Ethiopia
transitional government
Ethiopia as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 119 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Eastern Africa, between Somalia and Sudan
22 fieldstotal area
1,127,127 sq km
land area
1,119,683 sq km
comparative area
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
International disputes
southern half of the boundary with Somalia is a Provisional Administrative Line; territorial dispute with Somalia over the Ogaden
arable land
12%
permanent crops
1%
meadows and pastures
41%
forest and woodland
24%
other
22%
current issues
- deforestation;
- overgrazing;
- soil erosion;
- desertification;
- famine
natural hazards
geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
international agreements
party to - Endangered Species; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
Note
landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993
People
22 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1994 est.)
note
Ethiopian demographic data, except population and population growth rate, include Eritrea
total population
52.67 years
male
51 years
female
54.38 years (1994 est.)
noun
Ethiopian(s)
adjective
Ethiopian
Languages
Amharic (official), Tigrinya, Orominga, Guaraginga, Somali, Arabic, English (major foreign language taught in schools)
total population
24%
male
33%
female
16%
by occupation
agriculture and animal husbandry 80%, government and services 12%, industry and construction 8% (1985)
Government
Transitional government
33 fieldsconventional long form
none
conventional short form
Ethiopia
local long form
none
local short form
Ityop'iya
note
- on 28 May 1991 the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) toppled the authoritarian government of MENGISTU Haile-Mariam and took control in Addis Ababa;
- the Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TGE), announced a two-year transitional period
Administrative divisions
14 administrative regions (astedader akababiwach, singular - astedader akababi) Addis Ababa, Afar, Amhara, Benishangul, Gambela, Gurage-Hadiya-Kambata, Harer, Kefa, Omo, Oromo, Sidamo, Somali, Tigray, Wolayta
Independence
oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years
chief of state
- President MELES Zenawi (since 1 June 1991);
- election last held 10 September 1987;
- next election planned after new constitution drafted;
- results - MENGISTU Haile-Mariam elected by the now defunct National Assembly, but resigned and left Ethiopia on 21 May 1991
head of government
Prime Minister TAMIRAT Layne (since 6 June 1991)
cabinet
Council of Ministers; designated by the chairman of the Council of Representatives
Constituent Assembly
- elections were held on 5 June 1994 (next to be held NA);
- results - NA;
- a major task of the new Assembly will be to ratify the constitution to drafted by the end of 1994
Political parties and leaders
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), MELES Zenawi; Oromo People's Democratic Organization (OPDO), Kuma DEMEKSA
Other political or pressure groups
- Oromo Liberation Front (OLF);
- Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP);
- numerous small, ethnic-based groups have formed since Mengistu's resignation, including several Islamic militant groups
Member of
ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
chief of mission
Ambassador BERHANE Gebre-Christos
chancery
2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
chief of mission
Ambassador Marc A. BAAS
embassy
Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
mailing address
P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
Flag
- three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red;
- Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors
Economy
With the independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993, Ethiopia continues | to face difficult economic problems as one of the poorest and least | developed countries in Africa.
26 fieldsOverview
With the independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993, Ethiopia continues to face difficult economic problems as one of the poorest and least developed countries in Africa. (The accompanying analysis and figures predate the independence of Eritrea.) Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, which accounts for about 45% of GDP, 90% of exports, and 80% of total employment;
coffee generates 60% of export earnings. The manufacturing sector is heavily dependent on inputs from the agricultural sector. Over 90% of large-scale industry, but less than 10% of agriculture, is state run; the government is considering selling off a portion of state-owned plants.
Favorable agricultural weather largely explains the 4.5% growth in output in FY89, whereas drought and deteriorating internal security conditions prevented growth in FY90. In 1991 the lack of law and order, particularly in the south, interfered with economic development and growth. In 1992, because of some easing of civil strife and aid from the outside world, the economy substantially improved.
revenues
$NA
expenditures
$1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)
commodities
coffee, leather products, gold, petroleum products
partners
Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, France, Italy
commodities
capital goods, consumer goods, fuel
partners
US, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Japan
capacity
330,000 kW
production
650 million kWh
consumption per capita
10 kWh (1991)
Agriculture
- accounts for 47% of GDP and is the most important sector of the economy even though frequent droughts and poor cultivation practices keep farm output low;
- famines not uncommon;
- export crops of coffee and oilseeds grown partly on state farms;
- estimated 50% of agricultural production at subsistence level;
- principal crops and livestock - cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseeds, sugarcane, potatoes and other vegetables, hides and skins, cattle, sheep, goats
Illicit drugs
- transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and destined for Europe and North America as well as cocaine destined for southern African markets;
- cultivates qat (chat) for local use and regional export
recipient
- US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $504 million;
- Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.4 billion;
- OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $8 million;
- Communist countries (1970-89), $2 billion
Communications
12 fieldstotal
24,127 km
paved
3,289 km
unpaved
gravel 6,664 km; improved earth 1,652 km; unimproved earth 12,522 km (1993)
Merchant marine
12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 62,627 GRT/88,909 DWT, cargo 8, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 2, roll on/roll off cargo 1
total
120
usable
84
with permanent-surface runways
10
with runways over 3,659 m
1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m
15
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
83
Telecommunications
- open-wire and radio relay system adequate for government use;
- open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti;
- microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti;
- broadcast stations - 4 AM, no FM, 1 TV;
- 100,000 TV sets;
- 9,000,000 radios;
- satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT
Defense Forces
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)
4 fieldsManpower availability
- males age 15-49 13,229,078;
- fit for military service 6,867,582;
- reach military age (18) annually 596,691 (1994 est.)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Ethiopia.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/ethiopia/1994.