2010 Edition

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. In November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission 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.

Area

land

1 million sq km

total

1,104,300 sq km

water

104,300 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Climate

tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Ras Dejen 4,533 m

lowest point

Danakil Depression -125 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

72 cu m/yr (2002)

total

5.56 cu km/yr (6%/0%/94%)

Geographic coordinates

8 00 N, 38 00 E

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

Irrigated land

2,900 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km

total

5,328 km

Land use

arable land

10.01%

other

89.34% (2005)

permanent crops

0.65%

Location

Eastern Africa, west of Somalia

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts

volcanism

Ethiopia experiences volcanic activity in the Great Rift Valley; Erta Ale (elev. 613 m, 2,011 ft), which has caused frequent lava flows in recent years, is the country's most active volcano; Dabbahu became active in 2005, causing evacuations; other historically active volcanoes include Alayta, Dalaffilla, Dallol, Dama Ali, Fentale, Kone, Manda Hararo, and Manda-Inakir

Natural resources

small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower

Terrain

high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley

Total renewable water resources

110 cu km (1987)

Age structure

0-14 years: 46.1% (male 19,596,784/female 19,688,887) 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) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

43.34 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

11.29 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

5.5% of GDP (2007)

Ethnic groups

Oromo 34.5%, Amara 26.9%, Somalie 6.2%, Tigraway 6.1%, Sidama 4%, Guragie 2.5%, Welaita 2.3%, Hadiya 1.7%, Affar 1.7%, Gamo 1.5%, Gedeo 1.3%, other 11.3% (2007 Census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

2.1% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

67,000 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

980,000 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

67.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

90.08 deaths/1,000 live births

total

78.99 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Amarigna (Amharic) (official) 32.7%, Oromigna (official regional) 31.6%, Tigrigna (official regional) 6.1%, Somaligna 6%, Guaragigna 3.5%, Sidamigna 3.5%, Hadiyigna 1.7%, other 14.8%, English (official) (major foreign language taught in schools), Arabic (official) (1994 census)

Life expectancy at birth

female

58.39 years (2010 est.)

male

53.28 years

total population

55.8 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

35.1% (2003 est.)

male

50.3%

total population

42.7%

Major infectious diseases

animal contact disease

rabies

degree of risk

high

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

respiratory disease

meningococcal meningitis

vectorborne diseases

malaria

water contact disease

schistosomiasis (2009)

Median age

female

17.2 years (2010 est.)

male

16.5 years

total

16.8 years

Nationality

adjective

Ethiopian

noun

Ethiopian(s)

Net migration rate

-0.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population 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 (2010 est.)

Population

88,013,491 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 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

3.202% (2010 est.)

Religions

Orthodox 43.5%, Muslim 33.9%, Protestant 18.6%, traditional 2.6%, Catholic 0.7%, other 0.7% (2007 Census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

8 years (2008)

male

9 years

total

8 years

Sex ratio

at birth

1.03 male(s)/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 (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.07 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

4.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

17% of total population (2008)

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)

Capital

geographic coordinates

9 02 N, 38 42 E

name

Addis Ababa

time difference

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

ratified 8 December 1994, effective 22 August 1995

Country name

abbreviation

FDRE

conventional long form

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

conventional short form

Ethiopia

former

Abyssinia, Italian East Africa

local long form

Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik

local short form

Ityop'iya

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Donald E. BOOTH

embassy

Entoto Street, Addis Ababa

FAX

[251] 11-517-40-01

mailing address

P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa

telephone

[251] 11-517-40-00

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Tesfaye YILMA Sabo

consulate(s)

New York

consulate(s) general

Los Angeles

FAX

[1] (202) 587-0195

telephone

[1] (202) 364-1200

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers as provided for in the December 1994 constitution; ministers selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

chief of state

President GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8 October 2001)

election results

GIRMA Woldegiorgis elected president; percent of vote by the House of People's Representatives - 79%

elections

president elected by the House of People's Representatives for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 9 October 2007 (next to be held in October 2013); prime minister designated by the party in power following legislative elections

head of government

Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since August 1995)

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; green represents hope and the fertility of the land, yellow symbolizes justice and harmony, while red stands for sacrifice and heroism in the defense of the land; the blue of the disk symbolizes peace and the pentagram represents the unity and equality of the nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia note: Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag (adopted ca. 1895) were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the Pan-African colors; the emblem in the center of the current flag was added in 1996

Government type

federal republic

Independence

oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years (may be traced to the Aksumite Kingdom, which coalesced in the first centuries B.C.)

