Ethiopia

Capital of Ethiopia: Addis Ababa
Total Area of Ethiopia: 1,104,300 km² (426,372 mi²) (27th)
Population of Ethiopia: 132,059,767 (10th) - (2024 est.)
Location: Northeastern Africa
Languages of Ethiopia: Oromo (official regional working language) 33.8%, Amharic (official national language) 29.3%, Somali (official regional working language) 6.2%, Tigrinya (Tigrinya) (official regional working language) 5.9%, Sidamo 4%, Wolaytta 2.2%, Gurage 2%, Afar (official regional working language) 1.7%, Hadiyya 1.7%, Gamo 1.5%, Gedeo 1.3%, Opuuo 1.2%, Kafa 1.1%, other 8.1%, Arabic, English (2007 est.)
Religions of Ethiopia: Ethiopian Orthodox 43.8%, Muslim 31.3%, P'ent'ay 22.8%, other Christian 0.7%, traditional faiths 0.6%, others/none 0.8% (2016 est.)
Ethnic groups of Ethiopia: Oromo 35.8%, Amhara 24.1%, Somali 7.2%, Tigray 5.7%, Sidama 4.1%, Gurage 2.6%, Welayta 2.3%, Afar 2.2%, Silte 1.3%, Kefficho 1.2%, others 13.5% (2022 est.)
Currency: Birr (ETB) Calling code: (+251)
Organizations: United Nations

Border countries (6): Djibouti 343 km, Eritrea 1,033 km, Kenya 867 km, Somalia 1,640 km, South Sudan 1,299 km and Sudan 744 km.
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Ethiopia (Amharic: ኢትዮጵያ ʾĪtyōṗṗyā) — is a fascinating country in the Horn of Africa and the second-most populous nation on the African continent (after Nigeria). It's bordered by Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, and Sudan and South Sudan to the west.
Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa and the second-oldest official Christian nation in the world after Armenia. Ethiopia is also the place for the first Hijrah (615 AD) in Islamic history where the Christian king of Ethiopia accepted Muslim refugees from Mecca sent by the prophet Mohamed. Along with Liberia and Darwiish State, it was the only nation to survive the Scramble for Africa, until it was occupied by Italy and annexed to the colony of Italian East Africa, alongside Eritrea and Somalia. It was liberated during World War II, and later involved in wars against Oromo and Somali rebels and the newly annexed Eritrea, whose independence led Ethiopia to return to being a landlocked country.
The country was historically known as AbyssiniaAbyssinia (in Arabic: al-Ḥabasha (الحَبَشَة)) was an old region on the eastern part of Africa, including modern countries as Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia. The Misrian (Egyptians) and Himyarites dynasties ruled over Abyssinia before the birth of Christ. In 341 C.E. Christianity was officially adopted as the state religion. Before the Hijra of the prophet (s) to Medina, Muslims migrated to Abyssinia twice and were supported by its emperor. Several Islamic sultanates, such as Sultanate of Ifat, were established in Abyssinia in the Islamic era. In 14th/20th century small parts of Abyssinia gradually declared independence, and today, Ethiopia occupies the largest parts of that region.. This toponym was derived from the Latinized form of the ancient Habash.

Administrative divisions in Ethiopia
12 ethnically based regional states (kililoch, singular - kilil) and 2 chartered cities* (astedader akabibiwach, singular - astedader akabibi); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar, Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela), Hareri Hizb (Harari), Oromia, Sidama, Sumale, Tigray, YeDebub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples), YeDebub M'irab Ityop'iya Hizboch (Southwest Ethiopia Peoples), Southern Ethiopia Peoples.

