About Ethiopia

One of the oldest nations on Earth

Some of the most ancient traces of humanity, a complex religious backdrop, and forbidding, dramatic mountain landscapes are some of the defining marks of Ethiopia.

Geography & climate

A landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia is delimited by borders with Eritrea to the North, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Djibouti to the northeast, and Somalia to the east.

Ethiopia is a land of highlands and plateaus, dissected by the Great Rift Valley, and lowlands, steppes and semi-deserts. From high mountain ranges (the Semien Mountains and the Bale Mountains) to one of the lowest areas of land in Africa, the Danakil depression, this variation in terrain creates a range of climates, soils, natural vegetation, and settlement patterns.

The climate is generally dry, with a rainy season from mid-June to mid-September (which lasts longer in the southern highlands).


Nature

You can ride deserts, trek tropical forests, navigate great lakes and still be in Ethiopia. This ecological diversity extends to the country's species, many of which are endemic (found nowhere else), including the gelada baboon, the walia ibex and the Ethiopian wolf.

Ethiopia's high variation in altitudes has led to the development of ecologically distinct areas, resulting in the evolution of species that are adapted to their unique environment.



Population & religion

Ethiopia is a complex mosaic of ethnic groups, including the Oromo, Amhara, Tigray and Somali, which make up more than three-quarters of the population. In total, there are more than 80 different ethnic groups in the country, most of who speak a Semitic or Cushitic language.

Christians represent about two-thirds of the population, Muslims about one-third, with the remaining practicing traditional faiths.



Economy & development

Ethiopia is an agriculture-driven country, where a large part of commodity exports are provided by the cash-crop sector. Agriculture accounts for a majority of exports, followed by gold, leather products and oilseeds.

Pulses (e.g. beans), cereals, potatoes, sugarcane, vegetables and most famously coffee, are the main crops grown in Ethiopia. The country's livestock population is believed to be the largest in Africa.

Despite improvements, Ethiopia remains one of the poorest nations in the world. Life expectancy at birth in 2004 was 48 years, while 46% of the population was undernourished between 2001 and 2003.