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The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Ityop'iya, Amharic ኢትዮጵያ) is a country situated in an area known as the Horn of Africa. It has one of the most extensive known histories as an independent nation on the continent. Unique among African countries, Ethiopia maintained independence during the Scramble for Africa, and continued to do so until 1936-1941, when the Italian army invaded the country.
HistoryMain article: History of Ethiopia In 1974 a pro-Soviet Marxist-Leninist military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile Selassie, who had ruled since 1930, and established a one-party socialist state. The ensuing regime suffered several bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problem. It was eventually defeated in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces under the name Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). In 1994 a constitution was adopted leading to Ethiopia's first multiparty elections in the following year. A border war with Eritrea (a nation which separated from Ethiopia in 1992) erupted in May 1998. This has hurt the nation's economy but since strengthened the ruling coalition.
PoliticsMain article: Politics of Ethiopia RegionsMain article: Regions of Ethiopia Ethiopia is divided into 9 ethnically-based administrative regions (astedader akababiwach, singular - astedader akabibi) and 2 chartered cities*: Addis Ababa*; Afar; Amhara, Benishangul/Gumaz; Dire Dawa*; Gambela; Harar; Oromia; Somali; Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region; Tigray; Shewa; Gojjam GeographyMain article: Geography of Ethiopia Ethiopia is an ecologically diverse country with land below sea level and above 10,000 feet. Lake Tana in the north is the source of the Blue Nile. It also has a large number of endemic species, notably the Gelada Baboon and the Ethiopian wolf (or Simien fox). EconomyMain article: Economy of Ethiopia DemographicsMain article: Demographics of Ethiopia Ethiopia is home to many different groups of people, the three largest groups being the Oromo, Amhara (whose Amharic language is used for official purposes), and Tigrinya. The Axumite Kingdom was one of the first nations to officially adopt Christianity, when St. Frumentius of Tyre converted Ezana of Axum during the fourth century CE. Islam in Ethiopia dates back almost to the founding of the religion; Islamic tradition states that Bilal was from present-day Ethiopia. A small group of Jews, the Beta Israel, lived in Ethiopia for centuries, though most have emigrated to Israel. There are numerous indigenous African religions in Ethiopia. CultureMain article: Culture of Ethiopia 
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ar:اثيوبيا ca:Etiòpia da:Etiopien de:Äthiopien et:Etioopia es:Etiopía eo:Etiopio fr:Éthiopie id:Ethiopia ia:Ethiopia it:Etiopia he:אתיופיה la:Aethiopia lt:Etiopija lv:Etiopija ms:Habsyah nl:Ethiopië ja:エチオピア no:Etiopia nds:Äthiopien pl:Etiopia pt:Etiópia ru:Эфиопия sk:Etiópia sl:Etiopija fi:Etiopia sv:Etiopien uk:Ефіопія zh:埃塞俄比亚 |
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:: About Us This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ethiopia". |