{{redirect|Abyssinia}}

{{otheruses}}

|native_name = {{nobold|የኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራላዊ <br/> ዲሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ}}<br/>''{{Unicode|ye-Ītyōṗṗyā Fēdēralāwī Dīmōkrāsīyāwī Rīpeblīk}}''

|conventional_long_name = Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

|national_motto = <!-- ETHIOPIA HAS NO NATIONAL MOTTO -->

|national_anthem = <span style="line-height:1.33em;">''[[Wodefit Gesgeshi, Widd Innat Ityopp'ya]]''<br/><small>"March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia"</small></span>

|official_languages = [[Amharic language|Amharic]]

|latd=9 |latm=01 |latNS=N |longd=38 |longm=44 |longEW=E

|government_type = [[Federal republic]]¹

|leader_name1 = [[Girma Wolde-Giorgis]]

|sovereignty_type = [[History of Ethiopia|Establishment]]

|sovereignty_note = [[10th Century BC]]

|established_event3 = [[Kingdom of Aksum]]

|areami² = 426,371 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->

|population_estimate = 75,067,000 <!--http://www.csa.gov.et/text_files/2005_national_statistics.htm-->

|population_census_year = 1994

|population_densitymi² = 181<!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->

|GDP_PPP = $69.099 billion

|HDI_rank = 170th

|HDI_category = <font style="color:#e0584e">low</font>

|calling_code = 251

|Gini_category = <font color="#ffcc00">medium</font>

|footnote1 = Ethiopia is a democracy, but has a [[dominant-party system]] led by the [[Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front]].

|footnote2 = Rank based on 2005 population estimate by the United Nations.

}}<!--

NOTE: This intro is the result of careful NPOV work. Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page. Thank you.

'''Ethiopia''' ([[Ge'ez alphabet|Ge'ez]]: ኢትዮጵያ ''{{Unicode|ʾĪtyōṗṗyā}}''), officially the '''Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia''', is a country situated in the [[Horn of Africa]] that has been [[Landlocked country|landlocked]] since the independence of its northern neighbor [[Eritrea]] in 1993. Apart from Eritrea to the north, Ethiopia is bordered by [[Sudan]] to the west, [[Kenya]] to the south, [[Djibouti]] to the northeast, and [[Somalia]] to the east.

Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in the world and the second-most populous nation in Africa. It has yielded some of the oldest traces of humanity, making it important in [[human evolution]]. Ethiopia is the only African country that has never been colonized, since the [[Liberia]]n state, though continuously independent, was founded by African-American colonists, and since a [[Second Italo-Abyssinian War|five-year military occupation]] of Ethiopia during WWII by [[fascist]] Italy (1936-1941) was a failure.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kissinger |first=Henry |authorlink=Henry Kissinger |title=Diplomacy |publisher=Simon & Schuster |date=1994 |location=New York |pages=300 |id=isbn 978-0671659912}}</ref> Having converted during the [[4th century|fourth century&nbsp;AD]], it is also the second-oldest officially [[Christianity|Christian]] nation.<ref>http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/africa/july-dec03/ethiopia_7-3.html</ref>

Historically a relatively isolated mountain empire, Ethiopia has more recently become a crossroads of global [[International organization|international cooperation]]. It became a member of the [[League of Nations]] in [[1923]]; signed the [[Declaration by United Nations]] in [[1942]]; was one of the fifty-one original members of the [[United Nations]] (UN); founded the UN headquarters in Africa; and currently hosts the headquarters of the [[African Union]] ( formerly the [[Organisation of African Unity]]) of which it was the principal founder.

The [[Ge'ez alphabet|Ge'ez]] name ''{{Unicode|ʾĪtyōṗṗyā}}'', and its English cognate '''Ethiopia''', is thought by some to be derived from the Greek word {{polytonic|Αἰθιοπία}} ''Aithiopia,'' from {{polytonic|Αἰθίοψ}} ''Aithiops'' ‘an Ethiopian’, derived from Greek terms meaning "of burnt ([[aether|αιθ-]]) visage ({{polytonic|ὄψ}})".<ref>Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'' (s. v.); ''Αιθιοπηες'' [[Iliad|Il.]] 1.423, properly, ''Burnt-face'', i.e. ''Ethiopian, negro''</ref> However, this etymology is disputed, since the [[Book of Aksum]], a [[Ge'ez language|Ge'ez]] chronicle first composed in the 15th century, states that the name is derived from "'[[Ityopp'is]]", a son (unmentioned in the Bible) of [[Biblical Cush|Cush, son of Ham]] who according to [[legend]] founded the city of [[Axum]]. It is not certain how old the name ''Ethiopia'' is, but its earliest attested use in the region was as a Christianized name for the [[Kingdom of Aksum]] in the 4th century, in stone inscriptions of [[Ezana of Axum|King Ezana]].<ref>Munro Hay 1991</ref>

In English, Ethiopia was also [[Geographical renaming|historically known as]] '''Abyssinia''', derived from the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] form of the [[Ethiopian Semitic languages|Ethiosemitic]] name "ḤBŚT," modern ''[[Habesha]]''. In some countries, Ethiopia is still called by names cognate with "Abyssinia," e.g. Turkish ''Habesistan'' and Arabic ''Al Habesh'', meaning land of the Habesha people. The term [[Habesha]] strictly refers to only the Semitic-speaking peoples of Ethiopia (predominantly the [[Amhara people|Amhara]] and [[Tigray-Tigrinya people]] who have historically dominated the country politically and which combined comprise about 36% of Ethiopia's population). However, in contemporary Ethiopian politics the word Habesha is often used to describe all Ethiopans.

Abyssinia can strictly refer to just the North-Western Ethiopian provinces of [[Amhara Region|Amhara]] and [[Tigray Region|Tigray]] as well as central and [[Eritrea]], while it was historically used as another name for Ethiopia.<ref>http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Abyssinia</ref>

The Hebrew word for Ethiopia as mentioned in the [[Bible]] is [[Cush]], the father of [[Ityopp'is]], making reference to the indigenous Cushitic-speaking peoples of the region.

