Download Ethiopia Snapshot

ETHIOPIA---SNAPSHOT
GEOGRAPHY

General Geographic Features
 27th
largest country in the world
 Landlocked: No direct access to oceans

Regional Differences
 Deserts
in the East
 Tropical Rainforest in South
 Highlands in North and South West
 Most cities are located over 1,000 KM above sea level
GEOGRAPHY

Ethiopia’s Population
 Over

93 million people live in Ethiopia
Largest Cities
 Addis
Ababa (National Capital): 3,040,740
 Dire Dawa: 273, 601
 Mek’ele: 271,562
 Adama: 262, 884
 Gondar: 262,884
GEOGRAPHY

Main Geographical Features
 Ethiopian
Highlands
 Great Rift Valley (Cuts the Highlands in ½)
 Lake Tana (Source of the Blue Nile)
 Mount Entonto

Wildlife
 Climate
and elevation have allowed for the creation of
many species of animals that are unique to Ethiopia.
 Ethiopia is home to 856 different species of birds!
HISTORY

Ancient History
 Scientist
believe that some of the earliest records of human
life occurred within present day Ethiopia
 Aksum: One of the most powerful empires in the world during
the 3rd and 4th Century (200-300 AD)
No African Scramble for Ethiopia!!
 Menelik II (1889-1913) Emperor

 Created
present day boundaries for Ethiopia (Independence)
 Resisted Italian forces in 1896
 Created Addis Ababa

Haile Selassie I (1930-1974)
 Time
Magazines Man of Year in 1935
 Teamed w/ GB to remove Italy for good in 1941 (part of WWII)
 Ruled until the people of Ethiopia got rid of him because of the
World Oil Shortage in 1973-1974
HISTORY

Communist Ethiopia
 Mengistu
Hailemariam: Leader of the Derg Party
 500,000 Ethiopians were killed by the Derg Party

End of Communist Party in Ethiopia
 Drought:
Killed more than 1 million people during the
1980s….led to mass protest of communist government by
Ethiopians.
 1991: USSR (Gorbachev) decided to cut aid to Ethiopia and
other communist countries (Glasnost)
 Deng Party was overthrow…Mengistu found guilty of
genocide in 2006

Modern History
 Ethiopian
People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)
gained control of country by 1994.
MODERN GOVERNMENT

Government Structure: Federal Parliamentary
Republic
 Executive
Branch: Headed by Prime Minister
 Legislative Branch: Controlled by 2 Chambers and Prime
Minister
 Judicial Branch: Separate from government

Reality
 Ethiopia’s
government is a authoritarian (one party in control)
 Multiple Elections have been rigged in 2000, 2005, and 2010

Modern Leaders
 Meles

Zenawi (1994-2012)
Prime Minister
 Hailemariam

Desalegn (2012-pres)
New Prime Minister
CULTURE

Ethnic Diversity
 Over
80 different ethnic groups live in Ethiopia
 Ethiopia is divided into 9 ethnically based states
 Oromo and Amhara are the two largest groups

Religious Diversity
 Christianity
(62%) and Islam (33%) are the two largest
religions in Ethiopia
 Spiritual Homeland for Rastafarian Movement: Bob
Marley and Reggae Music
CULTURE

Economics
Ethiopia’s GDP is 41.9 billion dollars (value of goods and services)
 During the mid 2000’s Ethiopia was one of the fastest growing
economies in the world.
 Today the GDP per capita is still very low


Agriculture
Makes up 40% of Ethiopia’s GDP and 80% of all Ethiopian exports
 Main Crops: Coffee, beans, oilseed, cereal, potatoes
 Stats: #1 in African Coffee Exports and #10 in worldwide livestock
exports


Education
Literacy Rate is around 30% (pretty good for Africa)
 6 years elementary school, 6 years of secondary

CULTURE

Poverty
 Both
urban and rural areas have issues with poverty
 80% of urban water is clean while only 11% of rural water is
clean.
 Around 20% of Ethiopia’s population live on less than 1 dollar
a day.
 75% of rural Ethiopians share sleeping quarters with livestock
 50% of urban residents live in poorly constructed slums

Conclusion
 Life
is difficult for urban and rural living Ethiopians
 More and more Ethiopians move to cities each year
CULTURE

Food
 WAT:
Thick meat stews
 Flatbreads are used as utensils….scoop up food, eat with hands.
 Very little pork and/or shellfish due to religious beliefs

Sports
 Long
Distance Running is the most popular sport…multiple
world record holders and gold medalist
 Soccer is the 2nd most popular sport. Ethiopia just missed
qualifiying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Miscellaneous Culture Oddities
 Freedom
of Speech is limited
 Marriage by Abduction is a popular practice in rural areas
 Medical care is somewhat lacking…only 2.6 doctors for every
100,000 people
FAMOUS ETHIOPIANS

Haile Gebrselassic
1996 and 2000 Gold Medalist in 10,000
 27 world records during his career


Kenenisa Bakele
2004 and 2008 Gold Medalist in 10,000 and 5,000
 Just won the 2014 Paris Marathon


Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Ali Al Amoudi
Worth 12.3 billion dollars, richest man in Ethiopia
 Made money in oil, construction, and real estate


Marcus Samuelsson


Celebrity Chef
Hibret Fekadu

Ethiopian Model
CURRENT EVENTS AND ISSUES

Modern Issues
 Voter
Fraud in 2010
 Back to back years of little rain (2010, 2011)
 200 people died in government protests in 2005
 Deforestation: Ethiopia’s forests are getting smaller at an
alarming rate
 AIDS and Women’s Health concerns

Current Events
 Debates
about Nile River Dam with Egypt
 Anti-Gay Protests in Addis Ababa
 Ethiopian dominance in international running events