College of Social Sciences and Humanities

School of Geography and Environmental Studies

Course: Geography of Ethiopia and the Horn

Course code: GeES 1011

Instructor: Dr. Siyoum Girma

(Assistant Professor of Geography & Environmental Studies)
Instructor Information
• Name: Dr. Siyoum Girma Muleta
• Qualification:
 BED Degree in Geography and Environmental Studies with minor Economics from
Mekelle University
 MA degree in Geography and Environmental Studies (Population, Resource and
Development) from Addis Ababa University
 Assistant Professor of Geography from Haramaya University
 PhD in Geography from University of South Africa
• Email: siyoumgirma19@gmail.com
• Phone: 0913646126
.
•.
 Chapter One: Introduction
1.1. Geography: Definition, Scope and Themes
What is Geography?

What is the Scope of Geography?

What are the major themes of Geography?

Do you know where the Horn of Africa is located?

What are the member states of the Horn of Africa?

Distinguish between astronomical and relative locations?

1.1.1. Meaning of Geography
• The word geography is of Greek origin and can be divided into two parts,
geo, meaning the Earth, and graphy, which refers to writing. So,
geography can be loosely translated to “writing about the Earth.”
• Ancient geography was often descriptions of far away places, but
modern geography has become much more than writing about the
Earth.
• Contemporary geographers have a difficult time defining the discipline.
• It is difficult to forward a definition acceptable to all geographers at all
times and places because of the dynamic nature of the discipline and
the changes in its scope and method of study. i.e. there is no universally
agreed single definition.
• However, the following may be accepted as a working definition.
• Geography is the scientific study of the Earth that describes and analyses
spatial and temporal variations of physical, biological and human phenomena,
and their interrelationships and dynamism over the surface of the Earth.
• Geography is also defined as “the bridge between the human and the natural
sciences,” “the mother of all sciences,” and “anything that can be mapped.”
Mathematics is the ‘father of all science’

Geography is a holistic and

interdisciplinary field of study

Physical Geography Human Geography

Why spatial variation exists: Earthquakes
 Geographers apply the spatial perspective whereas historians
apply the time perspective.

Geography today
 Where?, What?, When?, Why?, and Why there?
• Knowing one isolated geographical fact does not mean there is geographical
understanding!

For example: Knowing Mt Everest is the highest peak (8850m) in the world is not
understanding geography…unless we seek to understand

Why it is the How its location

highest peak? influences the
political security,
downstream
How is it flooding and
created? access to water of
the surrounding
areas?

Therefore, understanding Mt Everest in terms of the interlinked physical processes and

human activities is then truly geographical understanding!
 The Branches of Geography
 Geography is divided into two main branches;
o Physical and
o Human Geography.

Main Ideas
 Physical geography is the study of landforms, water bodies, and other physical
features.
 Human geography focuses on people, their cultures, and the landscapes they create.
 Other branches of geography examine specific aspects of the physical or human
world.
1.1.2. The Scope, Approaches and Themes of Geography
• Geography is science that explains the arrangements of various natural and
cultural features on the Earth surface.
• Geography is a holistic and interdisciplinary field of study contributing to
the understanding of the changing spatial structures from the past to
the future.
• Thus, the scope of Geography is
o the surface of the Earth: the very thin zone
o the earth systems: the interface of the atmosphere, lithosphere,
hydrosphere and biosphere, which provides the habitable zone in
which humans are able to live
 Approach of Geography
• Geography can be approached by considering two continuums: a human-
physical continuum and a topical-regional continuum.
I. The topical (systematic) fields of
Geography view particular
categories of physical or human
phenomena as distributed over
the Earth while
II.Regional geography is concerned
with the associations within
regions of all or some of the
elements and their
interrelationships.
• Themes of Geography
• Geography has five basic
themes created in 1984
by the National Council
for Geographic
Education and the
Association of American
Geographers. These are
1. location,
2. place,
3. human-environment
interaction,
4. movement, and

