Ethiopia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in other official languages Afar: ityoppiah federalih demokrasih ummuno Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራላዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ Oromo: Rippabliikii Federaalawaa Dimokraatawaa Itiyoophiyaacode: orm promoted to code: om Somali: Jamhuuriyadda Dimuqraadiga Federaalka Itoobiyacode: som promoted to code: so Tigrinya: ናይኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራላዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ
Flag Emblem
Anthem:  ወደፊት ገስግሺ ፣ ውድ እናት ኢትዮጵያ "Wedefīt Gesigishī Wid Inat ītiyop’iy" ("March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia")
Capital and largest city	Addis Ababa 9°1′N 38°45′E / 9.017°N 38.750°E / 9.017; 38.750
Official languages	Amharic Afar Oromo Somali Tigrinya
Regional languages	Harari Sidama Languages of Ethiopia
Ethnic groups (2007)	34.5% Oromo 26.9% Amhara 6.2% Somali 6.1% Tigrayan 4.0% Sidama 2.5% Gurage 2.3% Welayta 1.7% Hadiya 1.7% Afar 1.5% Gamo 12.6% others
Religion (2016)	67.3% Christianity 43.8% Ethiopian Orthodoxy 22.8% P'ent'ay 0.7% other Christian 31.3% Islam 0.6% traditional faiths 0.8% others / none
Demonym(s)	Ethiopian
Government	Federal parliamentary republic
• President	Taye Atske Selassie
• Prime Minister	Abiy Ahmed
• Deputy Prime Minister	Temesgen Tiruneh
Legislature	Federal Parliamentary Assembly
• Upper house	House of Federation
• Lower house	House of Peoples' Representatives
Formation
• Dʿmt	980 BC
• Kingdom of Aksum	400 BC
• Ethiopian Empire	1270
• Zemene Mesafint	7 May 1769
• Reunification	11 February 1855
• Centralisation	1904
• Occupied and annexed into Italian East Africa	9 May 1936
• Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement	31 January 1942
• Derg	12 September 1974
• People's Democratic Republic	22 February 1987
• Transitional government	28 May 1991
• Current constitution	21 August 1995
Area
• Total	1,104,300 km2 (426,400 sq mi) (26th)
• Water (%)	0.7
Population
• 2024 estimate	132,900,000 (10th)
• 2007 census	73,750,932
• Density	92.7/km2 (240.1/sq mi) (123rd)
GDP (PPP)	2024 estimate
• Total	$434.44 billion (55th)
• Per capita	$4,050 (159th)
GDP (nominal)	2024 estimate
• Total	$145.03 billion (59th)
• Per capita	$1,350 (159th)
Gini (2015)	▲ 35.0 medium
HDI (2022)	0.492 low · 176th
Currency	Birr (ETB)
Time zone	UTC+3 (EAT)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+251
ISO 3166 code	ET
Internet TLD	.et

Ethiopia is a country in the Horn of Africa. It has a very long and interesting history, unlike many other African countries. Ethiopia managed to stay independent during the "Scramble for Africa," a time when European powers took control of most of the continent. It was only ruled by Italians for five years. Ethiopia used to be known as Abyssinia. The name "Ethiopia" comes from a Greek word meaning "sun-light burned face."

Ethiopia's Long History

The first major kingdom in Ethiopia was the Kingdom of Aksum, which began around the 1st century AD. A Persian religious leader named Mani even listed Aksum as one of the four greatest powers of his time, alongside Rome, Persia, and China.

In the early 4th century, a Greek traveler named Frumentius introduced Christianity to King Ezana. This made Christianity the official religion of Ethiopia. For this, Frumentius was called "Abba Selama," meaning "Father of Peace." At one point in the 6th century, Aksum even ruled parts of modern-day Yemen, which is just across the Red Sea.

The line of Aksumite kings was interrupted a few times. First, by a Jewish Queen named Gudit around 950 AD, and later by the Zagwe dynasty. Around 1270, the Solomonic dynasty took control of Ethiopia. They claimed to be related to the Aksumite kings and even to Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. These rulers called themselves Neguse Negest, meaning "King of Kings" or Emperor of Ethiopia.

