1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation; some areas 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; independence referendum in Eritrea scheduled for April 1992
Environment
geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; frequent droughts; famine
Land area
1,101,000 km2
Land boundaries
5,141 km; Djibouti 459 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 2,221 km
Land use
arable land 12%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 41%; forest and woodland 24%; other 22%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Natural resources
small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash
Note
strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields
Terrain
high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
1,221,900 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
45 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
14 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigrean 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%
Infant mortality rate
112 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
18,000,000; agriculture and animal husbandry 80%, government and services 12%, industry and construction 8% (1985)
Languages
Amharic (official), Tigrinya, Orominga, Guaraginga, Somali, Arabic, English (major foreign language taught in schools)
Life expectancy at birth
50 years male, 53 years female (1992)
Literacy
62% (male NA%, female NA%) age 10 and over can read and write (1983 est.)
Nationality
noun - Ethiopian(s); adjective - Ethiopian
Net migration rate
2 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
All Ethiopian Trade Union formed by the government in January 1977 to represent 273,000 registered trade union members; was dissolved when the TGE came to power; labor code of 1975 is being redrafted
Population
54,270,464 (July 1992), growth rate 3.2% (1992)
Religions
Muslim 40-45%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35-40%, animist 15-20%, other 5%
Total fertility rate
6.9 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
14 administrative regions (astedader akababiwach, singular - astedader akababi) and 1 autonomous region* (rasgez akababi); Addis Ababa (Addis Ababa), Afar, Agew, Amhara, Benishangul, Ertra (Eritrea)*, Gambela, Gurage-Hadiya-Wolayta, Harer, Kefa, Omo, Oromo, Sidamo, Somali, Tigray
Capital
Addis Ababa
Chief of State
Interim President Meles ZENAWI (since 1 June 1991); transitional government
Constitution
to be redrafted by 1993
Council of Representatives
last held 14 June 1987 (next to be held after new constitution drafted)
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
Executive branch
president, prime minister, 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
Head of Government
Acting Prime Minister Tamirat LAYNE (since 6 June 1991)
Independence
oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Legal system
NA
Legislative branch
Council of Representatives
Long-form name
none
Member of
ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
National Revolution Day 12 September (1974)
Other political or pressure groups
Oromo Liberation Front (OLF); Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP); numerous small, ethnic-based groups have formed since Mengistu's resignation
Political parties and leaders
NA
President
last held 10 September 1987; next election planned after new constitution drafted; results - MENGISTU Haile-Mariam elected by the now defunct National Assembly, but resigned and left Ethiopia on 21 May 1991
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
on 28 May 1991 the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) toppled the authoritarian government of MENGISTU Haile-Mariam and took control in Addis Ababa; the Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TGE), announced as a two-year transitional period; on 29 May 1991, Issayas AFEWORKE, secretary general of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), announced the formation of the Provisional Government in Eritrea (PGE), in preparation for an eventual referendum on independence for the province
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 45% of GDP and is the most important sector of the economy even though frequent droughts and poor cultivation practices 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, sugarcane, potatoes and other vegetables, hides and skins, cattle, sheep, goats
Budget
revenues $1.8 billion; expenditures $1.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $842 million (FY88)
Currency
birr (plural - birr); 1 birr (Br) = 100 cents
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $504 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.4 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $8 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.0 billion
Electricity
330,000 kW capacity; 650 million kWh produced, 10 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
birr (Br) per US$1 - 2.0700 (fixed rate)
Exports
$429 million (f.o.b., FY88) commodities: coffee 60%, hides partners: US, FRG, Djibouti, Japan, PDRY, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia
External debt
$2.6 billion (1988)
Fiscal year
8 July - 7 July
GDP
exchange rate conversion - $6.6 billion, per capita $130, real growth rate- 0.4% (FY90 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 2.3% (FY89 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP
Industries
food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing, cement
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5.2% (1989)
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 60% of export earnings. The manufacturing sector is heavily dependent on inputs from the agricultural sector. Over 90% of large-scale industry, but less than 10% of agriculture, is state run; the government is considering selling off a portion of state-owned plants. Favorable agricultural weather largely explains the 4.5% growth in output in FY89, whereas drought and deteriorating internal security conditions prevented growth in FY90. In 1991 the lack of law and order, particularly in the south, interfered with economic development and growth.
Unemployment rate
NA
Communications
Airports
123 total, 86 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 38 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
25 major transport aircraft
Highways
44,300 km total; 3,650 km paved, 9,650 km gravel, 3,000 km improved earth, 28,000 km unimproved earth
Merchant marine
12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 62,627 GRT/88,909 DWT; includes 8 cargo, 1 roll-on/roll off, 1 livestock carrier, 2 petroleum 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; broadcast stations - 4 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 100,000 TV sets; 9,000,000 radios; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $760 million, 12.8% of GDP (1989)
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 12,015,589; 6,230,680 fit for military service; 572,982 reach military age (18) annually