{{main|History of Ethiopia}}<!-- Please discuss changes to the D`mt part and Sabaeans on the talk page before changing, the "not well-supported by some today" part for Sabaeans is supported by, e.g. the fact that royal inscriptions of D`mt were not in the Sabaean language, but instead in Proto-Ge'ez-->

Human settlement in Ethiopia is very ancient. Fossilized remains of the earliest ancestors to the human species, discovered in Ethiopia, have been assigned dates as long ago as 5.9 million years.<ref>"Earliest Human Ancestors Discovered In Ethiopia; Discovery Of Bones And Teeth Date Fossils Back More Than 5.2 Million Years" ScienceDaily.com article references a report in the July 12, 2001 issue of Nature</ref> Together with [[Eritrea]] and the southeastern part of the [[Red Sea]] coast of Sudan, it is considered the most likely location of the land known to the [[ancient Egyptians]] as [[Land of Punt|''Punt'']] (or "Ta Netjeru," meaning land of the Gods), whose first mention dates to the twenty-fifth century BC.

[[Image:Yeha Tigray Ethiopia.jpg|180px|left|thumb|The ruin of the temple at [[Yeha]] dates to the 7th or 8th century BC.]]

Around the eighth century BC, a kingdom known as [[Dʿmt]] was established in northern Ethiopia and Eritrea, with its capital at [[Yeha]] in northern Ethiopia. Most modern historians consider this civilization to be indigenous, although [[Sabaean]]-influenced due to the latter's hegemony of the [[Red Sea]],<ref>Stuart Munro-Hay, ''Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity''. Edinburgh: University Press, 1991, pp.57. </ref> while others view D`mt as the result of a mixture of "culturally superior" Sabaeans and indigenous peoples.<ref>Taddesse Tamrat, ''Church and State in Ethiopia: 1270–1527'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1972), pp. 5–13.</ref> However, [[Ge'ez language|Ge'ez]], the ancient Semitic language of Ethiopia, is now known to not have derived from [[Sabaean language|Sabaean]], and there is evidence of a Semitic speaking presence in Ethiopia and Eritrea at least as early as [[2000 BC]].<ref>''ibid''.</ref><ref>Herausgegeben von Uhlig, Siegbert. ''Encyclopaedia Aethiopica'', "Ge'ez". Wiesbaden:Harrassowitz Verlag, 2005, pp. 732.</ref> Sabaean influence is now thought to have been minor, limited to a few localities, and disappearing after a few decades or a century, perhaps representing a trading or military colony in some sort of symbiosis or military alliance with the Ethiopian civilization of [[D`mt]] or some other proto-Aksumite state.<ref>Munro-Hay, ''Aksum'', pp. 57.</ref>

After the fall of D`mt in the fifth century BC, the plateau came to be dominated by smaller successor kingdoms, until the rise of one of these kingdoms during the [[1st century BCE|first century BC]], the [[Kingdom of Aksum|Aksumite Kingdom]], ancestor of medieval and modern Ethiopia, which was able to reunite the area.<ref>Pankhurst, Richard K.P. ''Addis Tribune'', "[http://www.addistribune.com/Archives/2003/01/17-01-03/Let.htm Let's Look Across the Red Sea I]", January 17, 2003.</ref> They established bases on the northern highlands of the [[Ethiopian Highlands|Ethiopian Plateau]] and from there expanded southward. The Persian religious figure [[Mani (prophet)|Mani]] listed [[Kingdom of Aksum|Axum]] with [[Rome]], [[Persian Empire|Persia]], and [[China]] as one of the four great powers of his time.<ref>Stuart Munro-Hay, ''Aksum: A Civilization of Late Antiquity'' (Edinburgh: University Press, 1991), pp. 13.</ref>

In 316 [[Common Era|AD]], a Christian philosopher from Tyre, [[Meropius]], embarked on a voyage of exploration along the coast of Africa. He was accompanied by, among others, two Syro-[[Greece|Greeks]], [[Frumentius]] and his brother [[Aedesius]]. The vessel was stranded on the coast, and the natives killed all the travelers except the two brothers, who were taken to the court and given positions of trust by the monarch. They both practiced the [[Christianity|Christian faith]] in private, and soon converted the queen and several other members of the royal court. Upon the king's death, Frumentius was appointed regent of the realm by the queen, and instructor of her young son, Prince [[Ezana]]. A few years later, upon Ezana's coming of age, Aedesius and Frumentius left the kingdom, the former returning to Tyre where he was ordained, and the latter journeying to [[Alexandria]]. Here, he consulted [[Athanasius]], who ordained him and appointed him Bishop of Axum. He returned to the court and baptized the King Ezana, together with many of his subjects, and in short order Christianity was proclaimed the official state religion again.<ref>Taddesse, ''Church and State'', pp. 22–3.</ref> For this accomplishment, he received the title "''Abba Selama''" ("Father of peace").

At various times, including a fifty-year period in the sixth century, Axum controlled most of modern-day [[Yemen]] and some of southern [[Saudi Arabia]] just across the [[Red Sea]], as well as controlling southern Egypt, northern Sudan, northern Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and northern Somalia.<ref>Munro-Hay, ''Aksum'', pp. 36</ref>

[[Image:Bete Giyorgis Lalibela Ethiopia.jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[Bete Giyorgis]] from above, one of the rock-hewn churches of [[Lalibela]].]]

The line of rulers descended from the Axumite kings was broken several times: first by the Jewish (unknown/or pagan) [[Gudit|Queen Gudit]] around 950<ref>Taddesse, ''Church and State'', pp. 38-41.</ref> (or possibly around [[850s|850]], as in Ethiopian histories).<ref>Tekeste Negash, {{PDFlink|[http://www.arkeologi.uu.se/afr/projects/BOOK/negash.pdf "The Zagwe period re-interpreted: post-Aksumite Ethiopian urban culture."]|51.4&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 52670 bytes -->}}</ref> It was then interrupted by the [[Zagwe dynasty]]; it was during this dynasty that the famous rock-hewn churches of [[Lalibela]] were carved under [[Gebre Mesqel Lalibela|King Lalibela]], allowed by a long period of peace and stability.<ref>Tekeste, "Zagwe period-reinterpreted."</ref> Around 1270, the [[Solomonic dynasty]] came to control Ethiopia, claiming descent from the kings of Axum. They called themselves ''Neguse Negest'' ("King of Kings," or [[Emperor of Ethiopia|Emperor]]), basing their claims on their direct descent from [[Solomon]] and the queen of [[Sheba]].<ref>Taddesse, ''Church and State'', pp. 64–8.</ref>

During the reign of Emperor [[Yeshaq I of Ethiopia|Yeshaq]], Ethiopia made its first successful diplomatic contact with a European country since Aksumite times, sending two emissaries to [[Alfons V of Aragon]], who sent return emissaries that failed to complete the trip to Ethiopia.<ref>Girma Beshah and Merid Wolde Aregay, ''The Question of the Union of the Churches in Luso-Ethiopian Relations (1500–1632)'' (Lisbon: Junta de Investigações do Ultramar and Centro de Estudos Históricos Ultramarinos, 1964), pp. 13–4.</ref> The first continuous relations with a European country began in 1508 with [[Portugal]] under Emperor [[Dawit II of Ethiopia|Lebna Dengel]], who had just inherited the throne from his father.<ref>Girma and Merid, ''Question of the Union of the Churches'', pp. 25.</ref>

[[Image:Gonder.jpg|right|thumb|250px|[[Fasilides of Ethiopia|King Fasilides' Castle]].]]

