According to The Economist in its Democracy Index, Ethiopia is a "hybrid regime" situated between a "flawed democracy" and an "authoritarian regime".
It ranks out of countries with the larger number being less democratic. Cambodia ranks as more democratic at , and Burundi as less democratic at , than Ethiopia. The election of Ethiopia's member constituent assembly was held in June This assembly adopted the constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in December The elections for Ethiopia's first popularly-chosen national parliament and regional legislatures were held in May and June Most opposition parties chose to boycott these elections.
International and non-governmental observers concluded that opposition parties would have been able to participate had they chosen to do so. The current government of Ethiopia was installed in August The first President was Negasso Gidada.
Ethiopia today has nine semi-autonomous administrative regions that have the power to raise and spend their own revenues. Under the present government, some fundamental freedoms, including freedom of the press, are circumscribed. The government uses press laws governing libel to intimidate journalists who are critical of its policies. Zenawi's government was elected in in Ethiopia's first ever multiparty elections; however, the results were heavily criticized by international observers and denounced by the opposition as fraudulent.
Although the opposition vote increased in the election, both the opposition and observers from the European Union and elsewhere stated that the vote did not meet international standards for fair and free elections. The best known Ethiopian cuisine consists of various vegetable or meat side dishes and entrees, usually a wat, or thick stew, served atop injera, a large sourdough flatbread.
One does not eat with utensils, but instead uses injera to scoop up the entrees and side dishes. Tihlo prepared from roasted barley flour is very popular in Amhara, Agame, and Awlaelo Tigrai. Traditional Ethiopian cuisine employs no pork or shellfish of any kind, as they are forbidden in the Islamic, Jewish, and Ethiopian Orthodox Christian faiths. It is also very common to eat from the same big dish in the center of the table with a group of people. The Music of Ethiopia is extremely diverse, with each of the country's 80 ethnic groups being associated with unique sounds.
Ethiopian music uses a unique modal system that is pentatonic, with characteristically long intervals between some notes. Influences include ancient Christian elements and Muslim and folk music from elsewhere in the Horn of Africa, especially Sudan and Somalia.
The World Factbook Privacy Policy. Introduction Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of the Italian occupation during World War II.
Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front EPRDF. A constitution was adopted in , and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in A border war with Eritrea late in the 's ended with a peace treaty in December The Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission in November remotely demarcated the border by geographical coordinates, but final demarcation of the boundary on the ground is currently on hold due to Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender territory considered sensitive to Ethiopia.
History Early history Human settlement in Ethiopia dates back to ancient times. It is also home to a population that speaks more than 80 different languages. Ethiopia and Russia are the two countries in the world to have never been occupied.
The oldest fossil skeleton of a human was found in Ethiopia. It is over three million years old. They parents and children do not share their last name. In Ethiopia, it is considered impolite to refuse a cup of coffee. On your visit to Ethiopia, you can also experience the great taste of their homemade wine made from honey and a shrub — gesho. Coffee was accidentally discovered in Ethiopia when a goat herder found his flock running restlessly after eating the coffee plant.
The Great Rift Valley slices through Ethiopia from the upper-eastern portion of the nation to the south, and is the main physical element of Africa that is unmistakable from space. Aksum, in Ethiopia, is well known as a petitioner to the last resting place of Ark of the Covenant, the mid-section containing the 10 instructions God provided for Moses, and the standing pillar, which is 75 feet 23 m high.
Ethiopian distance runner Abebe Bikila won the gold medal in the Olympic Marathon in , running the race barefoot. He won the race again in Tokyo four years later, becoming the only individual to win the race twice, setting a world record. Changes in rainfall associated with world-wide weather patterns resulted in the worst drought in 30 years in , creating food insecurity for millions of Ethiopians. The state is heavily engaged in the economy. Ongoing infrastructure projects include power production and distribution, roads, rails, airports and industrial parks.
Key sectors are state-owned, including telecommunications, banking and insurance, and power distribution. Waste and recycling municipal solid waste generated annually: 6,, tons est.
Total water withdrawal municipal: million cubic meters est. Total renewable water resources billion cubic meters est. Government Country name 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 etymology: the country name derives from the Greek word "Aethiopia," which in classical times referred to lands south of Egypt in the Upper Nile region.
Government type federal parliamentary republic. Independence oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2, years may be traced to the Aksumite Kingdom, which coalesced in the first century B. Constitution history: several previous; latest drafted June , adopted 8 December , entered into force 21 August amendments: proposals submitted for discussion require two-thirds majority approval in either house of Parliament or majority approval of one-third of the State Councils; passage of amendments other than constitutional articles on fundamental rights and freedoms and the initiation and amendment of the constitution requires two-thirds majority vote in a joint session of Parliament and majority vote by two thirds of the State Councils; passage of amendments affecting rights and freedoms and amendment procedures requires two-thirds majority vote in each house of Parliament and majority vote by all the State Councils.
Legal system civil law system. International law organization participation has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt. Citizenship citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Ethiopia dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 4 years. Suffrage 18 years of age; universal. Judicial branch highest courts: Federal Supreme Court consists of 11 judges ; note - the House of Federation has jurisdiction for all constitutional issues judge selection and term of office: president and vice president of Federal Supreme Court recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; other Supreme Court judges nominated by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council a member body chaired by the president of the Federal Supreme Court and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; judges serve until retirement at age 60 subordinate courts: federal high courts and federal courts of first instance; state court systems mirror structure of federal system ; sharia courts and customary and traditional courts.
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; green represents hope and the fertility of the land, yellow symbolizes justice and harmony, while red stands for sacrifice and heroism in the defense of the land; the blue of the disk symbolizes peace and the pentagram represents the unity and equality of the nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia note: Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag adopted ca.
National symbol s Abyssinian lion traditional , yellow pentagram with five rays of light on a blue field promoted by current government ; national colors: green, yellow, red. Economy Economic overview Ethiopia - the second most populous country in Africa - is a one-party state with a planned economy.
Real GDP growth rate Inflation rate consumer prices GDP - composition, by sector of origin agriculture: GDP - composition, by end use household consumption: Industries food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, garments, chemicals, metals processing, cement. Industrial production growth rate Labor force Labor force - by occupation agriculture: Unemployment rate Population below poverty line Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 35 est. Budget revenues: Public debt Taxes and other revenues Fiscal year 8 July - 7 July.
Exports - commodities coffee, sesame seeds, gold, cut flowers, zinc Imports - commodities aircraft, gas turbines, packaged medicines, electric filament, cars Electricity - production Electricity - consumption 9. Electricity - exports million kWh est. Electricity - imports 0 kWh est. Electricity - installed generating capacity 2. Crude oil - proved reserves , bbl 1 January est. Natural gas - production 0 cu m est.