Officially Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, republic (1995 est. pop.
55,979,000), 471,776 sq mi (1,221,900 sq km), NE Africa. It borders on Eritrea in the north, on Djibouti in the northeast, on Somalia in the east and southeast, on Kenya in the south, and on Sudan in the west. Addis
Ababa is the capital and largest city. The country is divided into nine ethnically based regions and the capital.Ethiopia This ancient country, old even before the time of Christ, is called the land of thirteen months of sunshine, (the Ethiopian calendar having twelve months of thirty days
and an extra month of five days called Pagume). The climate is balmy and pleasant with rain falling rarely except in the summer months. Here, where the Queen of Sheba once ruled, primitive and modern cultures exist
side by side. In the villages, families live in "tukels" made of stone with thatched roofs, and life goes on today much as it has for centuries. In Addis Ababa, there are new white buildings of reinforced
concrete in the midst of bustling, energetic people. Women with exquisite facial bone structure wear shamas, a gauzelike white fabric covering them from head to foot. Men wear either Ethiopian robes or Western dress.
The open-air market of Addis is the largest and most exciting in all of Africa. The market seems to stretch for miles. Everything is on display, from clothing and household wares to treadle sewing machines. And the
food! Women sit cross-legged on the ground with tiny scales to measure spices for the Wat-the stews cooked in every home. Grains, called Tef, in huge bags are ready for the housewives who make Injera--the unleavened
bread prepared today as it was a thousand years ago. The low stands are heaped with citrus fruits, bananas, grapes, pomegranates, figs, custard apples (a delectable tropical fruit), and vegetables of all kinds,
including the wonderful red onion of this area and Gommen, a kale-like plant used in the Alechi: the stews of the fast days. The meats on sale are beef, lamb, and goat. You'll find a sort of rancid butter cut from a
large block and sold in chunks wrapped in wax paper, along with lab, a soft cheese wrapped and kept cool in banana leaves. The Coptic Church, the dominant religious sect in Ethiopia since the fourth century, dictates
many food customs. There are fast days when meat is prohibited and pulses-lentils, peas, field peas, chick peas, and peanuts-are used in making the Wat and Alechi. No one is permitted to eat pork. The hand washing
ceremony before and after meals is a religious ritual. Even the manner in which meats are prepared is dictated. The hottest, most peppery food in all of Africa is found in Ethiopia. The foreigner, not accustomed to the
hot spice Ber-beri or Awaze, specially prepared with red pepper and containing as many as fifteen spices, cannot take it. But if you cut down on the pepper, you will find the food to be as interesting and exciting as
anything you have ever eaten. The Country
Ethiopia, five times the size of the United Kingdom, is strategically located in the Horn of Africa. Its proximity to the Middle East and Europe, together
with its easy
access to the major ports of the region, enhances its international trade. Covering an area of approximately 1.14 million square kilometers (444,000 square miles),
Ethiopia is bordered by the Sudan
on the west, Somalia and Djibouti on the east, Eritrea on the north and Kenya on the south.
The diverse topography of the country generally features rugged mountains, flat-topped plateaus, deep river canyons,
rolling plains and low lands. The major river
basins include: the Abay (Blue Nile), Awash, Baro, Omo, Tekezie and Wabe Shebele. The Ethiopian highlands are divided by the Great Rift valley as it traverses the
country from north to south.
Although Ethiopia lies within 15 degrees north of the equator, owing to the moderating influence of high altitude, the central highlands, where the vast majority of
Ethiopian
peoples live, generally enjoy temperate and pleasant climate, with average temperatures rarely exceeding 20oC (68oF). The sparsely populated low lands,
on the other hand, typically have sub-tropical and tropical
climates. At approximately 850 mm (34 inches), the average annual rainfall for the whole country is
considered to be moderate by global standards. In most of the highlands, rainfall occurs in two distinct seasons:
the "small« rains during February and March and the
"big« rains from June to September.
Alpine vegetation features the highlands, while the low lands are characterized by woodlands, bush lands,
savannah and semi-arid shrubs. Although approximately
two-thirds of Ethiopia's land mass is arable, only 15 percent of its area is presently under cultivation. Only about 3 percent of the 3.5 million hectares of
potentially
irrigable land is being irrigated. |