This proved to be an important development, for when the Empire was subjected to the attacks of the [[Adal]] [[General]] and [[Imam]], [[Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi]] (called "''Grañ''", or "the Left-handed"), Portugal responded to Lebna Dengel's plea for help with an army of four hundred men, who helped his son [[Gelawdewos of Ethiopia|Gelawdewos]] defeat Ahmad and re-establish his rule.<ref>Girma and Merid, ''Question of the Union of the Churches'', pp. 45–52.</ref> However, when Emperor [[Susenyos of Ethiopia|Susenyos]] converted to [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]] in 1624, years of revolt and civil unrest followed resulting in thousands of deaths.<ref>Girma and Merid, ''Question of the Union of the Churches'', pp. 91, 97–104.</ref> The [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] missionaries had offended the Orthodox faith of the local Ethiopians, and on [[June 25]] [[1632]] Susenyos' son, Emperor [[Fasilides of Ethiopia|Fasilides]], declared the state religion to again be [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity]], and expelled the Jesuit missionaries and other Europeans.<ref>Girma and Merid, ''Question of the Union of the Churches,'' p. 105.</ref><ref>van Donzel, Emeri, "Fasilädäs" in Siegbert von Uhlig, ed., ''Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: D-Ha'' (Wiesbaden:Harrassowitz Verlag, 2005), p. 500.</ref>

All of this contributed to Ethiopia's isolation from 1755 to 1855, called the ''[[Zemene Mesafint]]'' or "Age of Princes." The Emperors became figureheads, controlled by warlords like Ras [[Mikael Sehul]] of [[Tigray Province|Tigray]], and later by the [[Oromo]] [[Yejju dynasty]].<ref>Pankhurst, Richard, ''The Ethiopian Royal Chronicles'', (London:Oxford University Press, 1967), pp. 139–43.</ref> Ethiopian isolationism ended following a British mission that concluded an alliance between the two nations; however, it was not until the reign of Emperor [[Tewodros II of Ethiopia|Tewodros II]], who began modernizing Ethiopia and recentralizing power in the Emperor, that Ethiopia began to take part in world affairs once again.

[[Image:Yohannesson.jpg|thumb|150px|left|[[Yohannes IV]], Emperor of Ethiopia and King of Zion, with his son, Ras Araya Selassie Yohannis.]]

===Escaping the scramble for Africa===

The 1880s were marked by the [[Scramble for Africa]] and modernization in Ethiopia, when the [[Italy|Italian]]s began to vie with the British for influence in bordering regions. [[Asseb]], a port near the southern entrance of the Red Sea, was bought in March 1870 from the local [[Afar people|Afar]] sultan, vassal to the Ethiopian Emperor, by an Italian company, which by 1890 led to the Italian colony of [[Eritrea]]. Conflicts between the two countries resulted in the [[Battle of Adowa]] in 1896 , whereby the Ethiopians surprised the world by defeating the colonial power and remaining independent, under the rule of [[Menelik II]]. Italy and Ethiopia signed a [[provisional treaty]] of peace on [[October 26]] [[1896]].

The early twentieth century was marked by the reign of Emperor [[Haile Selassie of Ethiopia|Haile Selassie I]], who undertook the rapid modernization of Ethiopia &mdash; interrupted only by the brief [[Second Italo-Abyssinian War|Italian occupation]] ([[1936]]&ndash;[[1941]]).<ref>Clapham, Christopher, "Ḫaylä Śəllase" in Siegbert von Uhlig, ed., ''Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: D-Ha'' (Wiesbaden:Harrassowitz Verlag, 2005), pp. 1062–3.</ref> [[British Empire]] forces together with patriot Ethiopian fighters liberated Ethiopia in the course of the [[East African Campaign (World War II)]] in 1941, which was followed by [[sovereignty]] on [[January 31]], [[1941]] and British recognition of full sovereignty (i.e. without any special British privileges) with the signing of the [[Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement]] in December 1944.<ref>Clapham, "Ḫaylä Śəllase", ''Encyclopaedia Aethiopica'', p. 1063.</ref>

Haile Sellassie came to power after Menelik. Although Selassie was seen as a national and African hero, opinion turned against him as nobility filled their pockets while millions of landless peasants went hungry.

In 1974 students, workers, peasants and the army rose against him.<ref>[http://www.aemfiethiopia.org/history.htm 1974 revolution]</ref> Haile Selassie's reign came to an end in 1974 , mostly due to economic hardship, when a pro-[[Soviet]] [[Marxism-Leninism|Marxist-Leninist]] military [[military junta|junta]], the "[[Derg]]" led by [[Mengistu Haile Mariam]], deposed him and established a one-party [[communist state]]. [[Haile Selassie]] was imprisoned and probably tortured to death by the [[military junta|junta]], who demanded that he turn over Ethiopia's 25-million-dollar deposits in Switzerland to the [[military junta|junta]].

The ensuing regime suffered several [[coup d'etat|coups]], uprisings, wide-scale [[drought]], and a massive [[refugee]] problem. In 1977, [[Somalia]] attacked Ethiopia, sparking the [[Ogaden War]], but Ethiopia quickly defeated them with a massive influx of Soviet military hardware and a Cuban military presence coupled with East Germany and South Yemen the following year. Mengistu was residing in Zimbabwe at the time, despite attempts by Ethiopia to extradite him to face trial by the present Ethiopian government. 106 officials were accused, but only 36 of them were present in the court. Several former members of the Derg have been sentenced to death in absentia. The trial began in 1994 and ended in 2006. [[Mengistu Haile Mariam]] was tried in absentia and convicted for crimes (genocide) committed by his Marxist government from 1974 to 1991, the period called “Red Terror". There is no extradition treaty between Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.

