Geography.
Location:-- Eastern Africa, west of Somalia.
Geographic coordiantes:-- 8 00 N, 38 00 E.
Map refernces:-- Africa.
Area: total:-- 1,127,127 sq km land: 1,119,683 water:7,444 sq km.
Area -- Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas.
Land boundaries: total:-- 5,311km border countries:Djibouti 337 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 830 km, Somalia 1,626 km, Sudan 1,606 km.
Coastline:-- 0km. (land locked)
Climate:-- tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation.
Terrain:-- high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley.
Natural resources--reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas.
People
Population--58,390,351 (July 1998 est.)
Religions-- Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 3% - 8%
Age structure:
0-14 years: 46% (male 13,468,783; female 13,398,500)
15-64 years: 51% (male 15,095,357; female 14,812,537)
65 years and over: 3% (male 734,471; female 880,703) (July 1998 est.)
Economy
Agriculture—products-- cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, sugarcane, potatoes, other vegetables; hides, cattle, sheep, goats
Exports:
total value: $418 million (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: coffee, leather products, gold (1995)
partners: Germany 32%, Japan 14%, Djibouti 7%, Saudi Arabia 8%, Italy 8% (1994)
Exchange rates-- birr (Br) per US$1 (end of period)—6.9530 (February 1998), 6.8080 (September 1997), 6.4260 (1996), 6.3200 (1995), 5.9500 (1994), 5.0000 (fixed rate 1992-93)
note: since May 1993, the birr market rate has been determined in an interbank market supported by weekly wholesale auction; prior to that date, the official rate was pegged to US$1 = 5.000 birr
Fiscal year-- 8 July—7 July
Transportation
Railways-- 681km
Highways--28,500km
airports --86
Airports(with paved runways)--10
Other facts.
Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
conventional short form: Ethiopia
local long form: YeItyop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik
local short form: YeItyop'iya
abbreviation: FDRE
Data code: ET
Government type: federal republic
National capital: Addis Ababa
Independence-- oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years
National holiday--National Day, 28 May (1991) (defeat of Mengistu regime).