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A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990's ended
with a peace treaty in December 2000. Final demarcation of the boundary
is currently on hold due to Ethiopian objections to an international
commission's finding requiring it to surrender territory considered
sensitive to Ethiopia.
Geography:
Location:
Eastern Africa, west of Somalia Geographic
Coordinates:
8 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references:
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: 5,328 km
Border Countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya
861 km, Somalia 1,600 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: 10.01%
permanent crops: 0.65%
other: 89.34% (2005)
Irrigated land:
2,900 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water
shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management
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
Geography - note:
landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the
de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue Nile, the
chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk
(Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed
to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor
bean
People of Ethiopia
Population:
74,777,981
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
2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.7% (male 16,373,718/female 16,280,766)
15-64 years: 53.6% (male 19,999,482/female 20,077,014)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 929,349/female 1,117,652) (2006
est.)
Median age:
total: 17.8 years
male: 17.7 years
female: 17.9 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.31% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
37.98 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
14.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees residing in Sudan
is expected to continue for several years; some Sudanese, Somali,
and Eritrean refugees, who fled to Ethiopia from the fighting or
famine in their own countries, continue to return to their homes
(2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 93.62 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 103.43 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 83.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.03 years
male: 47.86 years
female: 50.24 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.22 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4.4% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with
HIV/AIDS:
1.5 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
120,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and hepatitis E
vectorborne diseases: malaria and cutaneous leishmaniasis
are high risks in some locations
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005)
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: 42.7%
male: 50.3%
female: 35.1% (2003 est.)
Government
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
Capital:
name: Addis Ababa
geographic coordinates: 9 02 N, 38 42 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
9 ethnically-based states (kililoch, singular - kilil) and 2 self-governing
administrations* (astedaderoch, singular - astedader); Adis Abeba*
(Addis Ababa), Afar, Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*,
Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples), Hareri Hizb (Harari People),
Oromiya (Oromia), Sumale (Somali), Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch
na Hizboch (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples)
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 GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8 October
2001)
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 (eligible for a second term); election last
held 8 October 2001 (next to be held October 2007); prime minister
designated by the party in power following legislative elections
election results: GIRMA Woldegiorgis elected president; percent
of vote by the House of People's Representatives - 100%
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 (547 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote
from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 15 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party -
EPRDF 327, CUD 109, UEDF 52, SPDP 23, OFDM 11, BGPDUF 8, ANDP 8,
independent 1, others 6, undeclared 2
note: irregularities at some polling stations necessitated
the rescheduling of voting in certain constituencies
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; Benishangul Gumuz People's
Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for
Unity and Democracy or CUD [HAILU Shawel]; Ethiopian People's Revolutionary
Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi] (an alliance of Amhara
National Democratic Movement or ANDM, Oromo People's Democratic
Organization or OPDO, the South Ethiopean People's Democratic Front
or SEPDF, and TigrAyan Peoples' Liberation Front or TPLF); Gurage
Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM; Oromo Federalist Democratic
Movement or OFDM [BULCHA Demeksa]; Somali People's Democratic Party
or SPDP; United Ethopian Democratic Forces or UEDF [BEYENE Petros];
dozens of small parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front or EPPF; Ogaden National Liberation
Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),
IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ASSEFA
chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200
FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Donald Y. YAMAMOTO
embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
telephone: [251] (1) 517-4000
FAX: [251] (1) 517-4888
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 three
main 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 poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, accounting
for half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. The
agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought and poor cultivation
practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian economy with exports
of some $156 million in 2002, but historically low prices have seen
many farmers switching to qat to supplement income. The war with
Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought have buffeted the economy,
in particular coffee production. In November 2001, Ethiopia qualified
for debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative,
and in December 2005 the International Monetary Fund voted to forgive
Ethiopia's debt to the body. Under Ethiopia's land tenure system,
the government owns all land and provides long-term leases to the
tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in the industrial
sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral for
loans. Drought struck again late in 2002, leading to a 2% decline
in GDP in 2003. Normal weather patterns helped agricultural and
GDP growth recover in 2004-06.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$71.63 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$9.789 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
8.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,000 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 49.2%
industry: 9.1%
services: 41.7% (2006 est.)
Labor force:
27.27 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80%
industry: 8%
services: 12% (1985)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
50% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 33.7% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
30 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.5% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.3% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.565 billion
expenditures: $3.165 billion; including capital expenditures
of $788 million (2006 est.)
Public debt:
78.1% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:
cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, qat,
cut flowers; hides, cattle, sheep, goats; fish
Industries:
food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, chemicals, metals
processing, cement
Industrial production growth rate:
6.7% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production:
2.294 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 1.3%
hydro: 97.6%
nuclear: 0%
other: 1.2% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
2.133 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:
29,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
214,000 bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
24.92 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance:
$-1.34 billion (2006 est.)
Exports:
$1.085 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities:
coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds
Exports - partners:
Germany 15.5%, China 10.5%, Japan 8.5%, Saudi Arabia 6.9%, Djibouti
6.8%, Switzerland 6.4%, Italy 5.9%, US 5.5%, Netherlands 4.2% (2005)
Imports: $4.105 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals,
machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 14.7%, China 12.6%, US 12.4%, India 6.7%, Italy 4.6%
(2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.186 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:
$2.789 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$308 million (FY00/01)
Currency (code):
birr (ETB)
Currency code:
ETB
Exchange rates:
birr per US dollar - 8.69 (2006), 8.68 (2005), 8.6356 (2004), 8.5997
(2003), 8.5678 (2002), note, since 24 October 2001 exchange rates
are determined on a daily basis via interbank transactions regulated
by the Central Bank
Fiscal year:
8 July - 7 July
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use:
610,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
410,600 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: 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: country code - 251; 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 8, FM 0, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios:
15.2 million (2002)
Television broadcast stations:
1 plus 24 repeaters (2002)
Televisions:
682,000 (2002)
Internet country code:
.et
Internet hosts:
88 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)
Internet users:
113,000 (2005)
Transportation
Airports:
84 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total:
70
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 28
under 914 m: 23 (2006)
Railways:
total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti
railroad)
narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia
(2005)
Roadways:
total: 36,469 km
paved: 6,980 km
unpaved: 29,489 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 79,441 GRT/97,669 DWT
by type: cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2 (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Ethiopia is landlocked and uses the port of Djibouti
Military
Military branches:
Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, Ethiopian
Air Force
note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the
secession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in Eritrean
possession
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 14,568,277
females age 18-49: 14,482,885 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 8,072,755
females age 18-49: 7,902,660 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 803,777
females age 18-49: 801,789 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$295.9 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.4% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international:
Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002 Eritrea-Ethiopia
Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but mutual animosities,
accusations, and armed posturing prevail, preventing demarcation
despite international intervention; Ethiopia refuses to withdraw
to the delimited boundary until technical errors made by the EEBC
that ignored "human geography" are addressed, including the award
of Badme, the focus of the 1998-2000 war; Eritrea insists that the
EEBC decision be implemented immediately without modifications;
Ethiopia has only an administrative line and no international border
with the Oromo region of southern Somalia where it maintains alliances
with local clans in opposition to the unrecognized Somali Interim
Government in Mogadishu; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port
facilities and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; efforts to demarcate
the porous boundary with Sudan have been delayed by civil war
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 73,927 (Sudan), 15,901 (Somalia),
10,700 (Eritrea) IDPs: 100,000-280,000 (border war with Eritrea
from 1998-2000 and ethnic clashes in Gambela; most IDPs are in Tigray
and Gambela Provinces) (2006)
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 (legal
in all three countries); the lack of a well-developed financial
system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center
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