Chief
of State: President GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8
October 2001)
Head of Government: Prime Minister
MELES Zenawi (since NA August 1995)
Government Type: federal republic
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Population:
74,777,981
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into
account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this
can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality
and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and
changes in the distribution of population by age and sex
than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)
Languages: Amharic, Tigrinya,
Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other local languages,
English (major foreign language taught in schools)
Religion: Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian
Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 3%-8%
Life Expectancy: 49.03 |
Currency:
birr (ETB)
GDP(per capita): $900 (2005
est.)
Overview: Ethiopia's poverty-stricken
economy is based on agriculture, accounting for half
of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment.
The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought
and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to
the Ethiopian economy with exports of some $156 million
in 2002, but historically low prices have seen many
farmers switching to qat to supplement income. The war
with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought have
buffeted the economy, in particular coffee production.
In November 2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief
from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative,
and in December 2005 the International Monetary Fund
voted to forgive Ethiopia's debt to the body. Under
Ethiopia's land tenure system, the government owns all
land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the
system continues to hamper growth in the industrial
sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral
for loans. Drought struck again late in 2002, leading
to a 2% decline in GDP in 2003. Normal weather patterns
late in 2003 helped agricultural and GDP growth recover
in 2004-05.
Exports: coffee, qat, gold,
leather products, live animals, oilseeds
Import: food and live animals,
petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery,
motor vehicles, cereals, textiles |
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Location:
Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
Area: total: 1,127,127 sq km
land: 1,119,683 sq km
water: 7,444 sq km |
Background:
Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian
monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with
the exception of the 1936-41 Italian occupation during
World War II. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed
Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and
established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups,
uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems,
the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition
of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary
Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted
in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were
held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the
1990's ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. Final
demarcation of the boundary is currently on hold due
to Ethiopian objections to an international commission's
finding requiring it to surrender territory considered
sensitive to Ethiopia.
Independence Day: oldest independent
country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world
- at least 2,000 years
Capital City: Addis Ababa
Administrative divisions: 9
ethnically-based states (kililoch, singular - kilil)
and 2 self-governing administrations* (astedaderoch,
singular - astedader); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar,
Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela
Hizboch (Gambela Peoples), Hareri Hizb (Harari People),
Oromiya (Oromia), Sumale (Somali), Tigray, Ye Debub
Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations,
Nationalities and Peoples) |
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