thiopian
monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule, one exception
being the Italian occupation of 1936-41. In 1974 a military junta,
the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930)
and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings,
wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was
finally toppled by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian
People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), in 1991. A
constitution was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia's first multiparty
elections were held in 1995. A two and a half year border war with
Eritrea that ended with a peace treaty on 12 December 2000 has
strengthened the ruling coalition, but has hurt the nation's economy.

Ethiopia Geography

Location: Eastern Africa, west of Somalia

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 38 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 1,127,127 sq km

land: 1,119,683 sq km

water: 7,444 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries: total: 5,311 km

border countries: Djibouti 337 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 830 km,
Somalia 1,626 km, Sudan 1,606 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

Terrain: high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great
Rift Valley

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Denakil Depression -125 m

highest point: Ras Dejen 4,620 m

Natural resources: small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash,
natural gas, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 12%

permanent crops: 1%

permanent pastures: 40%

forests and woodland: 25%

other: 22% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,900 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible
to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts

Environment - current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil
erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the
Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

Geography - note: landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea
was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993

Ethiopia People

Population: 65,891,874

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account