The efforts by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party to discredit and undermine the Derg and its MEISON collaborators escalated in the fall of 1976. It targeted public buildings and other symbols of state authority for bombings and assassinated numerous Abyot Seded and MEISON members, as well as public officials at all levels. The Derg, which countered with its own Red Terror campaign, labeled the EPRP's tactics the White Terror. [[Mengistu Haile Mariam|Mengistu]] asserted that all "progressives" were given "freedom of action" in helping root out the revolution's enemies, and his wrath was particularly directed toward the EPRP. Peasants, workers, public officials, and even students thought to be loyal to the Mengistu regime were provided with arms to accomplish this task.

Mengistu's decision resulted in fraticidal chaos. Many civilians he armed were EPRP sympathizers rather than supporters of MEISON or the Derg. Between early 1977 and late 78, roughly 5,000 people were killed. In the process, the Derg became estranged from civilian groups, including MEISON. By early 1979, Abyot Seded stood alone as the only officially recognized political organization; the others were branded enemies of the revolution. Growing human rights violations prompted the United States to counsel moderation. However, the Derg continued to use extreme measures against its real and perceived opponents to ensure its survival. From 1975 to 78, some experts say 150,000 university students, intellectuals and politicians were killed in a nationwide purge by Mengistu's Marxist regime.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/27/africa/AF-GEN-Ethiopia-Dergue.php Up to 150,000 politicians, students killed during Red terror]</ref><ref>[http://www.townhall.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?contentGUID=88093295-6a28-48a6-8a62-3f66d5d096ad Experts say up to 150,000 Ethiopians killed by the Derg during red terror]</ref> Together with what most Ethiopians & rights groups claim was a systematic counter-insurgency crime of holding millions of northern Ethiopians in famine, which prompted the famous [[Live Aid]], [[Mengistu HaileMariam]] is alleged to be responsible for the 7th worst genocide in world history. Around 1,500,000 Ethiopians were claimed to be the victims of the Derg genocide.<ref>[http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/dictat.html 1,500,000 Ethiopians killed in the Derg genocide].</ref>

In addition to the urban guerrilla warfare being waged by the EPRP, nationalist movements such as the EPLF, the OLF, the TPLF/EPRDF, and the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF) also stepped up their military campaigns in the countryside to help the overthrowment of Mengistu's regime. In 2006, after a long trial, Mengistu was found guilty of genocide. <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6171429.stm Mengistu found guilty of genocide]</ref>

{{POV section}}

In 1993 a referendum was held & supervised by the UN mission UNOVER, with universal suffrage and conducted both in and outside Eritrea (among Eritrean communities in the diaspora), on whether Eritreans wanted independence or unity with Ethiopia. Over 99% of the Eritrean people voted for independence which was declared on May 24 1993. In 1994, a constitution was adopted that led to Ethiopia's first multi-party elections in the following year. In May 1998, a border dispute with Eritrea led to the [[Eritrean-Ethiopian War]] that lasted until June 2000. This has hurt the nation's economy, but strengthened the ruling coalition. On [[May 15]], [[2005]], Ethiopia held [[Ethiopian general elections, 2005|another multiparty election]], which was a highly disputed one with some opposition groups claiming fraud. While the American observer [[Carter Center]] concluded it was a "fair and free" election, the 2005 [[EU]] election observers continued to accuse the ruling party of vote rigging. Many from the international community are divided about the issue with Irish officials accusing the 2005 EU election observers of corruption for the "inaccurate leaks from the 2005 EU election monitoring body which led the opposition to wrongly believe they had been cheated of victory."<ref>[http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2006/0214/breaking75.htm Corruption in EU monitoring group sited]</ref> In general, the opposition parties gained more than 200 parliament seats compared to the just 12 in the 2000 elections. Despite most opposition representatives joining the parliament, some leaders of the CUD party are in jail following the post-election violence. Amnesty International considers them "[[Prisoner of conscience|prisoners of conscience]]".

{{main|Politics of Ethiopia}}<!--Please add new information into relevant articles of the series-->

{{seealso|Rulers and Heads of State of Ethiopia}}

<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:Meles_Zenawi.jpg|thumb|150px|Prime Minister [[Meles Zenawi]]]] -->

'''Politics of Ethiopia''' takes place in a framework of a [[federation|federal]] [[parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[republic]], whereby the [[Prime Minister of Ethiopia|Prime Minister]] is the [[head of government]]. [[Executive power]] is exercised by the government. Federal [[legislative power]] is vested in both the [[government]] and the two chambers of parliament. The [[Judiciary]] is more or less independent of the executive and the legislature.

The election of Ethiopia's 547-member constituent assembly was held in June 1994. This assembly adopted the constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in December 1994. The elections for Ethiopia's first popularly-chosen national parliament and regional legislatures were held in May and June 1995 . Most opposition parties chose to boycott these elections. There was a landslide victory for the [[Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front]] (EPRDF). International and non-governmental observers concluded that opposition parties would have been able to participate had they chosen to do so.

The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia was installed in August 1995. The first President was [[Negasso Gidada]]. The EPRDF-led government of Prime Minister [[Meles Zenawi]] has promoted a policy of ethnic federalism, devolving significant powers to regional, ethnically-based authorities. 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, in practice, somewhat circumscribed.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Citizens have access to one television station, which is owned and operated by the government [28].

Zenawi's government was elected in 2000 in Ethiopia's first ever multi-party elections. Meles's party was re-elected in a highly contested 2005 elections and the incumbent President is [[Girma Wolde-Giorgis]].

{{main|Monarchies of Ethiopia}}

The Crown Council of Ethiopia is the [[constitution]]al body which advises the reigning Emperors of Ethiopia, acts on behalf of the Crown and the council’s members are appointed by the Emperor.

The Ethiopian monarchy currently has no power in the Ethiopian government, but Ethiopian royalists continue to operate the Crown Council. On March 16, [[2005]], Prince [[Ermias Sahle Selassie]] was reconfirmed by Crown Prince [[Zera Yacob Amha Selassie of Ethiopia|Zera Yacob Amha Selassie]] as President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia. [[Zera Yacob Amha Selassie of Ethiopia|Zera Yacob Amha Selassie]] is considered [[Line of succession to the Ethiopian Throne|Emperor in Exile of Ethiopia]].<ref name = "Council">{{PDFlink|[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f3/CrownCouncil.pdf The Crown Council].|108&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 110767 bytes -->}}</ref>

The Ethiopian constitution of 1995 confirmed the abolition of the Emperorship. However, in 1993 a group called the "Crown Council of Ethiopia", which includes several descendants of Haile Selassie, claimed that the nəgusä nägäst was still in existence, and was the legal head of Ethiopia."

