1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation; prone to extended droughts
Coastline
1,094 km
Comparative area
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Disputes
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 insurgencies in Tigray and other areas
Environment
geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; frequent droughts; famine
Land boundaries
5,141 km total; Djibouti 459 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 2,221 km
Land use
12% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 41% meadows and pastures; 24% forest and woodland; 22% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Natural resources
small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash
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 population distribution and settlement patterns over the next several decades
Terrain
high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
1,221,900 km2; land area: 1,101,000 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
45 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
15 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
40% Oromo, 32% Amhara and Tigrean, 9% Sidamo, 6% Shankella, 6% Somali, 4% Afar, 2% Gurage, 1% other
Infant mortality rate
116 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
18,000,000; 80% agriculture and animal husbandry, 12% government and services, 8% industry and construction
Language
Amharic (official), Tigrinya, Orominga, Arabic, English (major foreign language taught in schools)
Life expectancy at birth
49 years male, 52 years female (1990)
Literacy
55.2%
Nationality
noun--Ethiopian(s); adjective--Ethiopian
Net migration rate
5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
All Ethiopian Trade Union formed by the government in January 1977 to represent 273,000 registered trade union members
Population
51,666,622 (July 1990), growth rate 3.5% (1990)
Religion
40-45% Muslim, 35-40% Ethiopian Orthodox, 15-20% animist, 5% other
Total fertility rate
7.0 children born/woman (1990)
Government
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 be changing 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
Capital
Addis Ababa
Constitution
12 September 1987
Diplomatic representation
Counselor, Charge d'Affaires ad interim GIRMA Amare; Chancery at 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-2281 or 2282; US--Charge d'Affaires Robert G. HOUDEK; Embassy at Entoto Street, Addis Ababa (mailing address is P.O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa); telephone 254-233-4141
Elections
President--last held 10 September 1987 (next to be held September 1992); results--National Assembly elected President Mengistu Haile-Mariam; National Assembly--last held 14 June 1987 (next to be held June 1992); results--WPE is the only party; seats--(835 total) WPE 835
Executive branch
president, vice president, Council of State prime minister, five deputy prime ministers, Council of Ministers
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
Independence
oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world--at least 2,000 years
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State--President MENGISTU Haile-Mariam (Chairman from 11 September 1977 until becoming President on 10 September 1987); Vice President FISSEHA Desta (since 10 September 1987); Head of Government--Prime Minister (Acting) and Deputy Prime Minister HAILU Yimenu (since 7 November 1989); Deputy Prime Minister WOLLE Chekol (since 21 November 1989); Deputy Prime Minister ALEMU Abebe (since 10 September 1987); Deputy Prime Minister TESFAYE Dinka (since 10 September 1987); Deputy Prime Minister ASHAGRE Yigletu (since 21 November 1989)
Legal system
complex structure with civil, Islamic, common, and customary law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly (Shengo)
Long-form name
People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Member of
ACP, 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
National holiday
National Revolution Day, 12 September (1974)
Other political or pressure groups
important dissident groups include Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) in Eritrea; Tigrean People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Movement in Tigray, Welo, and border regions; Oromo Liberation Front in Welega and Harerge regions
Political parties and leaders
only party--Workers' Party of Ethiopia (WPE), Mengistu Haile-Mariam, secretary general
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
Communist state
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 45% of GDP and is the most important sector of the economy even though frequent droughts, poor cultivation practices, and state economic policies keep farm output low; famines not uncommon; export crops of coffee and oilseeds grown partly on state farms; estimated 50% of agricultural production at subsistence level; principal crops and livestock--cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseeds, potatoes, sugarcane, vegetables, hides and skins, cattle, sheep, goats
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $471 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $2.6 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $8 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $2.0 billion
Budget
revenues $1.4 billion; expenditures $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.7 billion (FY87)
Currency
birr (plural--birr); 1 birr (Br) = 100 cents
Electricity
330,000 kW capacity; 700 million kWh produced, 14 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
birr (Br) per US$1--2.0700 (fixed rate)
Exports
$418 million (f.o.b., FY88); commodities--coffee 60%, hides; partners--US, FRG, Djibouti, Japan, PDRY, France, Italy
External debt
$2.6 billion (1988)
Fiscal year
8 July-7 July
GDP
$6.6 billion, per capita $130, real growth rate 4.5% (FY89 est.)
Imports
$1.1 billion (c.i.f., FY88), commodities--food, fuels, capital goods; partners--USSR, Italy, FRG, Japan, UK, US, France
Industrial production
growth rate - 0.2% (FY88 est.)
Industries
cement, textiles, food processing, oil refinery
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
9.6% (FY89)
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 80% 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. Favorable agricultural weather largely explains the 4.5% growth in output in FY89.
Unemployment rate
NA; shortage of skilled manpower
Communications
Airports
152 total, 111 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 51 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
21 major transport aircraft
Highways
44,300 km total; 3,650 km bituminous, 9,650 km gravel, 3,000 km improved earth, 28,000 km unimproved earth
Merchant marine
14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 71,837 GRT/92,067 DWT; includes 10 cargo, 1 roll-on/roll off cargo, 1 livestock carrier, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker
Ports
Aseb, Mitsiwa
Railroads
988 km total; 681 km 1.000-meter gauge; 307 km 0.950-meter gauge (nonoperational)
Telecommunications
open-wire and radio relay system adequate for government use; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; stations--4 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 45,000 TV sets; 3,300,000 radios; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense
Defense expenditures
8.5% of GDP (1988)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 11,438,616; 5,922,555 fit for military service; 589,231 reach military age (18) annually