Cities, towns, and villages

• Addis Ababa (Amharic: አዲስ አበባ) — is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It had an estimated population of almost 4 million in 2023, it is the largest city in the country and the eleventh-largest in Africa, it is growing very rapidly like many African cities. Addis Ababa is a highly developed and important cultural, artistic, financial and administrative center of Ethiopia. It is widely known as one of Africa's major capitals.
• Adama (also known as Nazret or Nazareth) — was the capital city of the Oromia region of Ethiopia from 2003 to 2006, at which time the capital was moved back to Finfine (Addis Ababa). It is a popular weekend destination for residents of Addis Ababa and hosts many governmental and non-governmental conferences.
• Axum (አክሱም, also spelt Aksum) — is a city of 56,000 in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, just south of Eritrea, with which it shares the language of Tigrinya.
  It was for nearly 800 years the administrative centre of one of the great empires of the old world along with those of Rome, Persia and China and remains the ecclesiastical capital of the Ethiopian church. It is famous for its stelae, churches, monasteries, tombs and the ruins of palaces and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980.
  It is one of the cleaner and better kept Ethiopian towns with cobbled side streets and attractive flame trees providing shade in the main street.
• Awasa (also Awassa or Hawassa) — is on the eastern shore of Lake Awasa and is a growing resort town with two luxurious resorts directly on the lake, and a large number of cheap and middle priced hotels. In 2013, many of the streets in Awasa and the walking path on the lake were fixed up with cobble stone, and there is a growing number of good cafes, good Ethiopian and European restaurants. Tourism here is mostly local, but Awasa is also a common stop for Cairo-to-Cape Town travelers and foreign tourists.
  Awasa is part of the famous Central and Southern Ethiopia National Parks and Tribes Circuit that includes Abijatta Shalla Lakes National Park, Bale Mountains National Park, Nechsar National Park, the proposed Megado Podocarpus National Monument, and Mago and Omo National Parks.
  It is home to renowned Hawassa university.
• Bahir Dar (also spelt Bahar Dar) — on the southern shore of Lake Tana, the biggest lake in Ethiopia, is the third largest city in the nation, after Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, with a population of half a million. It's the capital of the Amhara region, dominated by the Amhara people, the Ethiopia's second largest grouping; the Ethiopian official language is Amharic.
  Bahir Dar is a clean and well-maintained city by African city standards. It is popular with national tourists for its lake and comfortable climate. It has become part of the northern tourist loop for its access to historic monasteries and as a jumping off point for Blue Nile Falls and Gondar. Due to the bustling tourism industry, the city has numerous pool halls, fresh juice shops, and restaurants.
  Giorgis Road is the main road in the north-south direction, featuring plenty of shopping and restaurants. The bus station and markets lie on side roads. The city is easy to get around by foot, bicycle, or cheap bajaj (tuk tuk).
• Dire Dawa — is the second largest city in Ethiopia with 420,000 people.
  Dire Dawa (which means “empty plain”) is one of two chartered cities in eastern Ethiopia (the other being the capital, Addis Ababa). Dire Dawa was founded in 1902 after the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway reached the area. The railroad could not reach the city of Harar at its higher elevation, so Dire Dawa was built nearby. It is a major hub for many ethnic groups in Ethiopia, especially the Afar, Oromo, and Somali.
  The city is an industrial centre on the Dechatu River, and home to several markets. It lies at the foot of a ring of cliffs that has been described as "somewhat like a cluster of tea-leaves in the bottom of a slop-basin".
• Gondar (also spelled Gonder) — is a royal and ancient historical city of Ethiopia. The walled city of Fasil Ghebbi in Gondar is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is part of the famous Ethiopia Historical Circuit. It was the home of many emperors and princesses who led the country from the 12th century to the last decade of the 20th century, including Emperor Suseneos, Emperor Fasiledes, Empress Mentwab, Iyasu I, Tewodros II and Empress Taitu. The region is the home of the highest mountain in Ethiopia, Ras Dashen, and the Simien Mountains National Park. The park can be accessed from the village of Debark (100 km NE of Gondar).
• Harar (sometimes spelled Harrar or Harer) — is an ancient city in eastern Ethiopia. Harar (sometimes spelled Harrar or Harer) has a population of about 75,000.
  For centuries, Harar has been a major commercial centre, linked by the trade routes with the rest of Ethiopia, the entire Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and through its ports to the outside world. The city is part of the famous Ethiopia Eastern Tourism Circuit, that includes Awash National Park, Babile Elephant Sanctuary, Kondudo Mountain with the Gursum Pearl Cave and Prison House of Lij Eyasu.
  Harar Jugol, the old walled city, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2006 in recognition of its cultural heritage. It is considered the fourth holiest city of Islam by Sunni Muslims (after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, with 82 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century, and 102 shrines.
• Lalibela (Amharic: ላሊበላ, romanized: Lalibäla) — is a rural town of 15,000 people in a stunning setting at an elevation of 2,600 m (8,500 ft) in the midst of the Lasta mountains in the eastern highlands of Northern Ethiopia. Its unique and remarkable monolithic churches hewn from living rock, most built more than 900 years ago, are one of Ethiopia's leading attractions and were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978.
• Mekelle, or Mek'ele — is a special zone and capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Mekelle was formerly the capital of Enderta awraja in Tigray. It is located around 780 kilometres (480 mi) north of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, with an elevation of 2,254 metres (7,395 ft) above sea level. Administratively, Mekelle is considered a Special Zone, which is divided into seven sub-cities. It is the economic, cultural, and political hub of northern Ethiopia.
  Mekelle is the second-largest city in Ethiopia after Addis Ababa, with a population of around 545,000. It is 4 times larger than Adigrat, the second-largest regional center. The majority of the population of Mekelle depends on government employment, commerce, and small-scale enterprises. In 2007, Mekelle had new engineering, cement, and textile factories, producing for the local and foreign markets. Mekelle University developed out of the pre-1991 Arid Agricultural College, and about a dozen other governmental and private colleges were created.

Natural resources: Small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower.
Geography – note: Landlocked – entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993.