Ethiopia History

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Ethiopia

History

History

Ethiopian (disambiguation). This article contains several patronymic names rather than family names. These persons are addressed by their given name, and not by their inherited name. Coordinates: 8°N 38°E

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia የኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራላዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ yeʾĪtiyoṗṗya Fēdēralawī Dēmokirasīyawī Rīpebilīk Flag of Ethiopia Flag {{{coat_alt}}} Emblem Anthem: ወደፊት ገስግሺ፣ ውድ እናት ኢትዮጵያ March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia MENU0:00 Location of Ethiopia Capital and largest city Addis Ababa 9°1′N 38°45′E Official languages Amharic (federal)[1] Working languages Federation member languages Regional languages Afar Amharic Harari Oromo Tigrinya Sidamo Somali Wolaytta Religion Christianity (62.8%) Islam (33.9%) Traditional faiths (2.6%) others (0.6%)[2] Demonym Ethiopian Abyssinian (historical) Government Federal dominant-party parliamentary republic • President Sahle-Work Zewde • Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali Legislature Federal Parliamentary Assembly • Upper house House of Federation • Lower house House of Peoples' Representatives Formation • Dʿmt c. 980 BC • Kingdom of Aksum c. 100 AD • Zagwe Dynasty 900 • Ethiopian Empire 1137 • Derg 1974 • People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia 1987 • Current constitution August 1995 Area • Total 1,104,300 km2 (426,400 sq mi) (26th) • Water (%) 0.7 Population • 2016 estimate 102,403,196[3] (12th) • 2007 census 73,750,932[4] • Density 92.7/km2 (240.1/sq mi) (123rd) GDP (PPP) 2018 estimate • Total $222.258 billion[5] • Per capita $2,360[5] GDP (nominal) 2018 estimate • Total $85.664 billion[5] • Per capita $910[5] Gini (2011) Negative increase 33.6[6] medium HDI (2017) Increase 0.463[7] low · 173rd Currency Birr (ETB) Time zone UTC+3 (EAT) Driving side right Calling code +251 ISO 3166 code ET Internet TLD .et

Ethiopia has over 102 million inhabitants,and is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the second-most populous nation on the African continent. It occupies a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometres (420,000 sq mi), and its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa.[8]

Some of the oldest skeletal evidence for anatomically modern humans has been found in Ethiopia.[9] It is widely considered as the region from which modern humans first set out for the Middle East and places beyond.[10][11][12] According to linguists, the first Afroasiatic-speaking populations settled in the Horn region during the ensuing Neolithic era.[13] Tracing its roots to the 2nd millennium BC, Ethiopia's governmental system was a monarchy for most of its history. In the first centuries AD, the Kingdom of Aksum maintained a unified civilization in the region,[14][15][16][17] followed by the Ethiopian Empire circa 1137. During the late 19th-century Scramble for Africa, Ethiopia was one of two nations to retain its sovereignty from long-term colonialism by a European colonial power. Many newly-independent nations on the continent subsequently adopted its flag colours. The country was occupied by Italy in 1936 and became Italian Ethiopia (part of the Italian East Africa) until 1941. Ethiopia was also the first independent member from Africa of the 20th-century League of Nations and the United Nations.[18] In 1974, the Ethiopian monarchy under Haile Selassie was overthrown by the Derg, a communist military government backed by the Soviet Union. In 1987, the Derg established the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, but it was overthrown in 1991 by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, which has been the ruling political coalition since.

Ethiopia and Eritrea use the ancient Ge'ez script, which is one of the oldest alphabets still in use in the world.[19] The Ethiopian calendar, which is approximately seven years and three months behind the Gregorian calendar, co-exists alongside the Borana calendar. A majority of the population adheres to Christianity (mainly the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and P'ent'ay), whereas around a third follows Islam (primarily Sunni). The country is the site of the Migration to Abyssinia and the oldest Muslim settlement in Africa at Negash. A substantial population of Ethiopian Jews, known as Bete Israel, also resided in Ethiopia until the 1980s.[20][21] Ethiopia is a multilingual nation with around 80 ethnolinguistic groups, the four largest of which are the Oromo, Amhara, Somali and Tigrayans. Most people in the country speak Afroasiatic languages of the Cushitic or Semitic branches. Additionally, Omotic languages are spoken by ethnic minority groups inhabiting the southern regions. Nilo-Saharan languages are also spoken by the nation's Nilotic ethnic minorities.

The nation is a land of natural contrasts, with its vast fertile west, its forests, and numerous rivers, and the world's hottest settlement of Dallol in its north. The Ethiopian Highlands are the largest continuous mountain ranges in Africa, and the Sof Omar Caves contains the largest cave on the continent. Ethiopia also has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa.[22] Additionally, the sovereign state is a founding members of the UN, the Group of 24 (G-24), the Non-Aligned Movement, G-77 and the Organisation of African Unity. Its capital city Addis Ababa serves as the headquarters of the African Union, the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Standby Force, and many of the global NGOs focused on Africa. In the 1970s and 1980s, Ethiopia experienced civil conflicts and communist purges, which hindered its economy. The country has since recovered and now has the largest economy (by GDP) in East Africa, having the largest population in the region.[23][24][25]

Links

• Every Culture Culture of Ethiopia
• Columbia Ethiopian History and Politics