5. region.
 1. Location
• Location is defined as a particular place or position.
• The theme of Location answers the question: “Where is it?” It describes
where a place is on Earth.
• Most studies of geography begin with the mention of this theme of
geography.
• Location can be of two types: absolute location and relative location.
• In absolute location, the location of a place is defined by its latitude and
longitude or its exact address while in relative location, the location of a
place defined compared to other places.
• Whenever we give or receive directions, we use the theme of location.
- Example: Ethiopia is located between - 30N to 150N latitudes and
- 330E to 480E longitudes.
 A. Astronomical (Absolute) or Mathematical
It is a location
way of expressing location of places with lines of latitude and
longitude.
It is mathematical and the exact location of a place can be correctly shown
on maps with the help of parallels (latitude) and meridians (longitude).
Each place on Earth has a unique coordinate.
Done with the help of Global positioning System (GPS)
I. The term `latitude' denotes position with
respect to the equator stretching from
East to West.
- Latitude is measured in degrees, minutes,
and seconds.
- The equator which circles the globe
midway between the poles has latitude of
0o.
- Therefore, latitude measures 900 to the
north and 900 to the south of the equator.
- All other latitudinal lines are parallel to the
equator and to each other.
- Hence all latitudes are called parallels.
II. The term `longitude' refers to position with respect to Prime Meridian,
stretching from North to the South Poles.
- It measures 1800 to the west and 1800 to
the east of prime meridian, which is
crossing the Greenwich Meridian at
London.
- Longitude has a direct relationship with
time: the more apart are places with
longitudinal measurement, the more will
be their time difference.
Latitude and longitude may be combined on a globe or map to create a
grid. One specific parallel will only intersect a specific meridian at one
place on the earth. Using the two together allows for locating places
precisely.
 B. Relative (Vicinal) location

 Relative location is a way of expressing the position or location of the

countries or places with reference to the location of other (neighbors)
countries (vicinal), or in relation to continental land mass or the nearest
water bodies.
For example

• Africa is located to the south of Europe

• Africa is located to the west of Indian Ocean
• Ethiopia is located to the north of Kenya
• Djibouti is located east of Ethiopia
2. Place
• Place refers to the physical and human aspects of a location.
• The theme Place answers the question: “What is it like there?”
• This theme of geography is associated with
- toponym (the name of a place),
- site (the description of the features of the place), and
- situation (the environmental conditions of the place).
• Each place in the world has its unique characteristics expressed in terms of
 landforms,
 hydrology,
 biogeography,
 pedology,
 characteristics and size of its human population, and
 the distinct human cultures.
• The concept of “place” aids geographers to compare and contrast two
places on Earth.
- Human characteristics: customs, language, beliefs, buildings, living style
- Physical characteristics: mountains, oceans, rivers, lakes, animals, plants
3. Human-Environment Interaction
• How do people interact/adopt with their surroundings or environments
• Humans have always been on ceaseless interaction with their natural
environment. No other species that has lived on our planet has a profound
effect on the environment as humans.
• Humans have adapted to the
environment in ways that have allowed
them to dominate all other species on
Earth.
• Thus, human-environment interaction
involves three distinct aspects:
- dependency,
- adaptation, and
- modification.
• Dependency refers to the ways in which humans are dependent on nature (their
environment) for a living. Example:
- We depend on the land (soil) to grow food.
- We depend on rivers and streams for drinking water & or transporting goods.
• Adaptation relates to how humans modify themselves, their lifestyles and their
behavior to live in a new environment with new challenges. How people adopt to
their environment. Example:
- We wear lighter clothing in the summer (warm/hot) and wear heavier
clothing in the winter (cold).
• Modification allowed humans to “conquer” the world for their comfortable living.
People can change or modify their environment. Example:
- We pave roads to travel on.
- We clear land to build houses & buildings on.
4. Movement
• Movement involves to the translocation of human beings, their goods, and
their ideas from one end of the planet to another.
• The theme of MOVEMENT helps us understand how we connect with, and
depend on, other regions, cultures, and people in the world.
• MOVEMENT: How are people, goods, information and ideas moved from
place to place?

i. The physical movement of people allowed the human race to inhabit

or conquer all the continents and islands of the world.

ii. Another aspect of movement is the transport of goods from one place
on the Earth to another.

iii. The third dimension of movement is the flow of ideas that allows the
unification of the human civilization and promotes its growth and
prosperity.
5. Region
• A region is a geographic area having distinctive characteristics that
distinguishes itself from adjacent unit(s) of space.
a. formal or uniform region that is characterized by homogeneity in terms
of a certain phenomenon (common chxcs)
• soil,
• temperature,
• rainfall, or
• other cultural elements
like - language,
- religion, and
- economy.
 Sub regions of Africa
⚫I n s h o r t , a formal region is created
on the basis of at least one or more of
the following characteristics:
Common language
Religion
Nationality
Political affiliation
Culture
Geographical features (climate,
vegetation, elevation,
landform, etc.)
b. functional or nodal region characterized by functional interrelationships
in a spatial system defined by the linkages binding particular phenomena.

