You may be asking yourself questions about Ethiopia. Where is it? What is it like? Well, this post will answer some basic questions about the country of Ethiopia.
Where is Ethiopia?
Ethiopia (officially, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia) is a landlocked country located in the horn of Africa. Starting from due North and moving clockwise, it is bordered by Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Sudan. It is about 444,000 square miles (around halfway between the size of Texas and Alaska) and is the world's 27th largest country. With a population of over 90 million people, Ethiopia is the world's most populous landlocked country and the second largest country in Africa. The country consists mainly of highlands and mountains in the West and lower lands and semi-deserts in the East.
I will be in the capital city, Addis Ababa. This thriving city is located near the center of the country in the highlands. It sits at an altitude of over 7,500 feet and has a population of around 3.5 million. Addis Ababa is often referred to as the "political capital of Africa" because it is home to the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and other international bodies.
What is Ethiopia like?
Ethiopia is an externally diverse country with 88 languages spoken, and only seven of these languages have a complete Bible translation. The most widespread are Oromo and Amharic, the official language. Its primary export is coffee (Ethiopia exports more coffee than any other country in the world), but other exports include khat, gold, leather products, and oilseed.
What is Ethiopia's history?
Ethiopia's history goes back to the beginning of humanity. Lucy, a 3.2 million year old humanoid, was found in Ethiopia. Recorded history goes back to the Aksumite Empire which was founded in the 200's. Manichaeus in the 3rd century listed Aksum as one of the four great empires along with Rome, Persia, and China. In the 4th century the Aksumite king Ezana was converted to Christianity by Frumentius from Tyre who had come to live in Ethiopia. Frumentius was later appointed by Athanasius of Alexandria as the bishop of Ethiopia.
You can see in this photo the conversion of Ethiopia to Christianity. Both these coins feature King Ezana in the center. At the top of the left coin you can see the pre-Christian crescent moon symbol, but at the top of the right coin you can see the Christian cross.
According to the tradition found in the Kebra Nagast, the first king of Ethiopia was Menelik I who was the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Many Ethiopian rulers have claimed to be descendants of Menelik I, all the way until Haile Selassie who was deposed in 1974. At that point the Derg, a communist government, took over Ethiopia until the early 1987. Soon after, the Soviet Union pulled all support from Ethiopia which caused a massive economic collapse. In 1994 a new constitution was approved and the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front has held power since.
What about Ethiopian Food?
If you have never had Ethiopian food you should look up the Ethiopian restaurant that is closest to you. It is delicious. The national food is injera with wot. Injera is a spongy, slightly sour, bread that is the basic food and utensil. Wot is a thick stew that is often made with root vegetables or meat. You eat with your hands in Ethiopia and the injera is used to scoop up the stews.
What Religion is Practiced?
Ethiopia is about 60% Christian and 35% Muslim. The following graph (from Operation World) shows the percentage of religions and their growths over the past century.
M=Muslim, E=Ethnic Religions, O=Orthodox, P=Protestant, X=Other Christian
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has dominated the religious and political landscape of Ethiopia since King Ezana. This Church finds their origin from the union of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba and holds that the ark of the covenant is in a small chapel in the northern city of Aksum. It is more similar to Eastern Orthodox traditions but still remains very unique due to its geographical and political isolation from the rest of the world. As a side note, Abune Paulos (1935-2012), the fifth patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church was a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary.
Do you have any other questions about Ethiopia? Post them in the comments and I'll try to answer them.
-ደቭሊን(Devlin)
