Home>Africa>Ethiopia

Background: 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 popular elections were held in May and June 1995.

Location: Eastern Africa, west of Somalia

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 38 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 1,127,127 sq km
land: 1,119,683 sq km
water: 7,444 sq km

Area—comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 5,311 km
border countries: Djibouti 337 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 830 km, Somalia 1,626 km, Sudan 1,606 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

Terrain: high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Denakil -125 m
highest point: Ras Dashen Terara 4,620 m

Natural resources: small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas

Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 40%
forests and woodland: 25%
other: 22% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,900 sq km (1993 est.)

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

Environment—current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment—international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

Geography—note: landlocked—entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993

Population: 59,680,383 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 46% (male 13,787,810; female 13,703,546)
15-64 years: 51% (male 15,398,123; female 15,141,892)
65 years and over: 3% (male 745,737; female 903,275) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.16% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 44.34 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 21.43 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
note: repatriation of Ethiopians who fled to Sudan, Kenya, and Somalia for refuge from war and famine in earlier years, is expected to continue slowly in 1998; small numbers of Sudanese and Somali refugees, who fled to Ethiopia from the fighting in their own countries, began returning to their homes in 1998

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 124.57 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 40.46 years
male: 39.22 years
female: 41.73 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.81 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Ethiopian(s)
adjective: Ethiopian

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

Religions: Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 3%-8%

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

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 35.5%
male: 45.5%
female: 25.3% (1995 est.)

Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
conventional short form: Ethiopia
local long form: YeItyop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik
local short form: YeItyop'iya
abbreviation: FDRE

Data code: ET

Government type: federal republic

Capital: Addis Ababa

Administrative divisions: 9 states and 2 chartered cities*: Addis Ababa*; Afar; Amhara; Benshangul/Gumuz (Benishangul-Gumaz); Dire Dawa*; Gambela (Gambella); Harari (Harar); Oromia (Oromiya); Somalia (Somali); Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP); Tigray (Tigre)

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

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

Constitution: promulgated December 1994

Legal system: currently transitional mix of national and regional courts

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President NEGASSO Gidada (since 22 August 1995)
head of government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since August 1995)
cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided in the December 1994 constitution; ministers are selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives
elections: president elected by the House of People's Representatives for a six-year term; election last held June 1995 (next to be held NA 2001); prime minister designated by the party in power following legislative elections
election results: NEGASSO Gidada elected president; percent of vote by the House of People's Representatives—NA

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation or upper chamber (117 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives or lower chamber (548 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
elections: regional and national popular elections were held in May and June 1995 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results: percent of vote—NA; seats—NA; note—EPRDF won nearly all seats

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 candidates selected by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council to the House of People's Representatives for appointment

Political parties and leaders: Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Oromo Liberation Front or OLF; All Amhara People's Organization; Southern Ethiopia People's Democratic Coalition; numerous small, ethnically-based groups have formed since former President MENGISTU'S defeat, including several Islamic militant groups

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador BERHANE Gebre-Christos
chancery: 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-2281
FAX: [1] (202) 328-7950

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador David H. SHINN
embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
telephone: [251] (1) 550666
FAX: [251] (1) 551328

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; 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

Economy—overview: Ethiopia remains one of the least developed countries in the world. Its economy is based on agriculture, which accounts for more than half 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. Renewed fighting with Eritrea dims economic prospects for 1999.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$32.9 billion (1998 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: 6% (1998 est.)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$560 (1998 est.)

GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 55%
industry: 12%
services: 33% (1995 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.9% (1998 est.)

Labor force: NA

Labor force—by occupation: agriculture and animal husbandry 80%, government and services 12%, industry and construction 8% (1985)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $1 billion
expenditures: $1.48 billion, including capital expenditures of $415 million (FY96/97)

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

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity—production: 1.32 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: 7.58%
hydro: 87.12%
nuclear: 0%
other: 5.3% (1996)

Electricity—consumption: 1.32 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture—products: cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, sugarcane, potatoes; hides, cattle, sheep, goats

Exports: $550 million (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports—commodities: coffee, leather products, gold, oilseeds (1995)

Exports—partners: Germany 26%, Japan 11%, Italy 10%, UK 8%, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia (1996 est.)

Imports: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports—commodities: food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles and aircraft (1994)

Imports—partners: Italy 11%, US 11%, Germany 7%, Saudi Arabia 4% (1996 est.)

Debt—external: $10 billion (1996)

Economic aid—recipient: $367 million (FY95/96)

Currency: 1 birr (Br) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: birr (Br) per US$1 (end of period)—7.58 (January 1999), 6.8640 (1997), 6.4260 (1996), 6.3200 (1995), 5.9500 (1994)
note: since May 1993, the birr market rate has been determined in an interbank market supported by weekly wholesale auction; prior to that date, the official rate was pegged to US$1 = 5.000 birr

Fiscal year: 8 July—7 July

Telephones: 100,000 (1983 est.)

Telephone system: open wire and microwave radio relay system adequate for government use
domestic: open wire and microwave radio relay
international: 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)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 0, shortwave 1

Radios: 9 million (1998 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 25 (1998)

Televisions: 150,000 (1998 est.)

Railways:
total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad)
narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge
note: in April 1998, Djibouti and Ethiopia announced plans to revitalize the century-old railroad that links their capitals

Highways:
total: 28,500 km
paved: 4,275 km
unpaved: 24,225 km (1996 est.)

Ports and harbors: none; Ethiopia is landlocked and was by agreement with Eritrea using the ports of Assab and Massawa, but since the border dispute with Eritrea flared, Ethiopia has used the port of Djibouti

Merchant marine:
total: 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 71,264 GRT/94,489 DWT
ships by type: cargo 7, oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3 (1998 est.)

Airports: 84 (1998 est.)

Airports—with paved runways:
total: 11
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 73
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 36
under 914 m: 18 (1998 est.)

Military branches: Ground Forces, Air Force, Police
note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the de jure independence of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in Eritrean possession and ships which belonged to the former Ethiopian Navy and based at Djibouti have been sold

Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower—availability:
males age 15-49: 13,520,302 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 7,052,710 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—reaching military age annually:
males: 655,290 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures—dollar figure: $138 million (FY98/99)

Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 2.5% (FY98/99)

Disputes—international: most of the southern half of the boundary with Somalia is a Provisional Administrative Line; territorial dispute with Somalia over the Ogaden; dispute over alignment of boundary with Eritrea led to armed conflict in 1998, which is still unresolved despite arbitration efforts

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 markets in southern Africa; cultivates qat (chat) for local use and regional export

Source: 1999 CIA World Factbook