 Defined by a set of social, political,

or economic activities e.g., an urban
area, city and suburbs

• They are region that serves a purpose

(e. g. hinterland in Central Place
Theory (CPT).
C. Perceptual/vernacular = indefinite, based on perceptions (neighborhoods)
• A perceptual region is based on the shared feelings and attitudes of the
people who live in the area.
• It is defined by feelings and prejudices that may or may not be true.
• It can also be an idea of a person's mental map.
• It can be viewed as how people think about or perceive a region based on
factors that may not reflect the truth.

 Summary
• No one theme can be understood without the others. The themes are
connected with one another, as are all components of our world.
• Therefore, no part of our world can be understood in isolation.
1.2. Location, Shape and Size of Ethiopia and the Horn

• The Horn of Africa, a region of eastern Africa, is a narrow tip that protrudes
into the northern Indian Ocean, separating it from the Gulf of Aden.

• It is the easternmost extension

of African land
• the region that is home to the
countries of Djibouti, Eritrea,
Ethiopia, and Somalia, whose
cultures have been linked
throughout their long history.
• Although the countries of the region share many common features, there is
also great diversity among them, rendering each country unique in many
respects.
• In terms of size, Ethiopia is the largest of all the Horn of African countries,
while Djibouti is the smallest.
• The Horn contains such diverse areas as
- the highlands of the Ethiopian Plateau,
- the Ogaden desert, and
- the Eritrean and Somali coasts.
Its coasts are washed by the
• Red Sea,
• the Gulf of Aden, and
• the Indian Ocean,
Absolute location of the Horn

It is bounded within:
 1° S – 18° N latitudes
 33°E – 51° 24'E longitudes
1.2.1. Location of Ethiopia
• One of the purposes of studying geography is to learn the location of
important features on the earth’s surface and to learn where things in
the world located.
• Location refers to the geographical site of a place.
• the location of a country or a place on a map or globe is expressed in
two most important ways:
1. astronomical (absolute) and
2. relative locations.
 Astronomical Location

 Astronomically, Ethiopia is a Bademe

landlocked country located (15°)N
between
 30N (Moyale) and 150N
O gaden
(Bademe - the northernmost (48°E)
tip of Tigray) latitudes and Akobo (33°E)

 330E (Akobo) to 480E (the tip

of Ogaden in the east)
longitudes.
- i.e. 30N & 150N latitudes and
Moyale(3°N)
- 330E & 480E longitudes
 From the absolute location given above, it is possible to understand that:
• Ethiopia extends for about 150 east-west and 120 in north-south (east
west distance is longer than the north-south distance).
• Ethiopia and most of its neighbors are located north of the equator;
• Ethiopia along its neighbors is located east of the prime meridian to have
an advance of time.
The latitudinal and longitudinal extensions are important in two ways.
• 1st as a result of its latitudinal extension the country experiences
tropical climate
• 2nd due to its longitudinal extension there is a difference of one hour
between the most easterly and most westerly points of the country.
However, for the sake of convenience the 3 hours-time zone is used in
all parts of the country. It is +3 GMT for Ethiopia.
2. Relative or Vicinal Location - is a way of expressing the position or location
of the countries or places with reference to the location of other
(neighbors) countries (vicinal), or in relation to continental land mass or the
nearest water bodies.
The Relative location of Ethiopia (Vicinal Location)

It is bordered by
• Sudan in the west and northwest
• South Sudan in southwest
• Djibouti in the east
• Somalia in the east and southeast
• Eritrea in the north and northeast
• Kenya in the south
- The relative location of Ethiopia in relation to water bodies & land masses
may be described as: Ethiopia is located in the horn of Africa, in the Nile basin, to the
Southwest of the Arabian Peninsula, South of Europe, East of Atlantic Ocean, Northwest of
Indian Ocean, South West of Asian land masses, South of Mediterranean Sea and so on.

Land masses Water bodies

 The implications of the location of Ethiopia (Significance of Ethiopian
Location)
• The location of Ethiopia influences various physical, socio-cultural and
economic characteristics within the country.

 Climate: located between 30N and

150N (between the Equator and
Tropic of Cancer) Ethiopia has a
tropical climate, though modified by
its altitude.
- Proximity to Indian & Atlantic Ocean
& the African and Asian landmass
has also various bearings on the
climate of Ethiopia.
 Socio-cultural behavior: the reason why Ethiopia is one of the earliest
recipients of the major world religions namely Christianity, Islam, and
Judaism has mainly due to its proximity to the Middle East (the origin of
these religions).
- The linguistic and other cultural relationships observed between Ethiopia
and its neighbors also reflect the influence of location.
3. Geo-politics: The political history of Ethiopia has been considerably
influenced by its location.
• Some of the factors affecting the international relations of Ethiopia
- Geo-political considerations of superpowers
- Adjacent (proximity) to the Red Sea (a major global trade route).
- The Middle East geopolitical paradigms.
- As a result, Ethiopia has been exposed for external invasions in a number of
times; though the country resisted foreign intervention and remains free of
external domination.
4. Time system: due to its longitudinal location, Ethiopia falls within GMT +3
standard time zone.
1.2.2. The Size or Area of Ethiopia
• Ethiopia is the 8th largest country in Africa and
• 25th largest country in the World
• with a total surface area of about 1,106,000 square kilometers.
• It extends about 1,639 kilometers East-West, and 1,577 kilometers North-
South.
• About 0.7% of the country is covered by water bodies.
• The size of Ethiopia also affects both the natural and human environment of
the country.
 Advantages and disadvantages of Ethiopia’s large size

