ETHIOPIA
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ETHIOPIA
@Ethiopia:Geography
Location: Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
Map references: Africa
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ETHIOPIA - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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ADDIS ABABA 1,495,000 9.03N, 38.50E 251-1 GMT+3
Asmera 296,000 15.20N, 38.53E 251-4 GMT+3
Dire Dawa 98,000 9.35N, 41.50E 251-5 GMT+3
Gondar 81,000 12.39N, 37.29E 251-8 GMT+3
Dessye 76,000 11.05N, 39.40E 251-3 GMT+3
Nazret 76,000 8.39N, 39.19E 251-2 GMT+3
Jimma 64,000 7.39N, 36.47E 251-7 GMT+3
Harar 63,000 9.20N, 42.10E 251-5 GMT+3
Mekele 62,000 13.33N, 39.30E 251-4 GMT+3
Bahr Dar 55,000 11.37N, 37.10E 251-8 GMT+3
Debre Markos 40,000 10.20N, 37.45E 251- GMT+3
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Area:
total area: 1,127,127 sq km
land area: 1,119,683 sq km
comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries: total 5,311 km, Djibouti 337 km, Eritrea 912 km,
Kenya 830 km, Somalia 1,626 km, Sudan 1,606 km
Coastline: none - landlocked
Maritime claims: none; landlocked
International disputes: southern half of the boundary with Somalia is
a Provisional Administrative Line; territorial dispute with Somalia
over the Ogaden
Climate: tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation
Terrain: high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great
Rift Valley
Natural resources: small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash
Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 41%
forest and woodland: 24%
other: 22%
Irrigated land: 1,620 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion;
desertification; famine
natural hazards: geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified -
Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear
Test Ban
Note: landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with
the de jure independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993
@Ethiopia:People
Population: 55,979,018 (July 1995 est.)
note: Ethiopian demographic data, except population and population
growth rate, include Eritrea
Age structure:
0-14 years: 46% (female 12,782,345; male 12,802,187)
15-64 years: 52% (female 14,352,059; male 14,511,342)
65 years and over: 2% (female 815,974; male 715,111) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.09% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 46.68 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 15.77 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees from Sudan, Kenya and
Somalia, where they had taken refuge from war and famine in earlier
years, is expected to continue in 1995; additional influxes of
Sudanese and Somalis fleeing fighting in their countries can be
expected in 1995
Infant mortality rate: 120.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 50 years
male: 48.28 years
female: 51.78 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 7.07 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Ethiopian(s)
adjective: Ethiopian
Ethnic divisions: Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigrean 32%, Sidamo 9%,
Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%
Religions: Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%,
other 5%
Languages: Amharic (official), Tigrinya, Orominga, Guaraginga, Somali,
Arabic, English (major foreign language taught in schools)
Literacy: age 10 and over can read and write (1984)
total population: 24%
male: 33%
female: 16%
Labor force: 18 million
by occupation: agriculture and animal husbandry 80%, government and
services 12%, industry and construction 8% (1985)
@Ethiopia:Government
Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ethiopia
local long form: none
local short form: Ityop'iya
Digraph: ET
Type: transitional government
note: on 28 May 1991 the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic
Front (EPRDF) toppled the authoritarian government of MENGISTU
Haile-Mariam and took control in Addis Ababa; a new constitution was
promulgated in December 1994 and national and regional elections are
scheduled for May 1995; the administrative regions will elect regional
assemblies by popular vote; the National Assembly will have two
chambers - one elected by popular vote and the other selected as
representatives by the regional assemblies; the lower house of the
National Assembly will select or confirm the president, the prime
minister and the cabinet officers and judges; the prime minister will
be the chief executive officer and the duties of the president will be
mostly ceremonial
Capital: Addis Ababa
Administrative divisions: 14 ethnically-based administrative regions
(astedader akababiwach, singular - astedader akababi) Addis Ababa,
Afar, Amhara, Benishangul, Gambela, Gurage-Hadiya-Kambata, Hareri,
Kefa, Omo, Oromo, Sidama, Somali, Tigray, Wolayta
note: the following named four administrative regions may have been
abolished and their territories distributed among the remaining ten
regions: Kefa, Omo, Sidama, and Wolayta
Independence: oldest independent country in Africa and one of the
oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years
National holiday: National Day, 28 May (1991) (defeat of Mengistu
regime)
Constitution: new constitution promulgated in December 1994
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President MELES Zenawi (since 1 June 1991); appointed
by the Council of Representatives following the military defeat of the
MENGISTU government; following the elections to the National Assembly
scheduled for May 1995 the lower house of the National Assembly will
nominate a new president
head of government: Prime Minister TAMIRAT Layne (since 6 June 1991);
a new prime minister will be designated by the party in power
following the elections to the General Assembly in May 1995
cabinet: Council of Ministers; presently designated by the chairman of
the Council of Representatives; under the new constitution and
following the elections in May 1995 the cabinet officers will be
selected by the prime minister
Legislative branch:
Constituent Assembly: elections were held on 5 June 1994; results -
government parties swept almost all seats; in December 1994 the
Constituent Assembly ratified the new constitution with few changes;
the new constitution prescribes two chambers for the new National
Assembly - one which is elected by popular vote and one which
represents the ethnic interests of the regional governments
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Ethiopian People's Revolutionary
Democratic Front (EPRDF), MELES Zenawi;
Other political or pressure groups: Oromo Liberation Front (OLF); All
Amhara People's Organization; Southern Ethiopia People's Democratic
Coalition; numerous small, ethnic-based groups have formed since
Mengistu's resignation, including several Islamic militant groups
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador BERHANE Gebre-Christos
chancery: 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-2281, 2282
FAX: [1] (202) 328-7950
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Irvin HICKS
embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
telephone: [251] (1) 550666
FAX: [251] (1) 552191
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red;
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: With the independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993, Ethiopia
continues to face difficult economic problems as one of the poorest
and least developed countries in Africa. Its economy is based on
agriculture, which accounts for about 45% of GDP, 90% of exports, and
80% of total employment; coffee generates 60% of export earnings. The
agricultural sector suffers from frequent periods of drought, poor
cultivation practices, and deterioration of internal security
conditions. The manufacturing sector is heavily dependent on inputs
from the agricultural sector. Over 90% of large-scale industry, but
less than 10% of agriculture, is state run. The government is
considering selling off a portion of state-owned plants, and is
implementing reform measures that are gradually liberalizing the
economy. A major medium-term problem is the improvement of roads,
water supply, and other parts of an infrastructure badly neglected
during years of civil strife.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $20.3 billion (1993
est.)
National product real growth rate: 3% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $380 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (FY93/94)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $1.2 billion
expenditures: $1.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $707
million (FY93/94)
Exports: $219.8 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: coffee, leather products, gold
partners: Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, France, Italy
Imports: $1.04 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities: capital goods, consumer goods, fuel
partners: US, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Japan
External debt: $3.7 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate -3.3% (FY91/92); accounts for 12%
of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 460,000 kW
production: 1.3 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 23 kWh (1993)
Industries: food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals
processing, cement
Agriculture: accounts for 45% of GDP; export crops of coffee and
oilseeds are grown partly on state farms; estimated 50% of
agricultural production is at subsistence level; principal crops and
livestock - cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseeds, sugarcane, potatoes and
other vegetables, hides and skins, cattle, sheep, goats
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 southern African markets; cultivates qat (chat)
for local use and regional export
Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $504 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-89), $3.4 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $8 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $2 billion
Currency: 1 birr (Br) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: birr (Br) per US$1 - 5.9500 (January 1995), 5.9500
(1994), 5.0000 (fixed rate 1992-93); fixed at 2.070 before 1992; note
- official rate pegged to the US$
Fiscal year: 8 July - 7 July
@Ethiopia:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad)
narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge
Highways:
total: 24,127 km
paved: 3,289 km
unpaved: gravel 6,664 km; improved earth 1,652 km; unimproved earth
12,522 km (1993)
Ports: none
Merchant marine:
total: 12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 62,627 GRT/88,909 DWT
ships by type: cargo 8, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 2,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 1
Airports:
total: 98
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 24
with unpaved runways over 3,047 m: 4
with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 14
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 42
@Ethiopia:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones; open-wire and radio relay system
adequate for government use
local: NA
intercity: open wire and microwave radio relay links
international: open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay
to Kenya and Djibouti; 3 INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific
Ocean) earth stations
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 0, shortwave 0
radios: 9 million
Television:
broadcast stations: 1
televisions: 100,000
@Ethiopia:Defense Forces
Branches: Transitional Government of Ethiopia Forces, Air Force,
Police
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 12,658,084; males fit for
military service 6,569,759; males reach military age (18) annually
565,976 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $140 million, 4.1% of
GDP (FY94/95)
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