During the rule of Emperor Lebna Dengel, Ethiopia first made contact with a European country, Portugal. This was a helpful connection. When a Somali general, Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi, attacked the Empire, Portugal sent 400 soldiers to help. This aid helped Lebna Dengel's son, Gelawdewos, defeat al-Ghazi and regain control.

However, some Jesuit missionaries from Portugal later caused problems because their beliefs were different from the local Ethiopian Orthodox faith. In the mid-17th century, Emperor Fasilidos asked these missionaries to leave. Around the same time, the Oromo people also began to challenge the Ethiopian Christian leaders, wanting to keep their own traditions.

These events led to Ethiopia becoming isolated from the rest of the world during the 1700s. The Emperors had less power, and local warlords, like Ras Mikael Sehul of Tigray, controlled much of the country. Ethiopia's isolation ended after a British mission helped build friendship between the two nations. However, it wasn't until Emperor Tewodros II's rule that Ethiopia truly started to be involved in world affairs again.

Regions and Cities

Before 1996, Ethiopia was divided into 13 provinces. Today, Ethiopia is organized into regions based on ethnic groups. It also has zones, districts (called woredas), and neighborhoods.

There are nine regions and two special cities that act like regions. These cities are Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa. Ethiopia is also divided into 550 woredas and some "special woredas."

The nine regions and two special cities are:

• Addis Ababa
• Afar
• Amhara
• Benishangul-Gumuz
• Dire Dawa
• Gambela
• Harari
• Oromia
• Somali
• Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region
• Tigray

Geography and Climate

Ethiopia is the 27th largest country in the world, about the same size as Bolivia. It is located in the Horn of Africa, which is the easternmost part of the African continent. Ethiopia shares borders with Sudan and South Sudan to the west, Djibouti and Eritrea to the north, Somalia to the east, and Kenya to the south.

Most of Ethiopia is covered by a large area of mountains and high plateaus. This area is split by the Great Rift Valley, which runs from southwest to northeast. Around these highlands are lower areas, steppes, and semi-deserts. This varied landscape creates many different climates, soil types, natural plants, and ways people live.

Ethiopia has a very diverse environment. It ranges from deserts along its eastern border to tropical forests in the south. There are also large Afromontane areas (mountain forests) in the north and southwest. Lake Tana in the north is the source of the Blue Nile river.

Ethiopia's Climate

Ethiopia mainly has a tropical monsoon climate. However, the high mountains cause many differences in weather. The Ethiopian Highlands cover most of the country and are much cooler than other places at the same distance from the Equator. Many of Ethiopia's big cities, including historical capitals like Gondar and Axum, are located at high elevations (around 2,000 to 2,500 meters).

The capital city, Addis Ababa, is about 2,400 meters above sea level. It has a mild climate all year round. The seasons in Addis Ababa are mostly defined by rainfall. There's a dry season from October to February, a light rainy season from March to May, and a heavy rainy season from June to September. The city gets about 1,200 mm of rain each year.

Addis Ababa usually gets 7 hours of sunshine per day. The dry season is the sunniest, but even during the heavy rainy season in July and August, there are still several hours of bright sunshine daily. The average yearly temperature in Addis Ababa is 16°C. Daily high temperatures are usually between 20-25°C, and overnight lows are between 5-10°C.

Most major cities and tourist spots in Ethiopia are at similar elevations to Addis Ababa and have similar climates. In lower areas, especially the dry Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands in the east, the climate can be much hotter and drier. Dallol, in the Danakil Depression in the east, has the highest average yearly temperature in the world, at 34°C.

Environment and Wildlife

Ethiopia is home to 31 types of mammals that are found nowhere else in the world. The Ethiopian wolf is one of the most studied endangered animals in the country.

Ethiopia is also a very important place for birds. More than 856 bird species have been seen in Ethiopia, and twenty of these are unique to the country. Sixteen species are endangered or critically endangered. Many of these birds eat butterflies, like the Bicyclus anynana.