On [[October 18]] [[2006]] an independent report said Ethiopian police massacred 193 protesters, mostly in the capital [[Addis Ababa]], in the violence of June and November following the May 2005 elections. The information was leaked before the official independent report was handed to the parliament. The leak made by Ethiopian judge Wolde-Michael Meshesha found that the government had concealed the true extent of deaths at the hands of the police.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6064638.stm]</ref> This leak also brought more accusations that the opposition party which provoked the riots was trying to damage the reputation of the government by leaking the inquiry unlawfully. Gemechu Megerssa, a member of the independent Inquiry commission, which Mr. Meshesha once worked with, said Mr. Meshesha taking the report "out of context and presenting it to the public to sensationalise the situation for his political end is highly unethical."<ref>[http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=L07807962&WTmodLoc=World-R5-Alertnet-2 Post-election violence inquiry commission]</ref> The incident is just one of many examples of human rights violations in Ethiopia in recent times.<ref>[http://web.amnesty.org/library/eng-eth/index]</ref>

[[Image:Ethiopia Map.jpg|left|thumb|220px|Map of Ethiopia.]]

At 435,071&nbsp;[[square mile]]s (1,127,127&nbsp;[[square kilometre|km²]] [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html]), Ethiopia is the world's 27th-largest country (after [[Colombia]]). It is comparable in size to [[Bolivia]], and is about two-thirds as large as the US state of [[Alaska]].

The major portion of Ethiopia lies on the [[Horn of Africa]], which is the eastern-most part of the African landmass. Bordering Ethiopia is [[Sudan]] to the west, [[Djibouti]] and [[Eritrea]] to the north, [[Somalia]] to the east, and [[Kenya]] to the south. Within Ethiopia is a massive highland complex of mountains and dissected plateaus divided by the [[Great Rift Valley]], which runs generally southwest to northeast and is surrounded by lowlands, [[steppe]]s, or semi-desert. The great diversity of [[terrain]] determines wide variations in climate, soils, natural vegetation, and settlement patterns.

Elevation and geographic location produce three climatic zones: the cool zone above 2,400&nbsp;[[meter]]s (7,900&nbsp;[[foot (unit of length)|ft]]) where temperatures range from near freezing to 16 °[[Celsius|C]] (32 °&ndash;61 °[[Fahrenheit|F]]); the temperate zone at elevations of 1,500 to 2,400&nbsp;meters (4,900&ndash;7,900&nbsp;ft) with temperatures from 16 to 30 °C (61&ndash;86 °[[Fahrenheit|F]]); and the hot zone below 1,500&nbsp;meters (4,900&nbsp;ft) with both tropical and arid conditions and daytime temperatures ranging from 27 to 50 °C (81&ndash;122 °[[Fahrenheit|F]]). The topography of Ethiopia ranges from several very high mountain ranges (the [[Semien Mountains]] and the [[Bale Mountains]]), to one of the lowest areas of land in Africa, the [[Danakil depression]].

The normal rainy season is from mid-June to mid-September (longer in the southern highlands) preceded by intermittent showers from February or March; the remainder of the year is generally dry.

[[Image:Ethiopian highlands 01 mod.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Ethiopian Highlands]] with [[Ras Dashan]] in the background.]]

Ethiopia is an ecologically diverse country, ranging from the deserts along the eastern border to the tropical forests in the south to extensive [[Afromontane]] in the northern and southeastern parts. [[Lake Tana]] in the north is the source of the [[Blue Nile]]. It also has a large number of [[endemic species]], notably the [[Gelada Baboon]], the [[Walia Ibex]] and the [[Ethiopian wolf]] (or [[Simien fox]]). The wide range of altitude has given the country a variety of ecologically distinct areas, this has helped to encourage the evolution of endemic species in ecological isolation.

Deforestation is a major concern for Ethiopia as studies suggest loss of forest contributes to soil erosion, loss of nutrients in the soil, loss of animal habitats and reduction in biodiversity. At the beginning of the Twentieth century around 420000 km² or 35% of Ethiopia’s land was covered by trees but recent research indicates that forest cover is now approximately 11.9% of the area.<ref>Mongabay .com Ethiopia statistics. (n.d).Retrieved November 18, 2006, from http://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/2000/Ethiopia.htm. </ref> Ethiopia is one of the seven fundamental and independent centers of origin of cultivated plants of the world.

Ethiopia loses an estimated 1,410 km² of natural forests each year. Between 1990 and 2005 the country lost approximately 21,000 km².

Current government programs to control deforestation consist of education, promoting reforestation programs and providing alternate raw material to timber. In rural areas the government also provides non-timber fuel sources and access to non-forested land to promote agriculture without destroying forest habitat.

Organizations such as SOS and Farm Africa are working with the federal government and local governments to create a system of forest management.<ref>Parry, J (2003). Tree choppers become tree planters. Appropriate Technology, 30(4), 38-39. Retrieved November 22, 2006, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 538367341).

</ref> Working with a grant of approximately 2.3 million Euros the Ethiopian government recently began training people on reducing erosion and using proper irrigation techniques that do not contribute to deforestation. This project is assisting more than 80 communities.

Before 1996, Ethiopia was divided into 13 [[Provinces of Ethiopia|provinces]], many derived from historical regions. Ethiopia now has a tiered government system consisting of a [[federal government]] overseeing ethnically-based regional states, [[zone]]s, [[district]]s (''[[woreda]]s''), and [[neighborhood]]s (''[[kebele]]'').

Ethiopia is divided into nine ethnically-based administrative states (''kililoch'', sing. ''kilil'') and subdivided into sixty-eight zones and two chartered cities (''astedader akababiwoch'', sing. ''astedader akababi''): [[Addis Ababa]] and [[Dire Dawa]] (subdivisions 1 and 5 in the map, respectively). It is further subdivided into 550 ''woredas'' and six ''special woredas''.

The constitution assigns extensive power to regional states that can establish their own government and democracy according to the federal government's constitution. Each region has its appex regional council where members are directly elected to represent the districts and the council has legislative and excutive power to direct internal affairs of the regions. Article 39 of the Ethiopian Constitution further gives every regional state the right to secede from Ethiopia. There is debate, however, as to how much of the power guaranteed in the constitution is actually given to the states.

