About Ethiopia
 Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Ge'ez Ityoya), is a country situated in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, and Sudan to the west. Ethiopia is credited with being the origin of mankind. Bones discovered in eastern Ethiopia date back 3.2 million years. Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world. Herodotus, the Greek historian of the fifth century B.C. describes ancient Ethiopia in his writings. The Old Testament of the Bible records the Queen of Sheba's visit to Jerusalem.
According to legend, Menelik I, the son of KingSolomon and the Queen of Sheba, founded the Ethiopian Empire. It has one of the most extensive known histories as an independent nation on the continent, or indeed in the world and is also known for being one of the founders of the United Nations. Unique among African countries, Ethiopia maintained it's independence during the Scramble for Africa, and continued to do so except for a five-year period (1936-41) when it was under Italian occupation.
But even during this period there was no Italian colonization of Ethiopia as the Italians occupied a few key cities and most of Ethiopia was not affected by their presence; the Italian period is thus considered an "occupation" and not colonial rule. |
Country Flag
Population
74,431,000
Capital
Addis Ababa; 3,723,000
Area
1,133,380 square kilometers
(437,600 square miles)
Language
Amharic, Tigrinya, Orominga,
Guaraginga, Somali, Arabic
Religion
Ethiopian Orthodox, Muslim, animist |
Ethiopia was also historically called Abyssinia, derived from the Arabic form of the Ethiosemitic name "HBSHT," modern Habesha. The English name "Ethiopia" is thought to be derived from the Greek word Aithiops ‘an Ethiopian’, derived from Greek terms meaning "of burnt (??) visage (??)". However, this etymology is disputed. The Book of Aksum, an Ge'ez chronicle first composed in the 15th century, states that the name is derived from "'Ityopp'is", a son (unmentioned in the Bible) of Cush, son of Ham who according to legend founded the city of Axum.Source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia)
Few countries in the world possess such a wealth and variety of ancient legends and fascinating attractions as Ethiopia. It is a country spilt by an act of nature – the cleavage known as the Great Rift Valley.
Earliest Human Ancestor
 Skeleton of Lusy At the northern end of the Ethiopian Rift lies Afar in what is known as the Danakil Depression, a barren, scorched landscape, which millions of year ago was “home” to mankind’s ancestors.
In 1974, the 3.8 million year old remains of the ancestral Australopithecus Afarensis were found in the Afar( Hadar )area of Ethiopia, and nicknamed “Lusy”. This is only one of the many major scientific discoveries in the area: 20 years later, in 1994, scientists dug up the fossilized remains of a chimpanzee-sized ape from 4.4 million at a site 75 kilometers (45 miles) south of where “Lusy” was found.
The discovery chalked yet another first for the country which gave the world coffee, pioneered growing teff, and the “false banana” enset. It was also the first place in Africa to make Christianity a stat religion.
Religion has always been a major influence in Ethiopia. Certainly no country in sub-Sahara Africa can trace its origins as far back. Ethiopia is mentioned thirty-three times in the Bible and many times in the Qur’an. Perhaps this is the reason why so many visitors retrace the “historic route”, drawn by colorful stories and fantastic tales to the land once known as Abyssinia.
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