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)

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)

Legal system

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

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 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 directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)

election results

percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPRDF 499, SPDP 24, BGPDP 9, ANDP 8, GPUDM 3, HNL 1, FORUM 1, APDO 1, independent 1

elections

last held on 23 May 2010 (next to be held in 2015)

National anthem

lyrics/music

DEREJE Melaku Mengesha/SOLOMON Lulu note: adopted 1992

name

"Whedefit Gesgeshi Woude Henate Ethiopia" (March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia)

National holiday

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

Political parties and leaders

Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP [Mohammed KEDIR]; Arena Tigray; Argoba People's Democratic Organization or APDO; Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Party or BGPDP [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for Unity and Democratic Party or CUDP; Ethiopian Federal Democatic Forum or FORUM (a UDJ-led 8-party alliance established for the 2010 parliamentary elections); Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF; Gambella Peoples Unity Democratic Movement or GPUDM [Umod UBONG]; Gurage Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM; Harari National League or HNL [Murad ABDULHADI]; Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement or OFDM [BULCHA Demeksa]; Oromo People's Congress or OPC [IMERERA Gudina]; Somali Democratic Alliance Forces or SODAF; Somali People's Democratic Party or SPDP; United Ethiopian Democratic Forces or UEDF [BEYENE Petros]; Unity for Democracy and Justice or UDJ [Birtukan MEDEKSA, currently imprisoned]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front or EPPF; Ogaden National Liberation Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, qat, cut flowers; hides, cattle, sheep, goats; fish

Central bank discount rate

NA%

Commercial bank prime lending rate

8% (31 December 2008) 7% (31 December 2006)

Current account balance

-$2.232 billion (2010 est.) -$1.996 billion (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$4.289 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $3.621 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

30 (2000) 40 (1995)

Economy - overview

Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, accounting for almost 45% of GDP, and 85% 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. 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. 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. The global economic downturn led to balance of payments pressures, partially alleviated by recent emergency funding from the IMF. While GDP growth has remained high, per capita inome is among the lowest in the world.

Electricity - consumption

3.13 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

3.46 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates

birr (ETB) per US dollar - 14.4 (2010), 11.7776 (2009), 9.57 (2008), 8.96 (2007), 8.69 (2006)

Exports

$1.729 billion (2010 est.) $1.636 billion (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities

coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds

Exports - partners

China 10.87%, Germany 9.75%, Saudi Arabia 7.39%, US 7.21%, Netherlands 6.38%, Switzerland 5.33%, Sudan 4.35%, Belgium 4% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

42.9%

industry

13.7%

services

43.4% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,000 (2010 est.) $900 (2009 est.) $900 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

7% (2010 est.) 8.7% (2009 est.) 11.6% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$30.94 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$84.02 billion (2010 est.) $78.52 billion (2009 est.) $72.24 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 25.6% (2005)

Imports

$7.517 billion (2010 est.) $6.946 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles

Imports - partners

China 14.73%, Saudi Arabia 8.41%, India 7.65%, US 4.3% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

9.5% (2010 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

7% (2010 est.) 8.5% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

25.2% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

37.9 million (2007)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

85%

industry

5%

services

10% (2009 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

24.92 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

38,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

33,590 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

430,000 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

38.7% (FY05/06 est.)

Public debt

39.3% of GDP (2010 est.) 35.4% of GDP (2009 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.88 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $1.781 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$8.248 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $8.641 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$8.661 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $9.292 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$4.764 billion (31 December 2010 est) $4.972 billion (31 December 2009 est)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Broadcast media

1 public TV broadcast station broadcasting nationally and 1 public radio broadcaster with stations in each of the 13 administrative districts; a few commercial radio stations and roughly a dozen community radio stations (2009)

Internet country code

.et

Internet hosts

151 (2010)

Internet users

447,300 (2009)

Telephone system

domestic

the number of fixed lines and mobile telephones is increasing from a small base; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is only about 5 per 100 persons

general assessment

inadequate telephone system with the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) maintaining a monopoly over telecommunication services; 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) (2009)

Telephones - main lines in use

915,100 (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

4.052 million (2009)

Airports

61 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

17 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

44 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 7 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

cargo 8, roll on/roll off 1 (2010)

total

9

Ports and terminals

Ethiopia is landlocked and uses ports of Djibouti in Djibouti and Berbera in Somalia

Railways

narrow gauge

681 km 1.000-m gauge note: railway is under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but is largely inoperable (2008)

total

681 km (Ethiopian segment of the 781 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad)

Roadways

paved

6,980 km

total

36,469 km

unpaved

29,489 km (2004)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 18,485,269 females age 16-49: 19,145,307 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 11,466,713 females age 16-49: 12,444,706 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

947,103 (2010 est.)

male

934,523

Military branches

Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF)

Ground Forces, Ethiopian Air Force (ETAF) (2010) note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the secession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in Eritrean possession

Military expenditures

1.2% of GDP (2009)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no compulsory military service, but the military can conduct call-ups when necessary and compliance is compulsory (2009)

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; 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

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 country's utility as a money laundering center page last updated on January 20, 2011 ======================================================================

Refugees and internally displaced persons

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)

refugees (country of origin)

66,980 (Sudan); 16,576 (Somalia); 13,078 (Eritrea)