1994 Edition

Administrative divisions

14 administrative regions (astedader akababiwach, singular - astedader akababi) Addis Ababa, Afar, Amhara, Benishangul, Gambela, Gurage-Hadiya-Kambata, Harer, Kefa, Omo, Oromo, Sidamo, Somali, Tigray, Wolayta

Agriculture

accounts for 47% 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

Airports

total: 120 usable: 84 with permanent-surface runways: 10 with runways over 3,659 m: 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 83

Area

total area: 1,127,127 sq km land area: 1,119,683 sq km comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Birth rate

45.01 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Branches

Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)

Budget

revenues: $NA expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)

Capital

Addis Ababa

Climate

tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

Coastline

none - landlocked

Constituent Assembly

elections were held on 5 June 1994 (next to be held NA); results - NA; a major task of the new Assembly will be to ratify the constitution to drafted by the end of 1994

Constitution

to be redrafted by 1993

Currency

1 birr (Br) = 100 cents

Death rate

13.89 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

Digraph

ET

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador BERHANE Gebre-Christos chancery: 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 234-2281 or 2282

Economic aid

recipient: 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 billion

Electricity

capacity: 330,000 kW production: 650 million kWh consumption per capita: 10 kWh (1991)

Environment

current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; famine natural hazards: geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts international agreements: party to - Endangered Species; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

Ethnic divisions

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

Exchange rates

birr (Br) per US$1 - 5.0000 (fixed rate since 1992); fixed at 2.070 before 1992

Executive branch

chief of state: President MELES Zenawi (since 1 June 1991); election 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 head of government: Prime Minister TAMIRAT Layne (since 6 June 1991) cabinet: Council of Ministers; designated by the chairman of the Council of Representatives

Exports

$189 million (f.o.b., FY91) commodities: coffee, leather products, gold, petroleum products partners: Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, France, Italy

External debt

$3.48 billion (1991)

FAX

(202) 328-7950

[251] (1) 552-191

Fiscal year

8 July - 7 July

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

Highways

total: 24,127 km paved: 3,289 km unpaved: gravel 6,664 km; improved earth 1,652 km; unimproved earth 12,522 km (1993)

Illicit drugs

transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and destined for Europe and North America as well as cocaine destined for southern African markets; cultivates qat (chat) for local use and regional export

Imports

$472 million (c.i.f., FY91) commodities: capital goods, consumer goods, fuel partners: US, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Japan

Independence

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

Industrial production

growth rate -3.3% (FY92); accounts for 12% of GDP

Industries

food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing, cement

Infant mortality rate

106.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

21% (1992 est)

International disputes

southern half of the boundary with Somalia is a Provisional Administrative Line; territorial dispute with Somalia over the Ogaden

Irrigated land

1,620 sq km (1989 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Labor force

18 million by occupation: agriculture and animal husbandry 80%, government and services 12%, industry and construction 8% (1985)

Land boundaries

total 5,311 km, Djibouti 337 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 830 km, Somalia 1,626 km, Sudan 1,606 km

Land use

arable land: 12% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 41% forest and woodland: 24% other: 22%

Languages

Amharic (official), Tigrinya, Orominga, Guaraginga, Somali, Arabic, English (major foreign language taught in schools)

Legal system

NA

Legislative branch

unicameral

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 52.67 years male: 51 years female: 54.38 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 10 and over can read and write (1984) total population: 24% male: 33% female: 16%

Location

Eastern Africa, between Somalia and Sudan

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 13,229,078; fit for military service 6,867,582; reach military age (18) annually 596,691 (1994 est.)

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

none - landlocked

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, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Merchant marine

12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 62,627 GRT/88,909 DWT, cargo 8, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 2, roll on/roll off cargo 1

Names

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ethiopia local long form: none local short form: Ityop'iya

National holiday

National Day, 28 May (1991) (defeat of Mengistu regime)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $22.7 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$400 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

7.8% (FY93 est)

Nationality

noun: Ethiopian(s) adjective: Ethiopian

Natural resources

small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash

Net migration rate

2.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Note

landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993

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, including several Islamic militant groups

Overview

With the independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993, Ethiopia continues to face difficult economic problems as one of the poorest and least developed countries in Africa. (The accompanying analysis and figures predate the independence of Eritrea.) 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. In 1992, because of some easing of civil strife and aid from the outside world, the economy substantially improved.

Political parties and leaders

Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), MELES Zenawi; Oromo People's Democratic Organization (OPDO), Kuma DEMEKSA

Population

54,927,108 (July 1994 est.) note: Ethiopian demographic data, except population and population growth rate, include Eritrea

Population growth rate

3.4% (1994 est.)

Ports

none; landlocked

Religions

Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 5%

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telecommunications

open-wire and radio relay system adequate for government use; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; broadcast stations - 4 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 100,000 TV sets; 9,000,000 radios; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT

Terrain

high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley

Total fertility rate

6.81 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Type

transitional government note: 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 a two-year transitional period

Unemployment rate

NA%

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Marc A. BAAS embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa telephone: [251] (1) 550-666