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

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

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

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

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

Birth rate: 45 births/1000 population (1989)

Death rate: 15 deaths/1000 population (1989)

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

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

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)

Literacy: 35% (est.)

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

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

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

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

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.

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)

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

Fiscal year: 8 July-7 July

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)

Debt external: $2.6 billion (1988)

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

Electricity
Capacity: 330,000 kW capacity; 765 million kWh produced, 15 kWh per capita (1988)

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

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

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

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