| | World Fact Book | Mark H. Solsman | Documentation Training and Publications, Center for Academic Computing | mhs108@psu.edu 10/19/93 I _@_Ethiopia Geography Total area: 1,221,900 km2 Land area: 1,101,000 km2 Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas Land boundaries: 5,141 km; Djibouti 459 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 2,221 km Coastline: 1,094 km Maritime claims: Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: southern half of the boundary with Somalia is a Provisional Administrative Line; possible claim by Somalia based on unification of ethnic Somalis; territorial dispute with Somalia over the Ogaden; independence referendum in Eritrea scheduled for April 1992 Climate: tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation; some areas prone to extended droughts Terrain: high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley 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%; includes irrigated NEGL% Environment: geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; frequent droughts; famine Note: strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields :Ethiopia People Population: 54,270,464 (July 1992), growth rate 3.2% (1992) Birth rate: 45 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 14 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: 2 migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 112 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 50 years male, 53 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 6.9 children born/woman (1992) 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 40-45%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35-40%, animist 15-20%, other 5% Languages: Amharic (official), Tigrinya, Orominga, Guaraginga, Somali, Arabic, English (major foreign language taught in schools) Literacy: 62% (male NA%, female NA%) age 10 and over can read and write (1983 est.) Labor force: 18,000,000; agriculture and animal husbandry 80%, government and services 12%, industry and construction 8% (1985) Organized labor: All Ethiopian Trade Union formed by the government in January 1977 to represent 273,000 registered trade union members; was dissolved when the TGE came to power; labor code of 1975 is being redrafted :Ethiopia Government Long-form name: none Type: on 28 May 1991 the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) toppled the authoritarian government of MENGISTU Haile-Mariam and took control in Addis Ababa; the Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TGE), announced as a two-year transitional period; on 29 May 1991, Issayas AFEWORKE, secretary general of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), announced the formation of the Provisional Government in Eritrea (PGE), in preparation for an eventual referendum on independence for the province Capital: Addis Ababa Administrative divisions: 14 administrative regions (astedader akababiwach, singular - astedader akababi) and 1 autonomous region* (rasgez akababi); Addis Ababa (Addis Ababa), Afar, Agew, Amhara, Benishangul, Ertra (Eritrea)*, Gambela, Gurage-Hadiya-Wolayta, Harer, Kefa, Omo, Oromo, Sidamo, Somali, Tigray Independence: oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years Constitution: to be redrafted by 1993 Legal system: NA National holiday: National Revolution Day 12 September (1974) Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers Legislative branch: Council of Representatives Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State: Interim President Meles ZENAWI (since 1 June 1991); transitional government Head of Government: Acting Prime Minister Tamirat LAYNE (since 6 June 1991) Political parties and leaders: NA Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: Council of Representatives: last held 14 June 1987 (next to be held after new constitution drafted) President: last held 10 September 1987; next election planned after new constitution drafted; results - MENGISTU Haile-Mariam elected by the now defunct National Assembly, but resigned and left Ethiopia on 21 May 1991 Other political or pressure groups: Oromo Liberation Front (OLF); Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP); numerous small, ethnic-based groups have formed since Mengistu's resignation Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Counselor, Charge d'Affaires ad interim Girma AMARE; Chancery at 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-2281 or 2282 :Ethiopia Government US: Charge d'Affaires Marc A. BAAS; Embassy at Entoto Street, Addis Ababa (mailing address is P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa); telephone [251] (01) 550666; FAX [251] (1) 551-166 Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors :Ethiopia Economy Overview: Ethiopia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Africa. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, which accounts for about 45% of GDP, 90% of exports, and 80% of total employment; coffee generates 60% of export earnings. The manufacturing sector is heavily dependent on inputs from the agricultural sector. Over 90% of large-scale industry, but less than 10% of agriculture, is state run; the government is considering selling off a portion of state-owned plants. Favorable agricultural weather largely explains the 4.5% growth in output in FY89, whereas drought and deteriorating internal security conditions prevented growth in FY90. In 1991 the lack of law and order, particularly in the south, interfered with economic development and growth. GDP: exchange rate conversion - $6.6 billion, per capita $130, real growth rate- 0.4% (FY90 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.2% (1989) Unemployment rate: NA Budget: revenues $1.8 billion; expenditures $1.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $842 million (FY88) Exports: $429 million (f.o.b., FY88) commodities: coffee 60%, hides partners: US, FRG, Djibouti, Japan, PDRY, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia Imports: $1.1 billion (c.i.f., FY88) commodities: food, fuels, capital goods partners: USSR, Italy, FRG, Japan, UK, US, France External debt: $2.6 billion (1988) Industrial production: growth rate 2.3% (FY89 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP Electricity: 330,000 kW capacity; 650 million kWh produced, 10 kWh per capita (1991) Industries: food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing, cement Agriculture: accounts for 45% of GDP and is the most important sector of the economy even though frequent droughts and poor cultivation practices keep farm output low; famines not uncommon; export crops of coffee and oilseeds grown partly on state farms; estimated 50% of agricultural production at subsistence level; principal crops and livestock - cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseeds, sugarcane, potatoes and other vegetables, hides and skins, cattle, sheep, goats Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $504 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.4 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $8 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.0 billion Currency: birr (plural - birr); 1 birr (Br) = 100 cents Exchange rates: birr (Br) per US$1 - 2.0700 (fixed rate) :Ethiopia Economy Fiscal year: 8 July - 7 July :Ethiopia Communications Railroads: 988 km total; 681 km 1.000-meter gauge; 307 km 0.950-meter gauge (nonoperational) Highways: 44,300 km total; 3,650 km paved, 9,650 km gravel, 3,000 km improved earth, 28,000 km unimproved earth Ports: Aseb, Mitsiwa Merchant marine: 12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 62,627 GRT/88,909 DWT; includes 8 cargo, 1 roll-on/roll off, 1 livestock carrier, 2 petroleum tanker Civil air: 25 major transport aircraft Airports: 123 total, 86 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 38 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: open-wire and radio relay system adequate for government use; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; broadcast stations - 4 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 100,000 TV sets; 9,000,000 radios; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station :Ethiopia Defense Forces Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force Manpower availability: males 15-49, 12,015,589; 6,230,680 fit for military service; 572,982 reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $760 million, 12.8% of GDP (1989) .