Facts about Ethiopia

Debre Damo

(Ethiopia) super restricted monastery. Only males are allowed (including animals) and the only way to enter is through a rope.

Ethiopia Agriculture

36%

Aksum

A kingdom in northwestern Ethiopia that was a sizable trading state and the center of Christian culture.

Ethiopian Highlands

A mountainous region located near the horn of East Africa

Lalibela

A town in Ethiopia famous for its stone churches carved in the 1100's

Injera

A white Ethiopian flatbread, similar to a crepe

Abyssinia

Ancient name for Ethiopian Empire where Muhammad Escaped to after Abu Talib died and his umbrella of protection disappeared. Muhammad knew the Ethiopians had a history of monotheism and would be accepting of the teachings of Islam.

Ethiopia Currency

Birr

Addis Ababa

Capital of Ethiopia and largest city in the country, located in the central region

Ethiopia Religion

Christianity

Haile Selassie

Emperor of Ethiopia (r. 1930-1974) and symbol of African independence. He fought the Italian invasion of his country in 1935 and regained his throne during World War II, when British forces expelled the Italians. He ruled Ethiopia as an autocrat. (809)

Ras Dejen

Ras Dejen in English traditionally spelled Ras Dashen, is the highest mountain in Ethiopia and tenth highest mountain of Africa.

Bet Giyorgis (Church)

The Church of Saint George is one of eleven rock-hewn monolithic churches in Lalibela, a city in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Originally named Roha, the historical and religious site was named Lalibela after the King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty, who commissioned its construction.

Ethiopia Military

The Ethiopian National Defense Force is the military of Ethiopia. Civil direction of the military is carried out through the Ministry of Defense, which oversees the ground forces, air force, as well as the Defense Industry Sector. The current minister of defense is Lemma Megersa.

Hijra

The Migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in A.D. 622, marking the founding of Islam

Danakil Depression

The lowest region in the Great Rift Valley

African Union

The organization that replaced the Organization of African Unity in 2001; designed to bring about increased political and economic integration of African states.

Simien Mountains

They are a World Heritage Site and include the Simien Mountains National Park. The mountains consist of plateaus separated by valleys and rising to pinnacles. The tallest peak is Ras Dejen; other notable heights include Mounts Biuat and Kidis Yared.

Aksum Obelisk

a 4th-century CE, 24-metre-tall phonolite stele/obelisk, weighing 160 tonnes, in the city of Axum in Ethiopia. It is ornamented with two false doors at the base and features decorations resembling windows on all sides.

Omo

a collection of hominin bones discovered between 1967 and 1974 at the Omo Kibish sites near the Omo River, in Omo National Park in south-western Ethiopia. The bones were recovered by a scientific team from the Kenya National Museums directed by Richard Leakey and others.

Awash

a major river of Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia and empties into a chain of interconnected lakes that begin with Lake Gargori and end with Lake Abbe on the border with Djibouti

Mitmita

a powdered seasoning mix used in Ethiopia. It is orange-red in color and contains ground African bird's eye chili peppers, Ethiopian cardamom, cloves, and salt. It occasionally has other spices including cinnamon, cumin, and ginger.

Shiro

a stew whose primary ingredient is powdered chickpeas or broad bean meal. It is often prepared with the addition of minced onions, garlic and, depending upon regional variation, ground ginger or chopped tomatoes and chili-peppers.

Tukul

a term used to refer to round homes in Ethiopia, Sudan and other parts of eastern Africa.

Tiya

a town in central Ethiopia. It is situated in the Gurage Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region south of Addis Ababa.

Konso

a town on the Sagan River in south-western Ethiopia. The administrative center of the Konso special woreda of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region

Harar Jugol

a walled city in eastern Ethiopia. It is known in Arabic as the City of Saints.

Gesho

an African shrub or small tree in the family Rhamnaceae.

Abiy Ahmed Ali

an Ethiopian politician serving as 4th Prime Minister of Ethiopia of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia since 2 April 2018.

Sahle-Work Zewde

an Ethiopian politician who is the current President of Ethiopia and the first woman to hold the office.

Ethiopia Exports

coffee (27%, by value), oilseeds (17%), edible vegetables including khat (17%), gold (13%), flowers (7%), live animals (7%), raw leather products (3%), meat products (3%)

35% of the population of Ethiopia is Muslim.

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80% of Ethiopian women have experienced female genital mutilation/cutting.

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Coffee was accidentally discovered in Ethiopia when a goat herder found his flock running restlessly after eating the coffee plant.

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Ethiopia and Russia are the two countries in the world to have never been occupied.

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Ethiopia is also known as the "Horn of Africa."

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Ethiopia is also sometimes referred to as "the roof of Africa" as more than 70% of Africa's mountains are found in Ethiopia.

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Ethiopia is also thought to be the world's first Christian state.

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Ethiopia is among the oldest countries on the planet, having been established in 980 B.C.

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Ethiopia is the main nation within Africa that was never formally colonized

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Ethiopia is the nation where espresso was initially found. Henceforth, it is viewed as espresso's country.

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In Ethiopia, it is considered impolite to refuse a cup of coffee.

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Italy was defeated twice when it attempted to invade Ethiopia.

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The eating of any animal products on Wednesdays and Fridays is prohibited in Ethiopia.

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The oldest fossil skeleton of a human was found in Ethiopia. It is over three million years old.

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Ethiopia Government

federal parliamentary republic

Ethiopia Industries

food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, garments, chemicals, metals processing, cement

Mohammed

founder of Islam, regarded as messenger and prophet of god by muslims

Ethiopia Terrain

high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley

Ethiopia Imports

machinery and aircraft (14%, by value), metal and metal products, (14%), electrical materials, (13%), petroleum products (12%), motor vehicles, (10%), chemicals and fertilizers (4%)

Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela

named after the late-12th and early-13th century King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela of the Zagwe Dynasty, who commissioned the massive building project of 11 rock-hewn churches to recreate the holy city of Jerusalem in his own kingdom.

Ethiopia Natural Resources

small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower

Lake Tana

source of the Blue Nile and largest lake in Ethiopia

Amharic

the dominant and official language of Ethiopia, was actually first used in the 13 and 14th centuries.

Enkutatash

the first day of the New Year in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It occurs on Meskerem 1 on the Ethiopian calendar, which is 11 September according to the Gregorian calendar.

Simien National Park

the largest national park in Ethiopia.

Great Rift Valley

the largest rift in the earth's surface located in Africa and populated by wild animals and grassland

Fasil Ghebbi

the remains of a fortress-city in Gondar, Ethiopia. It was founded in the 17th century by Emperor Fasilides and was the home of Ethiopia's emperors. Its unique architecture shows diverse influences including Nubian styles.

Mingi

the traditional belief among the Omotic-speaking Karo and Hamar peoples of southern Ethiopia that children with perceived and true physical abnormalities are ritually impure. An example of perceived abnormalities includes the top teeth erupting before bottom teeth.

Ethiopia Climate

tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation