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National Map
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Ethiopia |
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National Flag
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Ethiopia |
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Flag Description:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red
with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating
from the angles between the points on a light blue disk
centered on the three bands; Ethiopia is the oldest
independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of
her flag were so often adopted by other African countries
upon independence that they became known as the pan-African
colors
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National Emblem(Coat Of Arms)
Of |
Ethiopia |
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National Anthem
Of |
Ethiopia |
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Categories National Symbol Of |
Ethiopia |
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Background:
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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 two and a half year
border war with Eritrea ended with a peace treaty on 12
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 sensitive territory. |
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Location:
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Eastern
Africa, west of Somalia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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8 00 N,
38 00 E |
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Map references:
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Africa
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Area:
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total:
1,127,127 sq km
land: 1,119,683 sq km
water: 7,444 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
less than twice the size of Texas |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
5,328 km
border countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912
km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km
(landlocked) |
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Maritime claims:
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none
(landlocked) |
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Climate:
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tropical
monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation |
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Terrain:
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high
plateau with central mountain range divided by Great
Rift Valley |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Denakil Depression -125 m
highest point: Ras Dejen 4,620 m |
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Natural resources:
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small
reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas,
hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 10.71%
permanent crops: 0.75%
other: 88.54% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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1,900 sq
km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion;
desertification; water shortages in some areas from
water-intensive farming and poor management |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer
Protection
signed, but not ratified: Environmental
Modification, Law of the Sea |
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Geography - note:
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landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost
with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993;
the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water
volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest
Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to have
originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and
castor bean |
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Population:
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73,053,286
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 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 43.9% (male 16,082,504/female 15,999,602)
15-64 years: 53.4% (male 19,452,737/female
19,525,746)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 905,648/female
1,087,049) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
17.75 years
male: 17.64 years
female: 17.85 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.36%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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38.61
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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15.06
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0
migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: repatriation of Ethiopians who fled to
Sudan for refuge from war and famine in earlier years is
expected to continue for several years; some Sudanese
and Somali refugees, who fled to Ethiopia from the
fighting or famine in their own countries, continue to
return to their homes (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
95.32 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 105.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 85.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 48.83 years
male: 47.67 years
female: 50.03 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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5.33
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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4.4%
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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1.5
million (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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120,000
(2003 est.) |
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Major infectious diseases:
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degree
of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and
protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and
hepatitis E
vectorborne diseases: malaria and cutaneous
leishmaniasis are high risks in some locations
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2004)
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Nationality:
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noun:
Ethiopian(s)
adjective: Ethiopian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Oromo
40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%,
Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1% |
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Religions:
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Muslim
45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other
3%-8% |
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Languages:
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Amharic,
Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other
local languages, English (major foreign language taught
in schools) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 42.7%
male: 50.3%
female: 35.1% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic
of Ethiopia
conventional short form: Ethiopia
local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi
Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik
local short form: Ityop'iya
former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa
abbreviation: FDRE |
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Government type:
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federal
republic |
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Capital:
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Addis
Ababa |
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Administrative divisions:
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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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Independence:
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oldest
independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in
the world - at least 2,000 years |
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National holiday:
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National
Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991) |
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Constitution:
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ratified
December 1994, effective 22 August 1995 |
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Legal system:
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currently
transitional mix of national and regional courts |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8
October 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi
(since NA August 1995)
cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided for in
the December 1994 constitution; ministers are selected
by the prime minister and approved by the House of
People's Representatives
elections: president elected by the House of
People's Representatives for a six-year term; election
last held 8 October 2001 (next to be held October 2007);
prime minister designated by the party in power
following legislative elections
election results: GIRMA Woldegiorgis elected
president; percent of vote by the House of People's
Representatives - 100% |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral
Parliament consists of the House of Federation or upper
chamber (108 seats; members are chosen by state
assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of
People's Representatives or lower chamber (548 seats;
members are directly elected by popular vote from
single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 15 May 2005 (next to be held
NA 2010)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by
party - OPDO 177, ANDM 134, TPLF 38, WGGPDO 27, EPRDF
19, SPDO 18, GNDM 15, KSPDO 10, ANDP 8, GPRDF 7, SOPDM
7, BGPDUF 6, BMPDO 5, KAT 4, other regional political
groupings 22, independents 8; note - 43 seats
unconfirmed
note: irregularities and violence at some polling
stations necessitated the rescheduling of voting in
certain constituencies; voting postponed in Somali
regional state because of severe drought |
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Judicial branch:
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Federal
Supreme Court (the president and vice president of the
Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime
minister and appointed by the House of People's
Representatives; for other federal judges, the prime
minister submits to the House of People's
Representatives for appointment candidates selected by
the Federal Judicial Administrative Council) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Afar
National Democratic Party or ANDP [leader NA];
Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front or
BGPDUF [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for Unity and
Democracy or CUD [HAILU Shawil]; Ethiopian People's
Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi]
(an alliance of ANDM, OPDO, SEPDF, and TPLF); Gurage
Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM [leader NA];
United Ethopian Democratic Forces or UEDF [MERARA
Gudina]; dozens of small parties |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Afar
Revolutionary Democratic Union Front or ARDUF [leader
NA]; Council of Alternative Forces for Peace and
Democracy in Ethiopia or CAFPDE [BEYANE Petros];
Southern Ethiopia People's Democratic Coalition or SEPDC
[BEYANE Petros] |
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International organization participation:
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ACP,
AfDB, AU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador KASSAHUN Ayele
chancery: 3506 International Drive NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200
FAX: [1] (202) 686-9551
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Aurelia A. BRAZEAL
embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
telephone: [251] (1) 550666
FAX: [251] (1) 551328 |
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Flag description:
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three
equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red
with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating
from the angles between the points on a light blue disk
centered on the three bands; Ethiopia is the oldest
independent country in Africa, and the three main colors
of her flag were so often adopted by other African
countries upon independence that they became known as
the pan-African colors |
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Economy - overview:
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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. 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. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$54.89
billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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11.6%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $800 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 47%
industry: 12.4%
services: 40.6% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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NA (2001
est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture and animal husbandry 80%, industry and
construction 8%, government and services 12% (1985) |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA (2002)
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Population below poverty line:
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50% (2004
est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 3%
highest 10%: 33.7% (1995) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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40 (1995)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.4%
(2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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17.8% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $1.887 billion
expenditures: $2.388 billion, including capital
expenditures of $788 million (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cereals,
pulses, coffee, oilseed, sugarcane, potatoes, qat;
hides, cattle, sheep, goats |
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Industries:
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food
processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals
processing, cement |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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6.7%
(2001 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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2.149
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 1.3%
hydro: 97.6%
nuclear: 0%
other: 1.2% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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1.998
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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23,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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214,000
bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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12.46
billion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Current account balance:
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$-464.4
million (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$562.8
million f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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coffee,
qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds |
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Exports - partners:
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Djibouti
13.3%, Germany 10%, Japan 8.4%, Saudi Arabia 5.6%, US
5.2%, UAE 5%, Italy 4.6% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$2.104
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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food and
live animals, petroleum and petroleum products,
chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles
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Imports - partners:
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Saudi
Arabia 25.3%, US 15.8%, China 6.6% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$923.1
million (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$2.9
billion (2001 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$308
million (FY00/01) |
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Currency (code):
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birr
(ETB) |
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Currency code:
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ETB |
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Exchange rates:
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birr per
US dollar - 8.68 (2004), 8.5997 (2003), 8.5678 (2002),
8.4575 (2001), 8.2173 (2000)
note: since 24 October 2001 exchange rates are
determined on a daily basis via interbank transactions
regulated by the Central Bank |
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Fiscal year:
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8 July -
7 July |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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435,000
(2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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97,800
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: adequate for government use
domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio
communication in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; two
domestic satellites provide the national trunk service
international: country code - 251; open-wire to
Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and
Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1
Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 8, FM
0, shortwave 1 (2001) |
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Radios:
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15.2
million (2002) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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1 plus 24
repeaters (2002) |
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Televisions:
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682,000
(2002) |
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Internet country code:
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.et |
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Internet hosts:
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9 (2003)
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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1 (2002)
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Internet users:
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75,000
(2003) |
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Railways:
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total:
681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti
railroad)
narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and
Ethiopia (2004) |
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Highways:
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total:
33,297 km
paved: 3,996 km
unpaved: 29,301 km (2002) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Ethiopia
is landlocked and has used ports of Assab and Massawa in
Eritrea and port of Djibouti |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 81,933 GRT/101,287 DWT
by type: cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2 (2005) |
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Airports:
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83 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
14
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
69
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 27
under 914 m: 23 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Ethiopian
National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, Air Force
note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy;
following the secession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval
facilities remained in Eritrean possession (2003) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years
of age for compulsory and voluntary military service
(2001) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 14,568,277 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 8,072,755 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males:
803,777 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$337.1
million (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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4.6%
(2004) |
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Disputes - international:
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Eritrea
and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002
Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's (EEBC)
delimitation decision, but despite international
intervention, mutual animosities, accusations and armed
posturing prevail, preventing demarcation; Ethiopia
refuses to withdraw to the delimited boundary until
technical errors made by the EEBC that ignored "human
geography" are addressed, including the award of Badme,
the focus of the 1998-2000 war; Eritrea insists that the
EEBC decision be implemented immediately without
modifications; Ethiopia has only an administrative line
and no international border with the Oromo region of
southern Somalia where it maintains alliances with local
clans in opposition to the unrecognized Somali Interim
Government in Mogadishu; "Somaliland" secessionists
provide port facilities and trade ties to landlocked
Ethiopia; the UNHCR expects most of the remaining 23,000
Somali refugees in Ethiopia to be repatriated in 2005;
efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Sudan have
been delayed by civil war |
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Refugees and internally displaced persons:
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refugees (country of origin): 93,032 (Sudan) 23,578
(Somalia)
IDPs: 132,000 (border war with Eritrea from
1998-2000 and ethnic clashes in Gambela; most IDPs are
in Tigray and Gambela Provinces) (2004) |
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Illicit drugs:
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Transit
hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast
Asia and destined for Europe and North America as well
as cocaine destined for markets in southern Africa;
cultivates qat (khat) for local use and regional export,
principally to Djibouti and Somalia (legal in all three
countries); the lack of a well-developed financial
system limits the country's utility as a
money-laundering center |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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