
The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is situated in what is usually referred to as the Horn of Africa, a region in northeastern Africa. Its strategic proximity to Europe and the Middle East, as well as its convenient access to the major ports in the area, help to increase its international trade. Its western border is with Sudan, and its eastern, northern, and southern borders are with Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Kenya. The nation is five times the size of the UK and spans 1,112,000 square kilometers (472,000 square miles), equivalent to Ethiopia and Spain's combined areas.
The highlands of Ethiopia start in the north and run centrally. The ground dips to the Sudanese plains to the west of the chain. The Rift Valley Lakes dominate the landscape south of Addis Ababa. Ethiopia is one of the world's and Africa's oldest autonomous nations. The Awash Valley in Ethiopia is home to what are thought to be the oldest human ancestral remains yet unearthed. These bones have been dated to be about five million years old. This surpasses "Lucy," a 3.2 million-year-old skeleton discovered in the same location in 1974.
The fifth-century BC Greek historian Herodotus writes about ancient Ethiopia, while the Old Testament mentions the Queen of Sheba's visit to Jerusalem, when "she proved Solomon with hard questions." Things progressed past that since, According to mythology, King Menelik, who established the Ethiopian Empire, was the child of the Queen and Solomon.
In Axum, in the Tigray province of northern Ethiopia, one may still see the Queen of Sheba's palace remnants. There are numerous more significant historical sites in Axum, notably the location of the Ark of the Covenant, which Menelik transported there from Jerusalem.
In the fourth century, missionaries from Egypt and Syria brought Christianity to Ethiopia. Because of the development of Islam in the seventh century, Ethiopia was cut off from Western Christianity. To increase their grip over the Indian Ocean and convert Ethiopia to Roman Catholicism, the Portuguese reestablished contact with Ethiopia in the 1500s.
The religious struggle for one hundred years: All foreign missionaries were expelled in the 1630s. The central plateau of Ethiopia ranges in height from 2,000 to 3,000 meters. About 25 mountains with peaks higher than 4,000 meters (13,200 feet) may be found in the country's north and center, with Ras Dashen at 4,543 meters as the tallest (14,538ft).
Ethiopia, which has a population of approximately 110.14 million, is a mingling of Middle Eastern and African traditions, as seen in the religious, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of its Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic, and Nilotic peoples. About 80 nationalities make up the Ethiopian people, with the Amhara and the Oromo accounting for about 60% of the entire population. A little more than 85% of people reside in rural areas.
Between the ages of 14 and 60, the economically active population segment makes up roughly 50% of the overall population, with an annual population growth rate of about 3.09 percent. Ethiopia is a Federal Democratic Republic made up of two administrative councils, Addis Abeba and Dire Dawa, and nine National Regional States (NRS): Tigray, Afar, Amhara, Oromia, Somali, Benishangul-Gumuz, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR), Gambella, and Harari. 62 zones and 523 woredas make up the further divisions of the NRS and Administrative councils.
Ethiopia has a surface area of 114 million square kilometers, making it five times larger than the UK and larger than Ethiopia and Spain. The highlands of Ethiopia start in the north and run centrally. the chain's westernmost point, the Land declines to the Sudanese grasslands and the Afar deserts in the east. The Rift Valley Lakes dominate the landscape south of Addis Ababa.
The Horn of Africa is where Ethiopia is located strategically. Its accessibility to the region's major ports and proximity to the Middle East and Europe help to increase its international trade. Its western border is with Sudan, and its eastern, northern, and southern borders are with Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Kenya.