The councils implement their mandate through an executive committee and regional sectoral bureaus. Such elaborate structure of council, executive, and sectoral public institutions is replicated to the next level (woreda).

[[Image:Ethiopia regions numbered.png|right|thumb|200px|The regions and chartered cities of Ethiopia, numbered alphabetically]]

<table><td><ol>

<li> ''[[Dire Dawa]]''

<li> [[Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region]]

[[Image:Mymom52^.jpg|thumb|left|Coffee farmer filling cups with coffee in Ethiopia]]

In 1972 and 1973, more than 200,000 people died in the Wallo famine. The Emperor Haile Selassie tried to hide the famine but university students revealed the drought to the world.<ref>[http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~tades20f/classweb/ethiopia/intro.htm Wallo Famine during Haile Sellasie reign]</ref> After the 1974 revolution, the economy of Ethiopia was run as [[Socialist economics|Command economy]]. Stronger state controls were implemented, and a large part of the economy was transferred to the public sector, including all agricultural land and urban rental property, and all financial institutions. The bad weather also continued to harm the agriculture sector. However since Mengistu Haile Mariam's relationship with the west was poor, the government hid the famine in the Tigray and Wallo regions causing the death of more than 250,000 Ethiopians. When the government finally allowed UN workers to witness the condition, one of the worst humanitarian crises of the decade was revealed. Together with a flawed relocation project and the Red Terror around 1,500,000 Ethiopians were killed under Mengistu Haile Mariam.<ref>[http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/dictat.html Genocide of 1,500,000 Ethiopians during the DERG regime]</ref> Also six million people were affected by further famine before the EPRDF-led government overthrew the Derg regime.<ref>[http://www.aemfiethiopia.org/history.htm Six million people in famine under Mengistu]</ref> Since then, many economic reforms were carried out. From mid-[[1991]] onwards, the economy has evolved toward a decentralized, [[market economy|market-oriented economy]], emphasizing individual initiative, which was intended to reverse a decade of economic decline. In 1993 , gradual privatization of business, industry, banking, agriculture, trade, and commerce was underway.

Nevertheless, Ethiopia is still only partially privatized. Many government owned properties during the previous regime have now been transferred to pro-government enterprises in the name of privatization. Furthermore, the Ethiopian [[constitution]] defines the right to own land as belonging only to "the state and the people," but citizens may only lease land (up to 99 years), and are unable to mortgage, sell, or own it.[http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Hornet/Ethiopian_Constitution.html] Various groups and political parties have sought for full privatization of land. While other opposition parties are against privatization and favor communal ownership.

Agriculture accounts for almost 41 percent of the [[gross domestic product]] (GDP), 80 percent of exports, and 80 percent of the labour force. Many other economic activities depend on agriculture, including marketing, processing, and export of agricultural products. Production is overwhelmingly of a subsistence nature, and a large part of commodity exports are provided by the small agricultural cash-crop sector. Principal crops include [[coffea|coffee]], [[Pulse (legume)|pulse]]s (''e.g.,'' beans), [[rapeseed|oilseeds]], [[cereal]]s, potatoes, [[sugarcane]], and vegetables. Exports are almost entirely agricultural commodities, and coffee is the largest foreign exchange earner. Ethiopia's [[livestock]] population is believed to be the largest in Africa, and as of 1987 accounted for about 15 percent of the GDP. Despite recent improvements; with the equally exploding population, Ethiopia remains one of the poorest nations in the world.

=== Exports ===

Ethiopia is the origin of coffee, and coffee beans are the country's biggest export commodity. Ethiopia is also the 10th largest producer of livestock in the world. Other main export commodities are Khat, gold, leather products and oilseeds. Recent development of the floriculture sector is believed to make Ethiopia one of the top exporters in the world in the coming years.<ref>[http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=264689&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__business/ Floriculture a flourishing business in Ethiopia]</ref> With the private sector growing slowly, designer leather products like bags are becoming a big export business making them the first luxury designer label in the country.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6703551.stm the first luxury designer label in Ethiopia]</ref> Additional small scale export products include cereals, pulses, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes and hides. With the construction of various new dams and growing hydroelectric power projects around the country, it has also begun exporting electric power to its neighbors.<ref>[http://www.waterpowermagazine.com/story.asp?sc=2037246 water resource revenue potentials being tackled in ethiopia]</ref><ref>[http://english.people.com.cn/200604/12/eng20060412_257767.html largest hydro electric power plant goes smoothly]</ref><ref>[http://www.addistribune.com/Archives/2004/02/27-02-04/New.htm Hydroelectric Power Plant built]</ref> However, coffee remains its most important export product and with new trademark deals around the world, including recent deals with [[Starbucks]], the country plans to drastically increase its revenue from coffee.<ref>[http://www.alternet.org/story/51936/ new coffee deal with starbucks]</ref> Most regard Ethiopia's large water resources and potential as its "white oil" and its coffee resources as "black gold" inspired by the movie of the same name produced in 2006.<ref>[http://www.realmovienews.com/movies/7601 Ethiopia's black gold]</ref><ref>[http://www.ethiopianreporter.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=7303 Ethiopia water resources referred as "White oil"]</ref><ref>[http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=87&art_id=qw1145360700509B231 Ethiopia hopes to power neighbours with dams]</ref>

The country also has large mineral resources and oil potential in some the less inhabited regions; however, political instability in those regions has harmed progress.

[[Image:Nakempte Boys.jpg|250px|thumb|Schoolboys in western [[Oromia]], Ethiopia.]] Ethiopia's population has grown dramatically in the last several decades, from 33.5 million in 1983 to 75.1 million in 2006.<ref>''Diercke Landerlexicon'', 1983</ref> The country's population is highly diverse. Most of its people speak a [[Semitic languages|Semitic]] or [[Cushitic languages|Cushitic language]]. The [[Oromo]], [[Amhara (ethnicity)|Amhara]], and [[Tigray-Tigrinya people|Tigray]] and Somali make up more than three-quarters of the population, but there are more than 80 different ethnic groups within Ethiopia. Some of these have as few as 10,000 members.