Advantage (Significance) of Large Size Disadvantage of Large Size

a. Possess diverse agro ecological zones (a a. Demands greater capital to construct
variety or diversity of climate type) infrastructural facilities
b. Abundant/ample base and variety of b. Requires large army to protect its
natural resources (plants, animals, and territory
minerals). c. Difficult for effective administration
c. Ample or extensive arable land d. Difficult for socio-economic
d. Have large population size integration
e. Home for diverse cultures
f. have greater depth in defense from
external invasion (attack)
1.2.3. The shape of Ethiopia and its
Implication
• Countries of the World have different
kinds of shape that can be divided into
five main categories:
1. compact, 4. perforated, and
2. fragmented, 5. protruded.
3. elongated,
• These shapes have implications on
administration, defense and economic
integration within a country.
• Whether some kind of shape is
advantageous to a country or not,
however, depends on many other
factors.
a. Compact shape countries: The distance from the
geographic center of the state to any of the
borders does not vary greatly.
Advantage
- It is easier for defense,
- easier socioeconomic and cultural integration.
- Easier to maintain, defend, and travel through
Eg: Cambodia, Hungary, France, Zimbabwe
b. Fragmented shape countries: They are divided from
their other parts by either water, land or other
countries.
- States that are divided, either physically or by
borders
- Eg: Philippines, Japan, or Indonesia
c. Elongated shape countries: They are geographically
long and relatively narrow like Chile and Vietnam.
Advantage Disadvantage
Long and narrow country lends Difficult to govern,
itself to a good amount of ports defend, and travel within
for shipping the country
d. Perforated shape countries: A country that completely
surrounds another country like the Republic of South
Africa.
South Africa
surrounds Lesotho

Advantage Disadvantage
Able to dictate actions of Can lead to internal
enclosed state easily tension and problems
with enclosed state
e. Protrude shape countries: Countries that have one portion that is much
more elongated than the rest of the country like Myanmar, Eritrea,
Thailand & Namibia. States that have an Elongated portion but otherwise
are Compact

Advantage
Access to resources and trade
not dependent on other Namibia
countries

Disadvantage
Fairly easy to be invaded by
foreign countries
 Measure of Shape
• There are various ways of measuring shape of countries. These measures are
known as the indices of compactness.
• These indices measure the deviation of the shape of a country from a circular
shape, which is the most compact shape.
• Since there is no country with absolutely circular shape, those approximating
a circular shape are said to be more compact.
• There are four most commonly used measures of compactness. These are:
1. Area-Boundary (A/B) ratio:
- the ratio of area of country to its boundary length.
- The higher the A/B ratio, the greater the degree
of compactness.
2. Boundary-Circumference (B/C)
ratio:
- the ratio of boundary length of C = πd
a country to the circumference A
of a circle having the same area
as the country itself.
- It measures how far the
boundary of a country B C
approximates the circumference πd
of a circle of its own size.
• Therefore, the nearer the ratio
to 1 the more compact the
country is.
3. Area-Circumference (A/C) ratio:
- the ratio of the area of the country to the
circumference of the smallest inscribing circle.
• It compares the area of the country with the
circumference of a circle that passes touching
the extreme points on the boundary of the C
country.
• The higher the A/C ratio, the greater the degree
of compactness.
4. Area Area (A/A’) ratio:
• the ratio of the actual area of a A’ A’
country to the smallest possible
inscribing circle.
• The area of the inscribing circle is the A’
area of the smallest possible circle A
whose circumference passes through
the extreme points on the boundary.
• The nearer the ratio to 1, the more
compact the country is.
Ethiopia's shape compared to its neighbors in the Horn
Approximate ratio to 1
Higher = Compactness the more compact the country
Higher =
Compactness