Sadly, wildlife populations across Africa have been decreasing quickly. This is due to things like cutting down trees, wars, pollution, and poaching. A 17-year civil war and severe drought in Ethiopia also harmed the environment, leading to even more habitat loss. When animal habitats change too fast, animals don't have enough time to adapt. Human activities threaten many species, and climate change is expected to make these threats even worse. Even though Ethiopia's carbon dioxide emissions are very low (only 0.02% of the world's total in 2010), its wildlife is still at risk.

Many species in Ethiopia are listed as critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable to global extinction by the IUCN.

Deforestation Concerns

Ethiopia is one of the eight main places in the world where important cultivated plants first grew. However, cutting down forests (deforestation) is a big problem for Ethiopia. Studies show that losing forests leads to soil erosion, loss of important nutrients in the soil, loss of animal homes, and a decrease in the variety of plants and animals.

At the start of the 20th century, about 35% of Ethiopia's land was covered by trees. But recent studies show that forest cover is now only about 11.9% of the country's area. Ethiopia loses an estimated 1,410 square kilometers of natural forests every year. Between 1990 and 2005, the country lost about 21,000 square kilometers of forests.

The government has programs to help stop deforestation. These include educating people, supporting programs to plant new trees, and providing materials that can be used instead of wood. In rural areas, the government also offers other fuel sources and access to non-forested land to encourage farming without destroying forests.

Organizations like SOS and Farm Africa are working with the government to create better ways to manage forests. With a grant of about 2.3 million Euros, the Ethiopian government recently started training people on how to reduce soil erosion and use proper watering methods that don't cause deforestation. This project is helping more than 80 communities.

Economy and Resources

According to the IMF, Ethiopia had one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with over 10% economic growth each year from 2004 to 2009. It was the fastest-growing African economy that didn't rely on oil in 2007 and 2008. In 2015, the World Bank noted that Ethiopia had seen quick economic growth, with its real GDP growing by an average of 10.9% between 2004 and 2014.

Even with this fast growth, the average income per person (GDP per capita) is still one of the lowest in the world. The economy also faces several big challenges. However, by investing in public buildings and industrial areas, Ethiopia's economy is working to solve these problems and become a center for light manufacturing in Africa.

In Ethiopia, the constitution says that land can only be owned by "the state and the people." However, citizens can lease land for up to 99 years. They cannot use land as collateral for a loan or sell it. Renting land for a maximum of twenty years is allowed. This rule is meant to make sure that land is used by those who can make it most productive.

Energy and Hydropower

Ethiopia has 14 major rivers that flow from its highlands, including the Nile. The country has the largest water reserves in Africa. As of 2012, hydroelectric plants (which use water to make electricity) produced about 88.2% of all electricity. The rest came from fossil fuels (8.3%) and other renewable sources (3.6%).

In 2013, about 24% of the total population had access to electricity. This was 85% in cities but only 10% in rural areas. By 2014, Ethiopia produced 9.5 billion kWh of electricity and used 6.7 billion kWh. It exported 1.1 billion kWh of electricity.

Ethiopia provides about 81% of the water to the Nile River through the Blue Nile, Sobat River, and Atbara river basins. In 1959, Egypt and Sudan signed a treaty that gave them special rights over the Nile waters. Because of this, Egypt has often blocked projects in Ethiopia that wanted to use the Nile's smaller rivers. This made it hard for Ethiopia to get money for hydropower and irrigation projects.

However, Ethiopia is now building a very large hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile river. This Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will be the biggest hydroelectric power station in Africa when it's finished. Another project, the Gibe III hydroelectric project, already produces an estimated 1,870 megawatts of power.

Agriculture and Exports

About 85% of Ethiopia's workers are in agriculture. However, the service sector (like tourism and banking) makes up the largest part of the country's GDP. Many other economic activities, such as selling, processing, and exporting farm products, also depend on agriculture. Most farming is done by small-scale farmers and businesses. A large part of Ethiopia's exports comes from small farms that grow crops to sell. The main crops include coffee, legumes (like beans and lentils), oilseeds, cereals, potatoes, sugarcane, and vegetables.

