| 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 |
|