• Using A/B and A/C ratio Ethiopia has greater degree of compactness than its
neighboring countries
• As per B/C measures Kenya become the greater degree of compactness
1.3. Basic Skills of Map Reading
• A map is a two-dimensional scaled representation of part or whole of the
Earth surface on a flat body such as piece of paper, black board, wood or
cloth.
• Map reading encompasses a systematic identification of natural features and
manmade features.
- Natural features include mountains, plateaus, hills, valleys, river, ocean,
rocks, plain, etc. and
- manmade features include roads, railway, buildings, dam, etc.
• Although many disciplines use maps, they have a special significance for
Geographers as primary tools for displaying and analyzing spatial
distributions, patterns and relations.
• Since these features cannot easily be observed and interpreted in real
landscapes, maps are essential to Geographers.
  Importance of maps
• Provide the basis for making geographical details of regions represented i.e.
the geographical facts of an area such as relief, drainage, settlement, etc.
• Maps are powerful tools for making spatial analysis of geographical facts of
areas represented.
• Maps are useful for giving location of geographical features by varied
methods of grid reference, place naming etc.
• Maps are used on various disciplines like land use planning, military science,
aviation, tourism, marine science, population studies, epidemiology, geology,
economics, history, archaeology, agriculture, etc.
• Map makes storage of the geographical data of areas represented.
• Maps are potentially used to assess reliable measurements of the
geographical features. The measurements can be of area, size, distance, etc.
  Types of Map
• There are many types of maps according to their
purpose and functions.
• For this course, topographical and statistical maps are
considered.
a. Topographical maps: depict one or more natural and
cultural features of an area.
• They could be small, medium or large scale
depending on the size of the area represented.
• Contents of topographical maps depend on purpose
of a map, scale of a map, date of compilation, and
nature of the land represented.
• They depict one or more natural and cultural features
of an area by using symbols
o Topographical map provides Contour lines – imaginary lines the
information about land connect points of equal elevation
elevations and landforms such as
mountains, hills, and depressions
 It is a 2-D representation of the
Earth’s 3-D landscape
 Are also known as contour
maps.
 Show elevation above sea level
using contour lines.
Topographic Map
 Real World

Contour Map
b. Special purpose/statistical maps:

• Are maps that emphasize a single idea or a particular kind of information about

an area.

• These are maps, which show distribution of different aspects such as

- temperature,

- rainfall,

- settlement,
- Vegetation, etc.
  Marginal Information on Maps (Elements of Maps)
• Marginal information is shown on a map to enable the reading and
interpretation of the geographical information of an area represented. This
includes:
a. Title: the heading of the given map which tells what the map is all about.
b. Key (legend): the list of all convectional symbols and signs shown on the
map with their interpretation.
c. Scale: the ratio between the distance on the map and the actual ground
distance.
- Scales enable the map user to interpret the ground measurement like road
distance, areal sizes, gradient, etc.
- It can be expressed as representative fraction, statements/verbal scale, and
linear (graphic) scale.
1.Representation Fraction (ratio scale):

 Large Scale 1:25,000 or 3. Graphic Scale/bar/linear

larger scale
 This shows directly distance
 M edium Scale measured on map to the
corresponding ground
1:1,000,000 to 1:25,000 distance using straight
graduated line divided into
 Small Scale 1:1,000,000 or equal parts .
smaller

2.Statement Scale (Verbal scale)

 One inch represents 16
miles.
d. North arrow:
• indicated with the north direction on a map;
• used to know the other important directions of the mapped area
like east, west and south.
e. Margin:
• the frame of the map.
• It is important for showing the end of the mapped area.
f. Date of compilation:
• a date of map publication.
• enables map users to realize whether the map is updated or outdated.
  Basic Principles of Map Reading
 In developing map reading abilities and skills, certain basic principles must be
applied by the map-reader to translate map symbols into landscape images.
• Map Readers must have ideas about the symbol and the real World (landscapes).
• Every map symbol must be visualized by the reader to read a map.
• The first symbols introduced should be those, which refer to landscape features of
which the reader already has some images.
• Secondly, knowledge of directions is an important principle in reading maps.
- One of the basic functions of maps is to help us to orient ourselves and to locate
places on the earth.
- Unless a reader knows the basic directions, he or she may not use a map
effectively.
• Before locating features using a map, north (the north arrow) should be
determined and the readers should have practice in finding this direction.
• Next, they should learn to read direction on a specific map and the location of
the features shown on the map in relation to one another.
• Maps are covered in a series of lines that make up a grid.
- The lines have numbers accompanying them that allow you to accurately
pinpoint your location on a map.
- Once you have located where you are, the grid system makes it simple to
give an accurate description of your location.
- This description, which will be a series of numbers, is known as a grid
reference.
• End of Chapter one