Almost all of Ethiopia's exports are agricultural products, except for Gold. Coffee is the biggest earner of foreign money. Ethiopia is also Africa's second-largest producer of maize (corn). In 2011, the average income per person (GDP per capita) was $357. The report also showed that life expectancy had improved a lot recently, with men living to about 56 years and women to 60 years.

In the 2009/2010 financial year, Ethiopia's exports totaled 1.4 billion USD. The country produces more coffee than any other nation in Africa. Ethiopia also has the fifth-largest number of cattle in the world. Other main export goods are khat (a plant), gold, leather products, and oilseeds. The growing floriculture (flower growing) sector means Ethiopia is becoming one of the top flower and plant exporters in the world.

Trade across borders by people who move with their livestock (pastoralists) is often informal and not controlled by the government. In East Africa, over 95% of cross-border trade happens unofficially. The unofficial trade of live cattle, camels, sheep, and goats from Ethiopia to Somalia, Djibouti, and Kenya is worth an estimated 250 to 300 million USD each year. This is 100 times more than the official amount.

This unofficial trade helps lower food prices, makes food more available, reduces tensions at borders, and helps countries in the region work together. However, because this trade is not regulated or recorded, it carries risks, such as making it easier for diseases to spread across borders. The Ethiopian government is also not happy about losing tax money and foreign currency from this trade. Recent efforts have tried to record and regulate this trade.

With the private business sector growing slowly, designer leather products like bags are becoming a big export business. Taytu is the first luxury designer brand from Ethiopia. Other smaller export products include cereals, pulses (like peas and beans), cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, and animal hides. With new dams and growing hydroelectric power projects, Ethiopia also plans to export electricity to its neighbors.

Coffee remains Ethiopia's most important export. With new trademark deals around the world (including recent deals with Starbucks), the country plans to earn more money from coffee. Many people see Ethiopia's large water resources as its "white oil" and its coffee resources as "black gold."

The country also has large mineral resources and potential for oil in some less populated regions. However, political problems in those areas have slowed down development. In 2008, Ethiopian geologists were involved in a big gold scam. Four chemists and geologists from the Ethiopian Geological Survey were arrested because of a fake gold scandal. Buyers in South Africa complained that gold bars from the National Bank of Ethiopia were found to be just gilded metal. This cost the country around 17 million USD.

In 2011, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project began. When it is finished, it will provide extra energy in Ethiopia that can be exported to neighboring countries.

Transportation Networks

Ethiopia has 926 kilometers of electric standard gauge railways. This includes 656 km for the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway between Addis Ababa and the Port of Djibouti, and 270 km for the Awash–Hara Gebeya Railway between Addis Ababa and the cities of Dessie/Kombolcha. As of August 2017, both railways were either being tested or still under construction. Once they are fully open, likely in 2018/2019, passengers will be able to travel at 120 km/hour and freight at about 80 km/hour. A trip from Addis Ababa to Djibouti City is expected to take less than twelve hours, and to Dessie/Kombolcha about six hours.

Beyond the first 270 km of the Awash – Hara Gebeya Railway, there are plans to extend it by 120 km from Dessie/Kombolcha to Hara Gebeya/Woldiya. It's not clear when this part will be built. A third railway, 216 km long, is also being built between Mek'ele and Woldiya, but its opening date is also unknown. All these railways are part of a future network of more than 5,000 km of railways, called the National Railway Network of Ethiopia.

As part of a ten-year plan to improve roads, the Ethiopian government worked hard between 1997 and 2002 to improve its road system. As a result, by 2015, Ethiopia had a total of 100,000 km of roads, including both paved and gravel roads.

As of 2016, Ethiopia had 61 airports. The Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa and the Aba Tenna Dejazmach Yilma International Airport in Dire Dawa handle international flights. Ethiopian Airlines is the country's main airline and is owned by the government. From its main hub at Bole International Airport, the airline flies to 62 international and 16 domestic places. It is also one of the fastest-growing airlines in Africa.

People and Languages

Ethnic groups in Ethiopia
Ethnic group			Population
Oromo			25.4 (34.4%)
Amhara			19.9 (27.0%)
Somali			4.59 (6.22%)
Tigrayans			4.49 (6.08%)
Sidama			2.95 (4.00%)
Gurage			1.86 (2.52%)
Welayta			1.68 (2.27%)
Afar			1.28 (1.73%)
Hadiya			1.27 (1.72%)
Gamo			1.10 (1.49%)
others			9.30 (12.6%)
Population in millions according to 2007 Census

Ethiopia's population has grown a lot, from 33.5 million in 1983 to 87.9 million in 2014. In the 19th century, it was only about 9 million. Between 1994 and 2007, the population grew by 2.6% each year. Currently, Ethiopia has one of the fastest-growing populations in the world. It is expected to reach over 210 million people by 2060.

The country has a very diverse population, with over 80 different ethnic groups. According to the 2007 census, the Oromo are the largest group, making up 34.4% of the population. The Amhara are the second largest at 27.0%. Somalis are 6.22%, and Tigrayans are 6.08%. Other important ethnic groups include the Sidama (4.00%), Gurage (2.52%), Welayta (2.27%), Afar (1.73%), Hadiya (1.72%), and Gamo (1.49%).

Most people in Ethiopia speak Afro-Asiatic languages. These include languages from the Cushitic branch, like Oromiffa (spoken by the Oromo) and Somali (spoken by Somalis). They also include languages from the Semitic branch, like Amharic (spoken by the Amhara) and Tigrinya (spoken by the Tigrayans). These four groups make up about three-quarters of Ethiopia's population.

Some ethnic minorities in the southern regions speak Nilo-Saharan languages. The largest of these groups are the Nuer and Anuak.

In 2009, Ethiopia hosted about 135,200 refugees and asylum seekers. Most of these people came from Somalia, Eritrea, and Sudan. The Ethiopian government required almost all refugees to live in refugee camps.

Languages Spoken in Ethiopia

According to Ethnologue, there are ninety different languages spoken in Ethiopia. Most people speak Afro-Asiatic languages from the Cushitic or Semitic branches.

• Cushitic languages include Oromiffa and Somali.
• Semitic languages include Amharic and Tigrinya.

These four language groups are spoken by about three-quarters of Ethiopia's population. Other Afro-Asiatic languages with many speakers include Cushitic languages like Sidamo, Afar, Hadiyya, and Agaw languages. Semitic languages include Gurage languages, Harari, Silt'e, and Argobba. Arabic, also an Afro-Asiatic language, is spoken in some areas.

Additionally, Omotic languages are spoken by Omotic ethnic minority groups in the southern regions. These languages include Aari, Bench, Dime, Dizin, Gamo-Gofa-Dawro, Maale, Hamer, and Wolaytta.

Languages from the Nilo-Saharan family are spoken by ethnic minorities mainly in the southwestern parts of the country. These languages include Nuer, Anuak, Nyangatom, Majang, Suri, Me'en, and Mursi.

English is the most widely spoken foreign language and is used for teaching in secondary schools. Amharic used to be the language for primary school teaching, but in many areas, it has been replaced by regional languages like Oromiffa, Somali, or Tigrinya. While all languages are equally recognized by the state in the 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, Amharic is the official working language of the Federal Government. The different regions of Ethiopia and special cities can choose their own working languages. Amharic is the official working language of the Amhara Region, Benishangul-Gumuz, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, Gambela Region, Addis Abeba, and Dire Dawa. Afar, Harari, Oromiffa, Somali, and Tigrinya are official working languages in their own regions.

Writing Systems

Ethiopia's main writing system is the Ge'ez script. This script is used for several of the country's languages. It first appeared in the 6th and 5th centuries BC to write the Semitic Ge'ez language. Today, Ge'ez is the religious language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. In the 1980s, the Ethiopic characters were put into computers. It is now part of the Unicode standard.

Other writing systems have also been used by different Ethiopian communities over the years. These include Bakri Sapalo's script for Oromiffa.

Religions in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has strong historical connections with the world's three major Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. In the 4th century, Ethiopia was one of the first places in the world to officially adopt Christianity as its state religion.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the largest Christian group, even though other Protestant churches have grown recently. A smaller Ethiopian Catholic Church also exists.

Islam in Ethiopia dates back to the religion's beginning in 622 AD. At that time, a group of Muslims were told by Muhammad to escape persecution in Mecca. These followers traveled to Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia), which was then ruled by Ashama ibn-Abjar, a Christian emperor. The town of Negash in the Tigray Region is the oldest Muslim settlement in Africa.

Until the 1980s, a significant number of Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews) lived in Ethiopia. Most of them moved to Israel in the late 20th century as part of special missions like Operation Moses and Operation Solomon.

According to the 2007 census, Christians make up 62.8% of Ethiopia's population (43.5% Ethiopian Orthodox, 19.3% other Christian groups). Muslims make up 33.9%, and people who follow traditional faiths are 2.6%. Other religions make up 0.6%. While followers of all religions can be found everywhere, they tend to be in certain parts of the country. Christians mostly live in the northern Amhara and Tigray regions. Muslims mainly live in eastern and northeastern areas, especially the Somali, Afar, Dire Dawa, and Harari regions. People who practice traditional religions mostly live in the far southwestern and western rural border areas.

Urban and Rural Life

Population growth, people moving from one place to another, and the growth of cities are putting a strain on both governments and natural environments. They struggle to provide basic services to people. Urbanization (people moving to cities) has been steadily increasing in Ethiopia. There were two periods of very fast growth:

• From 1936–1941 during the Italian occupation.
• From 1967 to 1975, when the populations of urban centers tripled.

In 1936, Italy took over Ethiopia and built roads and a dam for power and water. This, along with many Italians and workers moving in, caused rapid growth. The second period of growth was when people from rural areas moved to cities looking for work and better living conditions.

This trend slowed down after 1975 when the government started a Land Reform program. This program encouraged people to stay in rural areas. When people moved from farms to cities, there were fewer people to grow food. The Land Reform Act aimed to increase farming because food production wasn't keeping up with population growth between 1970 and 1983. This program led to the creation of "peasant associations," which were large villages based on farming. The act did lead to more food production, though some say it was more due to weather conditions than the reform itself. City populations have continued to grow, with an 8.1% increase from 1975 to 2000.

Life in Cities and Rural Areas

People usually move to cities hoping for better lives. In rural peasant associations, daily life is a struggle to survive. About 16% of people in Ethiopia live on less than 1 dollar per day (as of 2008). Only 65% of rural households eat the minimum amount of food needed per day (2,200 kilocalories), according to the World Health Organization. Also, 42% of children under 5 years old are underweight.

Most poor families (75%) share their sleeping areas with livestock, and 40% of children sleep on the floor. Nighttime temperatures can average 5 degrees Celsius in the cold season. The average family has six or seven people, living in a small mud and thatch hut of about 30 square meters, with less than two hectares of land to farm.

Rural farming communities often face a cycle of poverty. Because landholdings are so small, farmers cannot let the land rest, which reduces soil fertility. This land degradation means less food for livestock, leading to low milk production. Since communities burn livestock manure for fuel instead of putting its nutrients back into the soil, crop production also goes down. The low productivity of farming leads to low incomes for farmers, hunger, poor nutrition, and illness. These unhealthy farmers then have difficulty working the land, and productivity drops even further.

While conditions are much better in cities, all of Ethiopia struggles with poverty and poor sanitation. However, poverty in Ethiopia dropped from 44% to 29.6% between 2000 and 2011, according to the World Bank. In the capital city of Addis Ababa, 55% of the population used to live in slums. Now, a lot of new construction, both private and public, has greatly improved living standards in major cities, especially in Addis Ababa. For example, government-built apartment complexes have appeared throughout the city, helping almost 600,000 people.

Sanitation is the most urgent need in the city, as most people do not have access to waste treatment facilities. This contributes to the spread of illness through unhealthy water.

Despite some living conditions, people in Addis Ababa are generally better off than those in rural farming communities because of educational opportunities. Unlike rural children, 69% of urban children are in primary school, and 35% of those can go to secondary school. Addis Ababa has its own university and many other secondary schools. The literacy rate (people who can read and write) is 82%.

Culture and Traditions

Naming Customs

Ethiopians have a different naming system compared to Western countries that use family names. Children add the given names of their father and paternal grandfather to their own given name. For official documents like passports, the grandfather's given name is used as a family surname, and a person's given name and their father's given name form the first name.

Everyone is addressed by their given name. In formal situations, people use prefixes: Ato (አቶ) for men, Weyzero (ወይዘሮ) for married women, and Weyzerīt (ወይዘሪት) for unmarried women.

Ethiopian Calendar

Ethiopia uses several local calendars. The most common is the Ethiopian calendar, also known as the Ge'ez calendar. It is based on the older Alexandrian or Coptic calendar, which came from the Egyptian calendar. Like the Coptic calendar, the Ethiopian calendar has twelve months of exactly 30 days each, plus five or six extra days that make up a thirteenth month. The Ethiopian months start on the same days as those of the Coptic calendar, but their names are in Ge'ez.

Similar to the Julian calendar, an extra day (a leap day) is added every four years on August 29th of the Julian calendar. So, the first day of the Ethiopian year, 1 Mäskäräm, is usually September 11th on the Gregorian calendar, but it falls on September 12th in years before a Gregorian leap year. There is also a seven- to eight-year difference between the Ethiopian and Gregorian calendars because of a different way of calculating the date of the Annunciation of Jesus.

Another important calendar system was developed around 300 BC by the Oromo. This Oromo calendar is based on the moon and stars. It uses observations of the moon along with seven specific stars or star groups. The Oromo months (stars/lunar phases) are Bittottessa, Camsa, Bufa, Waxabajjii, Obora Gudda, Obora Dikka, Birra, Cikawa, Sadasaa, Abrasa, Ammaji, and Gurrandala.

Timekeeping

Time in Ethiopia is counted differently from many Western countries. The Ethiopian day starts at 6 AM, which is when the sun rises throughout the year. To change between Ethiopian time and Western time, you need to add or subtract 6 hours from the Western time. For example, 2 AM in Addis Ababa is called "8 at night" in Ethiopia, while 8 PM is called "2 in the evening."

Ethiopian Cuisine

The most famous Ethiopian cuisine includes different types of thick meat stews, called wat, and vegetable side dishes. These are served on top of injera, a large, soft sourdough flatbread made from teff flour. You don't use utensils to eat; instead, you use pieces of injera to scoop up the food. It's very common in Ethiopia for groups of people to eat from the same dish in the middle of the table. It's also a tradition to feed others in your group with your own hands, which is called "gursha." Traditional Ethiopian food does not use pork or shellfish because they are forbidden in Islamic, Jewish, and Ethiopian Orthodox faiths.

Some popular dishes from the Oromo include Chechebsa, marqa, chukko, michirra, and dhanga. Kitfo, which came from the Gurage, is one of the country's most popular special foods. Also, Doro wot is another popular dish, which originated from the Amhara people in northwestern Ethiopia. Tihlo (ጥሕሎ), a type of dumpling, is made from roasted barley flour. It started in the Tigray Region and is now very popular in the Amhara Region and spreading further south.

Music and Sounds

The music of Ethiopia is incredibly diverse, with each of the country's 80 ethnic groups having its own unique sounds. Ethiopian music uses a special modal system that is pentatonic, meaning it has five notes in an octave with distinct intervals between some notes. Like many other parts of Ethiopian culture, musical tastes and lyrics are very similar to those in neighboring Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti, and Sudan. Traditional Ethiopian singing features different styles of polyphony (multiple independent melodies). Traditionally, song lyrics in Ethiopia are strongly linked to feelings of patriotism, national pride, romance, friendship, and a unique type of memory called 'Tizita'.

Sports and Athletes

The main sports in Ethiopia are track and field (especially long distance running) and football (soccer). Ethiopian athletes have won many Olympic gold medals in track and field, mostly in long distance running. Haile Gebrselassie is a world-famous long distance runner who holds several world records. Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba are also dominant runners, especially in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, where they hold world records.

Other famous Ethiopian athletes include Abebe Bikila, Mamo Wolde, Miruts Yifter, Derartu Tulu, Meseret Defar, Almaz Ayana, Birhane Adere, Tiki Gelana, Genzebe Dibaba, Tariku Bekele, and Gelete Burka. As of 2012 and into 2013, the Ethiopian national football team (called the Walayia Antelopes) made history by qualifying for the 2012 African Cup of Nations (CAF). More recently, they reached the last 10 African football teams in the final stage of qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Notable players include captain Adane Girma and top scorer Saladin Said.

Ethiopia has the longest history of basketball in Sub-Saharan Africa, having formed a national basketball team in 1949.

Related pages

• Ethiopia at the Olympics
• Ethiopia national football team
• List of rivers of Ethiopia

Images for kids

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  A Homo sapiens idaltu hominid skull.

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  Kibish is where the oldest human bone fossils, believed to be 195,000 years old, were found near the Omo River. These skull remains are 40,000 years older than those found in Herto, Ethiopia.

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  The Obelisk of Axum dates from the 4th century.

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  Aksumite currency of the Aksumite king called Endubis, from 227–35, at the British Museum. The inscriptions in Ancient Greek read "ΑΧΩΜΙΤΩ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ" ("King of Axum") and "ΕΝΔΥΒΙΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ" ("King Endubis"). Greek was a common language at the time, which made foreign trade easier.

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  Emperor Yekuno Amlak portrait, possibly from the 18th century.

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  The Sultan of Adal (right) and his troops battling Emperor Yagbea-Sion and his men.

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  Emperor Susenyos I was the first emperor to convert to Roman Catholic in 1622, which caused strong reactions from the Orthodox Tewahedo Christian people.

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  Emperor Fasilides (ruled 1632–1667) was a key figure of the Gondarine period.

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  Emperor Iyoas I (ruled 1755–1769) was sadly killed during his reign by Ras Mikael Sehul in 1769.

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  Emperor Tewodros II (ruled 1855–1868) brought an end to the Zemene Mesafint era.

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  The conquests of Emperor Yohannes IV, Negus Menelik, and general Ras Alula between 1879–1889.

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  Menelik II at the Battle of Adwa.

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  Haile Selassie at his study in Jubilee Palace (1942).

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  Ethiopian cavalry during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War in 1936.

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  Ras Seyoum Mengesha, Ras Getachew Abate, and Ras Kebede Gubret with Benito Mussolini on February 6, 1937, in Rome, Italy, after the Italian occupation of Ethiopia.

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  The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP) clashed with the Derg during the Red Terror.

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  Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia Hailemariam Desalegn meeting with former US Deputy Secretary of Defense Ash Carter in Addis Ababa.

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  Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in 2019.

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  Development of GDP per capita.

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  A Boeing 787-8 of Ethiopian Airlines.

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  Semien Mountains landscape, 2009.

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  Orthodox priests dancing during the celebration of Timkat.

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  Street in Addis Ababa.

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  Street scene in Adigrat.

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  Entrance of Addis Ababa University.

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  An Ethiopian woman roasting coffee beans in a coffee house. The coffee serving ceremony is a very important tradition in Ethiopia.

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  Alwan Codex 27 – an Ethiopian biblical manuscript.

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  Illustration showing two Aksumite scribes.

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  The Royal Enclosure at Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar.

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  Giyorgis of Segla, a very productive religious writer in the Late Middle Ages.

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  Tsegaye Gebre-Medhin in the 1980s.

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  Meskel celebrates the discovery of the True Cross by Roman queen Helena in 326 AD.

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  The Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation headquarters in Addis Ababa.

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  Aksumite composer Yared is credited as a founder of traditional music for both Ethiopia and Eritrea.

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  Genzebe Dibaba, a middle- and long-distance runner. She won a silver medal in the 1500 meters at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and a gold medal in this event and a bronze in the 5000 meters at the 2015 World Championships.

See also

In Spanish: Etiopía para niños