Ethiopians and Eritreans, especially Semitic-speaking ones, collectively refer to themselves as ''[[Habesha people|Habesha]]'' or ''Abesha'', though others reject these names on the basis that they refer only to certain ethnicities.<ref>[http://www.abesha.com/abesha18/aboutus.php Abesha.com — About us]</ref> The [[Arabic language|Arabic]] form of this term (Al-Habesh) is the etymological basis of "Abyssinia," the former name of Ethiopia in English and other European languages.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/europe/timetrails/selassie/hs260809.html Time Europe — Abyssinia: Ethiopian Protest] 9 August 1926</ref>

According to the Ethiopian national census of 1994, the [[Oromo]] are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia at 32.1%. The [[Amhara people|Amhara]] represent 30.2%, while the [[Tigray-Tigrinya people|Tigray]] people are 6.2% of the population. Other ethnic groups are as follows: [[Somali people|Somali]] 6.0%, [[Gurage]] 4.3%, [[Sidama]] 3.4%, [[Welayta people|Wolayta]] 2%, [[Afar people|Afar]] 2%, [[Hadiya]] 2%, [[Gamo]] 1%.<ref name="bx">Berhanu Abegaz, {{PDFlink|[http://bxabeg.people.wm.edu/Ethiopia.Census%20Portrait.pdf Ethiopia: A Model Nation of Minorities]|51.7&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 52996 bytes -->}} (accessed 6 April 2006)</ref><ref>[http://www.ethiopianembassy.org/population.shtml Embassy of Ethiopia, Washington, DC] (accessed 6 April 2006)</ref>

[[Image:Senay.jpg|right|250px|thumb|View from [[Sheraton Hotel, Addis Ababa|Sheraton Hotel in Addis Ababa]].]]

Ethiopia has eighty-four indigenous languages. Some of these are:

* [[Amharic language|Amharic]]

* [[Konso language|Konso]]

* [[Tigrigna language|Tigrinya]]

[[English language|English]] is the most widely spoken foreign language and is the medium of instruction in secondary schools. [[Amharic language|Amharic]] was the language of primary school instruction, but has been replaced in many areas by local languages such as [[Oromo language|Oromifa]] and [[Tigrigna language|Tigrinya]]. Ethiopia has its own alphabet, Ethiopic (ግዕዝ), and [[Ethiopian calendar|calendar]].

{{see also|Christianity in Ethiopia|Islam in Ethiopia|Beta Israel|Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|P'ent'ay|Ethiopian Orthodox Tehadeso Church}}

[[Image:Ethiopian Painting 2005 SeanMcClean.JPG|thumb|right|250px|This leather painting depicts [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Orthodox]] priests playing [[Sistrum|sistra]] and a [[drum]].]]

According to the most recent 1994 National Census,<ref name="bx"/> Christians make up 61% of the country's population, Muslims 33%, and practitioners of traditional faiths 5%. However, according to the United States state department and the CIA World Factbook, Islam is the most widely practiced religion in Ethiopia. <ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/et.html]</ref> <ref>[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2859.htm]</ref> Orthodox Christianity has a dominant presence in central and northern Ethiopia, while both Orthodox & Protestant Christianity has large representations in the South and Western Ethiopia. A small ancient group of [[Jews]], the [[Beta Israel]], live in northwestern Ethiopia, though most have emigrated to [[Israel]] in the last decades of the twentieth century as part of the rescue missions undertaken by the Israeli government, [[Operation Moses]] and [[Operation Solomon]].[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/ejhist.html] Some Israeli and Jewish scholars consider these Ethiopian Jews as the historical "[[Lost Tribe of Israel]]."

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<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Ethiopia museum old koran.jpg|thumb|left|300|An ancient Ethiopian Islamic manuscript.]] -->

Sometimes Christianity in Africa is thought of as a European import that arrived with colonialism, but this is not the case with Ethiopia. The [[Kingdom of Aksum]] was one of the first nations to officially adopt [[Christianity]], when St. [[Frumentius]] of [[Tyre (Lebanon)|Tyre]], called Fremnatos or Abba Selama ("Father of Peace") in Ethiopia, converted King [[Ezana of Axum|Ezana]] during the [[4th century|fourth century]] [[Anno Domini|AD]]. Many believe that the Gospel had entered Ethiopia even earlier, with the royal official described as being baptised by [[Philip the Evangelist]] in chapter nine of the [[Acts of the Apostles]]. Today, the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]], part of [[Oriental Orthodoxy]], is by far the largest denomination, though a number of [[Protestant]] ([[Pentay]]) churches and the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tehadeso Church]] have recently gained ground. Since the [[18th century|eighteenth century]] there has existed a relatively small [[Uniate]] [[Ethiopian Catholic Church]] in [[full communion]] with [[Rome]], with adherents making up less than 1% of the total population.<ref name="bx"/>

The name "Ethiopia" (Hebrew ''Kush'') is mentioned in the Bible numerous times (thirty-seven times in the [[Authorised Version|King James version]]). Abyssinia is also mentioned in the [[Qu'ran]] and [[Hadith]]. While many Ethiopians claim that the Bible references of Kush apply to their own ancient civilization, pointing out that the [[Gihon]] river, a name for the [[Nile]], is said to flow through the land, most non-Ethiopian scholars believe that the use of the term referred to the [[Kingdom of Kush]] in particular or Africa outside of Egypt in general. Some have argued{{Fact|date=February 2007}} that biblical [[Kush]] was a large part of land that included Northern Ethiopia,

[[Eritrea]] and most of present day [[Sudan]]. The capital cities of biblical Kush were in Northern Sudan.<!-- Eritrea and northern Ethiopia might have been part of the Kushite empire, but there should be no doubt left that the center of Cushite civilization is northern sudan) --> <!-- Please note that it is only Northern Ethiopian Christians that came up with the theory that Kush is indeed Axum and is therefore Ethiopia. Kingdom of Kush is in Northern Sudan as you know and does not refer to Axum. Infact did Axum not destroy Meroe? Were they destroying themselves? At most, NOrthern Ethhiopia might have been part of periphery of the Kushite Kingdom. Kush is Sudan and I don't understand why modern Ethiopians need to claim they are Kush, Punt, Saba and so on. Let us stick to facts and not fiction. -->

[[Image:Ethiopia African potrayal of Jesus.JPG|thumb|right|A traditional Ethiopian depiction of Jesus and Mary with distinctively "Ethiopian" features.]]

[[Islam in Ethiopia]] dates back to the founding of the religion; in 615, when a band of Muslims were counseled by Muhammad to escape persecution in [[Mecca]] and [[Migration to Abyssinia|travel to Ethiopia]], which was ruled by a pious Christian king. Moreover, [[Bilal ibn Ribah|Bilal]], the first [[muezzin]], the person chosen to call to prayer, and one of the foremost companions of the Muhammad, was from Ethiopia.

