ion

Terrain: high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great
Rift Valley
lowest point: Denakil -125 m
highest point: Ras Dashen Terara 4,620 m

Natural resources: small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash

Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 41%
forest and woodland: 24%
other: 22%

Irrigated land: 1,620 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
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 - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified
- Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea,
Nuclear Test Ban

Geographic note: landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea
was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993

People
------

Population: 57,171,662 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 46% (male 13,116,158; female 13,080,276)
15-64 years: 51% (male 14,782,995; female 14,624,779)
65 years and over: 3% (male 728,808; female 838,646) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.72% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 46.05 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 17.53 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
note: repatriation of Ethiopians who fled to Sudan, Kenya and
Somalia for refuge from war and famine in earlier years, is expected
to continue in 1996; entry into Ethiopia of Sudanese and Somalis
fleeing the fighting in their own countries is also continuing in
1996

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
all ages: 1 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 122.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 46.85 years
male: 45.71 years
female: 48.02 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 7 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Ethiopian(s)
adjective: Ethiopian

Ethnic divisions: Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigrean 32%, Sidamo 9%,
Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%

Religions: Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist
12%, other 5