Country of the Week: Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a landlocked nation in the “Horn of Africa.”

Ethiopia is located in an area known as the Horn of Africa. The Horn of

Africa — named because it is shaped like an animal horn — also
includes the country of Djibouti, and the eastern parts of Eritrea and
Somalia.

Part of the world’s longest river begins in Ethiopia. The Blue Nile, one of
the branches of the Nile River, begins at Lake Tana, the country’s biggest
lake. Ethiopia has the largest water reserves in Africa. This resource is
sometimes called “white oil.”

Ethiopians take great pride in their coffee, because the coffee bean was
first cultivated in their country. Today the coffee bean is Ethiopia’s main
export. Many languages are spoken in Ethiopia, but the official language
is Amharic. Most Ethiopians are Christians, and the second most
common religion in Ethiopia is Islam.

The capital city of Ethiopia is Addis Ababa. More than 4 million people
live in this city, out of a total population of about 86 million people. But
most of the population lives in the countryside, working as farmers.
Most Ethiopians are very poor, especially in rural areas. Many
Ethiopians cannot even afford to send their children to school.

Hailemariam Desalegn is the nation’s prime minister. He took over in the

summer of 2012, when former leader meles Zenawi died suddenly.
Although Ethiopoia is a democracy, the government keeps power by
restricting freedoms.

Ethiopia is one of the world’s oldest civilizations.

Ethiopia is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and is mentioned

in the Bible. It is also where some of the earliest traces of human fossils
have been found. Its history goes back more than 2,000 years. Ethiopia
was one of the first Christian nations on Earth, and many of its churches
were built centuries ago.

At one time, Ethiopia’s capital was a city called Gonder. Gonder was a
trading center, and trade routes stretched from Ethiopia all across the
Middle East and Asia. Unlike most other African countries, Ethiopia was
never a European colony.

Ethiopia’s rulers claimed an unbroken line from the Jewish King

Solomon in the Bible. These rulers were called the Solomonic Dynasty.
The last of these rulers, Haile Selassie, ruled as emperor for almost 44
years. He became famous around the world for standing up to Italy and
other larger nations. But he was forced out of power in 1974.

Today, Ethiopia is one of the main political and cultural centers in Africa.
Its music and art are famous around the world. The country is also
famous for its distance runners. Runners such as Tirunesh Dibaba,
Haile Gebrselassie, Abebe Bikila, and Kenenisa Bikele have been among
the world’s best. Tirunesh Dibaba is the current World and Olymic
10,000 meters champion.