Ethiopia

Location

• Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
• the most populous landlocked country in the world; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Addis Ababa	3,860,000	Capital
Jijiga	483,000
Gonder	466,000
Mek'ele	457,900
Nazrēt	456,900
Awasa	422,200
Bahir Dar	350,000
Dire Dawa	343,000
Dessie	270,400
Jimma	250,900

Size

• 435,184 square miles
• 1,127,127 square kilometers
• slightly less than twice the size of Texas

History

The area that is modern-day Ethiopia is rich in cultural and religious diversity with more than 80 ethnic groups. The oldest hominid yet found comes from Ethiopia, and Ethiopia was the second country to officially adopt Christianity in the 4th century A.D. A series of monarchies ruled the area that is now Ethiopia from 980 B.C. to 1855, when the Amhara kingdoms of northern Ethiopia united in an empire under Tewodros II. Many Ethiopians still speak reverently about the Battle of Adwa in 1896, when they defeated Italian forces and won their freedom from colonial rule. Emperor Haile SELASSIE became an internationally renowned figure in 1935, when he unsuccessfully appealed to the League of Nations to prevent Italy from occupying Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941. SELASSIE survived an attempted coup in 1960, annexed modern-day Eritrea in 1962, and played a leading role in establishing the Organization of African Unity in 1963. However, in 1974, a military junta called the Derg deposed him and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, drought, and massive displacement, the Derg regime was toppled in 1991 by a coalition of opposing forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). The EPRDF became an ethno-federalist political coalition that ruled Ethiopia from 1991 until its dissolution in 2019. Ethiopia adopted its constitution in 1994 and held its first multiparty elections in 1995. A two-and-a-half-year border war with Eritrea in the late 1990s ended with a peace treaty in 2000. Ethiopia subsequently rejected the 2007 Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission demarcation. This resulted in more than a decade of a tense “no peace, no war” stalemate between the two countries. In 2012, longtime Prime Minister MELES Zenawi died in office and was replaced by his Deputy Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM Desalegn, marking the first peaceful transition of power in decades. Following a wave of popular dissent and anti-government protest that began in 2015, HAILEMARIAM resigned in 2018, and ABIY Ahmed Ali took office the same year as Ethiopia's first ethnic Oromo prime minister. In 2018, ABIY promoted a rapprochement between Ethiopia and Eritrea that was marked with a peace agreement and a reopening of their shared border. In 2019, Ethiopia's nearly 30-year ethnic-based ruling coalition, the EPRDF, merged into a single unity party called the Prosperity Party; however, the lead coalition party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), declined to join. In 2020, a military conflict erupted between forces aligned with the TPLF and the Ethiopian military. The conflict -- which was marked by atrocities committed by all parties -- ended in 2022 with a cessation of hostilities agreement between the TPLF and the Ethiopian Government. However, Ethiopia continues to experience ethnic-based violence as other groups -- including the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and Amhara militia Fano -- seek concessions from the Ethiopian Government.

Climate

tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

Terrain

high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley

Languages

Oromo (official regional working language) 33.8%, Amharic (official national language) 29.3%, Somali (official regional working language) 6.2%, Tigrigna (Tigrinya) (official regional working language) 5.9%, Sidamo 4%, Wolaytta 2.2%, Gurage 2%, Afar (official regional working language) 1.7%, Hadiyya 1.7%, Gamo 1.5%, Gedeo 1.3%, Opuuo 1.2%, Kafa 1.1%, other 8.1%, English (2007 est.)major-language sample(s): Kitaaba Addunyaa Waan Qabataamaatiif - Kan Madda Odeeffannoo bu’uraawaatiif baay’ee barbaachisaa ta’e. (Oromo)የአለም እውነታ መጽሐፍ፣ ለመሠረታዊ መረጃ እጅግ አስፈላጊ የሆነ ምንጭ። (Amharic)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Ethiopian Orthodox 43.8%, Muslim 31.3%, Protestant 22.8%, Catholic 0.7%, traditional 0.6%, other 0.8% (2016 est.)

Government

federal parliamentary republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest drafted June 1994, adopted 8 December 1994, entered into force 21 August 1995amendment process: proposals submitted for discussion require two-thirds majority approval in either house of Parliament or majority approval of one-third of the State Councils; passage of amendments other than constitutional articles on fundamental rights and freedoms and the initiation and amendment of the constitution requires two-thirds majority vote in a joint session of Parliament and majority vote by two thirds of the State Councils; passage of amendments affecting rights and freedoms and amendment procedures requires two-thirds majority vote in each house of Parliament and majority vote by all the State Councils
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President TAYE Atske Selassie (since 7 October 2024)head of government: Prime Minister ABIY Ahmed Ali (since April 2018)cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representativeselection/appointment process: president indirectly elected by both chambers of Parliament for a 6-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister designated by the majority party following legislative electionsmost recent election date: 21 June 2021 and 30 September 2021 (scheduled 29 August 2020 election was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic)election results: 2021: SAHLE-WORK Zewde reelected president during joint session of Parliament, vote - 659 (unanimous); ABIY confirmed Prime Minister by House of Peoples' Representatives (4 October 2021)2018: SAHLE-WORK Zewde elected president during joint session of Parliament, vote - 659 (unanimous); snap election held on 25 October 2018 due to resignation of President MULATA Teshome
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Federal Supreme Court (consists of 11 judges)judge selection and term of office: president and vice president of Federal Supreme Court recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; other Supreme Court judges nominated by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council (a 10-member body chaired by the president of the Federal Supreme Court) and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; judges serve until retirement at age 60subordinate courts: federal high courts and federal courts of first instance; state court systems (mirror structure of federal system); sharia courts and customary and traditional courtsnote: the House of Federation has jurisdiction for all constitutional issues
• Legislative Branch: legislative structure: bicameralnote: the House of Federation is responsible for interpreting the constitution and federal-regional issues, and the House of People's Representatives is responsible for passing legislation

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• low-income, fast-growing Horn of Africa economy; widespread poverty and food insecurity worsened by conflict and environmental factors; landlocked with tensions over seaport access; development aid supporting reforms to boost private-sector growth and financial stability; challenge of creating jobs for growing labor force
• Budget: revenues: $8.808 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $12.49 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower
• Industries: food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, garments, chemicals, metals processing, cement
• Agricultural Products: maize, cereals, wheat, milk, sorghum, barley, taro, beans, sweet potatoes, potatoes (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 34.1% (2022 est.)arable land: 14.5% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 1.8% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 17.7% (2022 est.)forest: 15% (2022 est.)other: 50.9% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, fertilizers, plastics, raw sugar, cars (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 26%, Djibouti 16%, India 7%, Kuwait 7%, Saudi Arabia 6% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: coffee, garments, dried legumes, cut flowers, oil seeds (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: USA 12%, China 10%, UAE 8%, Saudi Arabia 8%, Netherlands 5% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports