Map of Ethiopia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: Ethiopia has been ruled by the authoritarian government of MENGISTU Haile-Mariam since 1987.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries:

Coastline: 1,094 km

Maritime claims: Territorial sea:12 nm

Climate: tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation; prone to extended droughts

Terrain: high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley

Elevation

Natural resources: small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash

Land use: 12% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 41% meadows and pastures; 24% forest and woodland; 22% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; major resettlement project ongoing in rural areas will significantly alter rural geography, population distribution, and settlement patterns over the next several decades


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Population: 49,762,492 (July 1989), growth rate 3.1% (1989)

Nationality: noun - Ethiopian(s; adjective - Ethiopian

Ethnic groups: 40% Oromo, 32% Amhara and Tigrean, 9% Sidamo, 6% Shankella, 6% Somali, 4% Afar, 2% Gurage, 1% other

Languages: Amharic (official), Tigrinya, Orominga, Arabic, English (major foreign language taught in schools)

Religions: 40-45% Muslim, 35-40% Ethiopian Orthodox, 15-20% animist, 5% other

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 45 births/1000 population (1989)

Death rate: 15 deaths/1000 population (1989)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1989)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; famine

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 113 deaths/1000 live births (1989)

Life expectancy at birth: 50 years male, 53 years female (1989)

Total fertility rate: 7.0 children born/woman (1989)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 35% (est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Government type: Communist state

Capital: Addis Ababa

Administrative divisions: 14 administrative regions (plural - NA, singular - kifle hager; Arsi, Bale, Eritrea, Gamo Gofa, Gojam, Gonder, Harerge, Ilubabor, Kefa, Shewa, Sidamo, Tigray, Welega, Welo; note - the administrative structure may have changed to 25 administrative regions (astedader akababiwach, singular - astedader akababee) and 5 autonomous regions* (rasgez akababiwach, singular - rasgez akababee; Addis Ababa, Arsi, Aseb*, Asosa, Bale, Borena, Dire Dawa*, East Gojam, East Harerge, Eritrea*, Gambela, Gamo Gofa, Ilubabor, Kefa, Metekel, Nazaret, North Gonder, North Shewa, North Welo, Ogaden*, Omo, Sidamo, South Gonder, South Shewa, South Welo, Tigray*, Welega, West Gojam, West Harerge, West Shewa

Dependent areas

Independence: oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years

National holiday: National Revolution Day, 12 September (1974)

Constitution: 12 September 1987

Legal system: complex structure with civil, Islamic, common, and customary law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: all citizens 18 years of age and over

Executive branch: Chief of State - President MENGISTU Haile-Mariam (Chairman from September 1977 until becoming President on 10 September 1987; Vice President FISSEHA Desta (since 10 September 1987; Head of Government - Prime Minister FIKRE-SELASSIE Wogderess (since 10 September 1987)

Legislative branch: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICO, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Counselor, Charge d'Affaires ad interim GIRMA Amare; Chancery at 2,134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 234-2,281 or 2,282; US - Charge d'Affaires Robert G. HOUDEK; Embassy at Entoto Street, Addis Ababa (mailing address is P.O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa; telephone 254-233-4,141

Flag description: 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Ethiopia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Africa. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, which accounts for about 45% of GDP, 90% of exports, and 85% of total employment; coffee generates over 60% of export earnings. The manufacturing sector is heavily dependent on inputs from the agricultural sector. The economy is centrally planned, and over 90% of large-scale industry is state run. An ambitious three-year plan with a goal of food self-sufficiency was announced in 1986.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: coffee, cereals, pulses, oilseeds, meat, hides and skins

Industries: cement, textiles, food processing, oil refinery

Industrial production growth rate: 12.8% (1986 est.)

Labor force: NA; 90% agriculture and animal husbandry; 10% government, military, and quasi-government; 51% of population of working age (1985)

Unemployment rate: 34% (FY87)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $1.4 billion; expenditures $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.7 billion (FY87)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: 8 July-7 July

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $390 million (f.o.b., FY87 est.)
Commodities: coffee 60%
Partners: US, FRG, Djibouti, Japan, PDRY, France, Italy

Imports: $900 million (c.i.f., FY87 est.), commodities - food
Partners: USSR, Italy, FRG, Japan, UK, US, France (1985)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $2.6 billion (1988)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: birr (Br) per US$1 - 2.0700 (fixed rate)


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Electricity access

Electricity production

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $442.2 million, 20.1% of central government budget (FY87)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 153 total, 112 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 49 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 71,837 GRT/90,492 DWT; includes 9 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll off cargo, 1 livestock carrier, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: southern half of the boundary with Somalia is a Provisional Administrative Line; possible claim by Somalia based on unification of ethnic Somalis; territorial dispute with Somalia over the Ogaden; separatist movement in Eritrea; antigovernment insurgency in Tigray

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs