Background: Unique among African countries the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of a short-lived Italian occupation from 1936-41. In 1974 a military junta the Derg deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups uprisings wide-scale drought and massive refugee problems the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. The Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission in November 2007 remotely demarcated the border by geographical coordinates but final demarcation of the boundary on the ground is currently on hold because of Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender territory considered sensitive to Ethiopia.

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N 38 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 1,104,300 km²
Rank: 27
Land: 1 million km²
Water: 104,300 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 5,328 km
Border countries: (5) Djibouti 349 km; Eritrea 912 km; Kenya 861 km; Somalia 1600 km; Sudan 1606 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: Danakil Depression -125 m
Extremes highest point: Ras Dejen 4,533 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 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 110 km³ (1987)

Natural hazards: geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts

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

Population: 85,237,338
Rank: 14
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 higher death rates lower population growth rates and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
Growth rate: 3.208% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 9
Below poverty line: 38.7% (FY05/06 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Ethiopian
Adjective: Ethiopian

Ethnic groups: Oromo 32.1% Amara 30.1% Tigraway 6.2% Somalie 5.9% Guragie 4.3% Sidama 3.5% Welaita 2.4% other 15.4% (1994 census)

Languages: Amarigna 32.7% Oromigna 31.6% Tigrigna 6.1% Somaligna 6% Guaragigna 3.5% Sidamigna 3.5% Hadiyigna 1.7% other 14.8% English (major foreign language taught in schools) (1994 census)

Religions: Christian 60.8% (Orthodox 50.6% Protestant 10.2%) Muslim 32.8% traditional 4.6% other 1.8% (1994 census)

Age structure
0-14 years: 46.1%
15-64 years: 51.2% (male 21,376,495/female 22,304,812)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 975,923/female 1,294,437) (2009 est.)

Median age
Total: 16.9 years
Male: 16.6 years
Female: 17.2 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.208% (2009 est.)
Rank: 9

Birth rate: 43.66 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 9

Death rate: 11.55 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 42

Net migration rate: -0.02 migrant(s)/1000 population
Rank: 86
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 (2009 est.)

Urbanization
Urban population: 17% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 4.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification Law of the Sea

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 80.8 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 20
Male: 92.06 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 69.2 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 55.41 years
Rank: 192
Male: 52.92 years
Female: 57.97 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.12 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 11

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 2.1% (2007 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 31
People living with hivaids: 980,000 (2007 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 12
Deaths: 67,000 (2007 est.)
Deaths rank: 11

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea hepatitis A and E and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
Animal contact disease: rabies
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2009)

Education expenditures: 6% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 43

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 42.7%
Male: 50.3%
Female: 35.1% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 8 years
Male: 8 years
Female: 7 years (2007)

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 2000 years

National holiday: National Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime) 28 May (1991)

Constitution: ratified 8 December 1994 effective 22 August 1995

Legal system: based on civil law; currently transitional mix of national and regional courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President GIRMA Woldegiorgis
Head of government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since 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 9 October 2007 (next to be held in October 2013); 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 - 79%

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation (or upper chamber responsible for interpreting the constitution and federal-regional issues) (108 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives (or lower chamber responsible for passing legislation) (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: some seats still remain vacant as detained opposition MPs did not take their seats

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 [Mohammed Kedir]; Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for Unity and Democratic Party or CUDP; Gurage Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM; Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement or OFDM [BULCHA Demeksa]; Omoro People's Congress or OPC [IMERERA Gudina]; Somali People's Democratic Party or SPDP; United Ethiopian Democratic Forces or UEDF [BEYENE Petros]

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 ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA NAM OPCW PCA UN UNAMID 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
In the us chancery: 3,506 International Drive NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200
In the us fax: [1] (202) 587-0195
In the us consulate general: Los Angeles
In the us consulate: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Donald Y. YAMAMOTO
From the us embassy: Entoto Street Addis Ababa
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 1014 Addis Ababa
From the us telephone: [251] 11-517-40-00
From the us fax: [251] 11-517-40-01

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 almost 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 $350 million in 2006 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 IMF forgave Ethiopia's debt. Under Ethiopia's constitution the state 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 3.3% decline in GDP in 2003. Normal weather patterns helped agricultural and GDP growth recover during 2004-08.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 79
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 6

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 214
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 44.9%
Industry: 12.8%
Services: 42.3% (2008 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: 10.4% (2008 est.)
Rank: 12

Labor force: 37.9 million (2007)
Rank: 15
By occupation agriculture: 80.2%
By occupation industry: 6.6%
By occupation services: 13.2% (2005)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Population below poverty line: 38.7% (FY05/06 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 4.1%
Highest 10: 25.6% (2005)

Distribution of family income gini index: 40 (1995)
Rank: 114

Budget
Revenues: $4.517 billion
Expenditures: $5.34 billion (2008 est.)

Public debt: 44.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Rank: 70

Inflation rate consumer prices: 17.2% (2007 est.)
Rank: 221

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 7% (31 December 2006)
Rank: 121

Stock of domestic credit:

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: -$827.9 million (2007 est.)
Rank: 135

Exports: $1.285 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 139
Commodities: coffee qat gold leather products live animals oilseeds
Partners: Germany 11.8% Saudi Arabia 8.7% Netherlands 8.6% US 8.1% Switzerland 7.7% Italy 6.1% China 6% Sudan 5.5% Japan 4.4% (2008)

Imports: $5.156 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 101
Commodities: food and live animals petroleum and petroleum products chemicals machinery motor vehicles cereals textiles
Partners: China 16.3% Saudi Arabia 12% India 8.7% Italy 6% Japan 4.9% US 4.5% (2008)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.29 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 131

Debt external: $2.621 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 123

Exchange rates: birr (ETB) per US dollar - 9.57 (2008 est.) 8.96 (2007) 8.69 (2006) 8.68 (2005) 8.6356 (2004)
Note: since 24 October 2001 exchange rates are determined on a daily basis via interbank transactions regulated by the Central Bank

Electricity
Production: 3.46 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 122
Consumption: 3.13 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 126
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 184
Consumption: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 187
Exports: 0 m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 60
Imports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 83
Proven reserves: 24.92 billion m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 74

Telephones
Main lines in use: 908,900 (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 84
Mobile cellular: 3.168 million (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 107

Telephone system
General assessment: inadequate telephone system; the number of fixed lines and mobile telephones is increasing from a very small base; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is only about 5 per 100 persons
Domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication in the HF VHF and UHF frequencies; 2 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) (2008)

Internet
Country code: .et
Hosts: 136 (2009)
Hosts rank: 195
Users: 360,000 (2008)
Users rank: 116

Military expenditures: 3% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 49

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; theoretically no compulsory military service but the military can conduct call-ups when necessary and compliance is compulsory (2008)

Airports: 63 (2009)
Rank: 78
With paved runways total: 17
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 7
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2009)
With unpaved runways total: 46
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 11
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 23
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 9 (2009)

Railways
Total: 681 km
Rank: 106
Narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge
Note: railway is under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but is largely inoperable (2008)

Roadways
Total: 36,469 km
Rank: 93
Paved: 6,980 km
Unpaved: 29,489 km (2004)

Merchant marine
Total: 9
Rank: 115
By type: cargo 8 roll on/roll off 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals: Ethiopia is landlocked and uses ports of Djibouti in Djibouti and Berbera in Somalia

Disputes international: Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002 Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision but neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) which has monitored the 25-km-wide Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000 is extended for six months in 2007 despite Eritrean restrictions on its operations and reduced force of 17,000; the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; 'Somaliland' secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; civil unrest in eastern Sudan has hampered efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 66,980 (Sudan); 16,576 (Somalia); 13,078 (Eritrea)
Idps: 200,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000 ethnic clashes in Gambela and ongoing Ethiopian military counterinsurgency in Somali region; most IDPs are in Tigray and Gambela Provinces) (2007)

Illicit drugs: transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and destined for Europe 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 c