1995 Edition

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

Climate

tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

Coastline

none - landlocked

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 - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

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.)

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%

Location

Eastern Africa, west of Somalia

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none; landlocked

Natural resources

small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash

Note

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

Terrain

high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley

Age structure

0-14 years: 46% (female 12,782,345; male 12,802,187) 15-64 years: 52% (female 14,352,059; male 14,511,342) 65 years and over: 2% (female 815,974; male 715,111) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate

46.68 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

15.77 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

120.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force

18 million by occupation: 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

total population: 50 years male: 48.28 years female: 51.78 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

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

Nationality

noun: Ethiopian(s) adjective: Ethiopian

Net migration rate

NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.) note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees from Sudan, Kenya and Somalia, where they had taken refuge from war and famine in earlier years, is expected to continue in 1995; additional influxes of Sudanese and Somalis fleeing fighting in their countries can be expected in 1995

Population

55,979,018 (July 1995 est.) note: Ethiopian demographic data, except population and population growth rate, include Eritrea

Population growth rate

3.09% (1995 est.)

Religions

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

Total fertility rate

7.07 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Administrative divisions

14 ethnically-based administrative regions (astedader akababiwach, singular - astedader akababi) Addis Ababa, Afar, Amhara, Benishangul, Gambela, Gurage-Hadiya-Kambata, Hareri, Kefa, Omo, Oromo, Sidama, Somali, Tigray, Wolayta note: the following named four administrative regions may have been abolished and their territories distributed among the remaining ten regions: Kefa, Omo, Sidama, and Wolayta

Capital

Addis Ababa

Constituent Assembly

elections were held on 5 June 1994; results - government parties swept almost all seats; in December 1994 the Constituent Assembly ratified the new constitution with few changes; the new constitution prescribes two chambers for the new National Assembly - one which is elected by popular vote and one which represents the ethnic interests of the regional governments

Constitution

new constitution promulgated in December 1994

Digraph

ET

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador BERHANE Gebre-Christos chancery: 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-2281, 2282

Executive branch

chief of state: President MELES Zenawi (since 1 June 1991); appointed by the Council of Representatives following the military defeat of the MENGISTU government; following the elections to the National Assembly scheduled for May 1995 the lower house of the National Assembly will nominate a new president head of government: Prime Minister TAMIRAT Layne (since 6 June 1991); a new prime minister will be designated by the party in power following the elections to the General Assembly in May 1995 cabinet: Council of Ministers; presently designated by the chairman of the Council of Representatives; under the new constitution and following the elections in May 1995 the cabinet officers will be selected by the prime minister

FAX

[1] (202) 328-7950

[251] (1) 552191

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

Legal system

NA

Member of

ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

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)

Other political or pressure groups

Oromo Liberation Front (OLF); All Amhara People's Organization; Southern Ethiopia People's Democratic Coalition; numerous small, ethnic-based groups have formed since Mengistu's resignation, including several Islamic militant groups

Political parties and leaders

Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), MELES Zenawi;

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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; a new constitution was promulgated in December 1994 and national and regional elections are scheduled for May 1995; the administrative regions will elect regional assemblies by popular vote; the National Assembly will have two chambers - one elected by popular vote and the other selected as representatives by the regional assemblies; the lower house of the National Assembly will select or confirm the president, the prime minister and the cabinet officers and judges; the prime minister will be the chief executive officer and the duties of the president will be mostly ceremonial

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Irvin HICKS embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa telephone: [251] (1) 550666

Agriculture

accounts for 45% of GDP; export crops of coffee and oilseeds are grown partly on state farms; estimated 50% of agricultural production is at subsistence level; principal crops and livestock - cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseeds, sugarcane, potatoes and other vegetables, hides and skins, cattle, sheep, goats

Budget

revenues: $1.2 billion expenditures: $1.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $707 million (FY93/94)

Currency

1 birr (Br) = 100 cents

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: 460,000 kW production: 1.3 billion kWh consumption per capita: 23 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

birr (Br) per US$1 - 5.9500 (January 1995), 5.9500 (1994), 5.0000 (fixed rate 1992-93); fixed at 2.070 before 1992; note - official rate pegged to the US$

Exports

$219.8 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: coffee, leather products, gold partners: Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, France, Italy

External debt

$3.7 billion (1993 est.)

Fiscal year

8 July - 7 July

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

$1.04 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.) commodities: capital goods, consumer goods, fuel partners: US, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Japan

Industrial production

growth rate -3.3% (FY91/92); accounts for 12% of GDP

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

10% (FY93/94)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $20.3 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$380 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

3% (1994 est.)

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. Its economy is based on agriculture, which accounts for about 45% of GDP, 90% of exports, and 80% of total employment; coffee generates 60% of export earnings. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent periods of drought, poor cultivation practices, and deterioration of internal security conditions. 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, and is implementing reform measures that are gradually liberalizing the economy. A major medium-term problem is the improvement of roads, water supply, and other parts of an infrastructure badly neglected during years of civil strife.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 0, shortwave 0 radios: 9 million

Telephone system

NA telephones; open-wire and radio relay system adequate for government use local: NA intercity: open wire and microwave radio relay links international: open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; 3 INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean) earth stations

Television

broadcast stations: 1 televisions: 100,000

Airports

total: 98 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 24 with unpaved runways over 3,047 m: 4 with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 14 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 42

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)

Merchant marine

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

Ports

none

Railroads

total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad) narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge

Branches

Transitional Government of Ethiopia Forces, Air Force, Police

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $140 million, 4.1% of GDP (FY94/95) ________________________________________________________________________ EUROPA ISLAND (possession of France)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 12,658,084; males fit for military service 6,569,759; males reach military age (18) annually 565,976 (1995 est.)