 (2000), 8.1340 (1999), 7.5030
(1998), 6.8640 (1997), 6.4260 (1996)
note: since May 1993, the birr market rate has been
determined in an interbank market supported by weekly wholesale auction |
| Fiscal
year: |
8 July - 7 July |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
157,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
4,000 (1999) |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
open wire and microwave radio relay system adequate for government use
domestic: open wire; microwave radio relay; radio
communication in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; two domestic
satellites provide the national trunk service
international: 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: |
AM 5, FM 0, shortwave 2
(1999) |
| Radios: |
11.75 million (1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
25 (1999) |
| Televisions: |
320,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.et |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
7,200 (1999) |
| Railways: |
total: 681 km
(Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad)
narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge
note: in April 1998, Djibouti and Ethiopia announced plans
to revitalize the century-old railroad that links their capitals; since
May 1998 Ethiopia has expended considerable effort to repair and
maintain the lines |
| Highways: |
total: 24,145 km
paved: 3,290 km
unpaved: 20,855 km (1998) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
none; Ethiopia is landlocked
and was by agreement with Eritrea using the ports of Assab and Massawa;
since the border dispute with Eritrea flared, Ethiopia has used the port
of Djibouti for nearly all of its imports |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 11 ships
(1,000 GRT or over) totaling 85,382 GRT/108,526 DWT
ships by type: cargo 6, container 1, petroleum tanker 1,
roll on/roll off 3 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 12
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 74
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 35
under 914 m: 20 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Ground Forces, Air Force,
Police, Militia
note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the
independence of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in Eritrean
possession and ships which belonged to the former Ethiopian Navy and
based at Djibouti have been sold |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49:
14,537,884 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
7,581,815 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 703,625
(2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$138 million (FY98/99) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.5% (FY98/99) |
| Disputes
- international: |
most of the southern half of
the boundary with Somalia is a Provisional Administrative Line; as a
result of the 12 December 2000 peace agreement ending a two year war
with Eritrea, the UN will administer a 25-km wide temporary security
zone within Eritrea until a joint boundary commission delimits and
demarcates a final boundary; dispute over alignment of boundary with
Eritrea led to armed conflict in 1998; a peace accord signed in December
2000 provides for UN-assisted arbitration and demarcation of the border |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transit hub for heroin
originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and destined for Europe and
North America as well as cocaine destined for markets in southern
Africa; cultivates qat (khat) for local use and regional export,
principally to Djibouti and Somalia |
|