There are numerous indigenous [[African religions]] in Ethiopia, mainly located in the far southwest and western borderlands. In general, most of the (largely members of the [[Oriental Orthodox|non-Chalcedonian]] [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]]) [[Christianity|Christians]] generally live in the highlands, while [[Islam|Muslims]] and adherents of traditional African religions tend to inhabit more lowland regions in the east and south of the country.

Ethiopia is also the spiritual homeland of the [[Rastafari movement]], whose adherents believe Ethiopia is [[Zion]]. The Rastafari view [[Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia|Emperor Haile Selassie I]] as [[Jesus]], the human incarnation of God, a view apparently not shared by Haile Selassie I himself, who was staunchly Ethiopian Orthodox Christian. The concept of Zion is also prevalent among Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, though it represents a separate and complex concept, referring figuratively to St. [[Blessed Virgin Mary|Mary]], but also to Ethiopia as a bastion of Christianity surrounded by Muslims and other religions, much like [[Mount Zion]] in the Bible. It is also used to refer to [[Axum]], the ancient capital and religious centre of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, or to its primary church, called [[Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion]].<ref>Taddesse Tamrat, ''Church and State''.</ref> The [[Baha'i Faith]] has been established in Ethiopia since the 1950s, and today is concentrated primarily in Addis Ababa, but also in the suburbs of Yeka, Kirkos and Nefas Silk Lafto.<ref> [http://news.bahai.org/story/486]</ref>

{{main|Education in Ethiopia}}'''See also:'''[[Universities and colleges in Ethiopia]]

Education in Ethiopia has been dominated by the Orthodox Church for many centuries until secular education was adopted in the early 1900s. The elites, mostly Christians and central ethnic Amhara population, had the most privilage until 1974 when the government tried to reach the rural areas. The current system follows very similar school expansion schemes to the rural areas as the previous 1980s system with an addition of deeper regionalisation giving rural education in their own [[languages]] starting at the elementary level and with more budget allocated to the Education Sector. The sequence of general education in Ethiopia is six years of primary school, four years of lower secondary school and two years of higher secondary school. <ref># Damtew Teferra and Philip. G. Altbach, eds., ''African Higher Education: An International Reference Handbook'' Indiana University Press, 2003), pp. 316-325</ref>

[[Image:Alicha 1.jpg|thumb|right|Typical Ethiopian cuisine: ''[[Injera]]'' (pancake-like bread) and several kinds of ''wat'' (stew).]]

The best known [[Ethiopian cuisine]] consists of various [[vegetable]] or [[meat]] side dishes and entrees, usually a ''[[Wat (food)|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. Traditional Ethiopian cuisine employs no [[pork]] or [[shellfish]] of any kind, as it is forbidden in the [[Islamic]], [[Jewish]], and [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|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.

[[Image:Mahmoudahmedfeature.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mahmoud Ahmed]], an Ethiopian [[singer]] of [[Gurage]] ancestry, in 2005.]]

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 [[Musical mode|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]]. Popular musicians include [[Tilahun Gessesse]], [[Aster Aweke]], [[Mahmoud Ahmed]], [[Alemayehu Eshete]], [[Neway Debebe]], [[Asnaketch Worku]], [[Ali Birra]], [[Teddy Afro]], [[Gigi]] and [[Mulatu Astatke]].

Ethiopia has some of the finest [[athletes]] of the world, most notably [[middle-distance]] and [[long-distance]] runners. [[Kenya]] and [[Morocco]] are often its opponents in [[World Championship]]s and [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] middle and long-distance events. As of March 2006, two Ethiopians dominate the long-distance running scene, mainly: [[Haile Gebreselassie]] (World champion and Olympic champion) who has set over twenty new [[world record]]s and currently holds the 20&nbsp;km, [[half-marathon]] and 25&nbsp;km world record, and young [[Kenenisa Bekele]] (World champion, World cross country champion, and Olympic champion), who holds the 5,000&nbsp;m and 10,000&nbsp;m world records.

Other notable & legendary Ethiopian distance-runners include [[Derartu Tulu]], [[Abebe Bikila]], [[Mamo Wolde]] and [[Miruts Yifter]]. Derartu Tulu was the first Ethiopian woman from Africa to win an Olympic gold medal, doing so over 10,000 metres at Barcelona. Abebe Bikila, the first Olympic champion representing an African nation, won the Olympic marathon in 1960 and 1964, setting world records both times. He is well-known to this day for winning the 1960 marathon in Rome while running barefoot. Miruts Yifter, the first in a tradition of Ethiopians known for their brilliant finishing speed, won gold at 5,000 and 10,000 metres at the Moscow Olympics. He is the last man to achieve this feat.

Ethiopia offers a greater richness in archaeological finds and historical buildings than any other country in Sub-Saharan Africa (including Sudan). In April 2005 , the [[Axum obelisk]], one of Ethiopia's religious and historical treasures, was returned to Ethiopia by [[Italy]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4458105.stm Obelisk arrives back in Ethiopia] [[BBC]] 19 April 2005</ref> Under the orders of dictator [[Benito Mussolini]], Italian troops seized the obelisk in 1937 and took it to [[Rome]]. Italy agreed to return the obelisk in 1947 in a [[United Nations|UN]] agreement, and it was finally returned in 2005 . As of January 2006 the obelisk has not been erected in Ethiopia. The monument was returned to Ethiopia in three or four large segments to facilitate easier transport. The pieces are so large that the Ethiopian government has been unable to erect it or even devise a way it could feasibly be done. The original site of the obelisk is an unexcavated area that would be damaged by heavy machinery, if that were determined to be an appropriate method of erection.

There have been plenty of significant discoveries including the oldest known, complete fossilized human skeleton, [[Lucy (Australopithecus)|Lucy]]. Other discoveries are still being made.<ref> [http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/09/20/lucy_arc.html?category=archaeology&guid=20060920150030] [[Discovery]] Fossil Sheds Light on Ape-Man Species 21 September 2006</ref>

Recently, archeologists uncovered the ruins of the legendary ancient [[Islamic]] kingdom of [[Shoa]], that included evidence of a large urban settlement as well as a large mosque.<ref>Hailu , Tesfaye. (2000). ''History and Culture of the Argobba: Recent Investigations'', In: Annale D'Éthiopie, 16, pp. 195–206, ISBN 2-86877-154-8</ref>

|col1 =

* [[Monarchies of Ethiopia]]

<div class="references-small">

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