Ethiopia is a beautiful, land-locked country of 472,000 square
miles (slightly less than twice the size of the state of Texas)
located in the northeast part of Africa known as the Horn of Africa.
Addis Ababa is the capital city. The country terrain consists
of mostly high plateau with a central mountain range divided
by the Great Rift Valley. The climate can be described as tropical monsoon but varies greatly from region to region. There are
two seasons in Ethiopia: in most of the country, the dry season
prevails from October until May with short rains in March; the
wet season runs from June until the end of September. There are almost 75 million people living in Ethiopia, most
living in the central highlands. According to some official statistics,
over 65% of the Ethiopian population live below poverty level.
About 80% of the people derive their income from agriculture, but agricultural productivity is significantly low. The average per capita income in Ethiopia is around $870 USD. This income cannot
begin to meet the cost-of-living needs of a family. To further add
to the economic strain, the yearly population growth rate of the
country is rapidly increasing. The existing socioeconomic
services, although expanding,are unable to reach the majority of
people or keep pace with theincrease of population. Hence,
high mortality, extreme destitution,unemployment, prostitution,
life on the streets and a lack of educational opportunities are
widespread among the poor. In addition to these problems,
the rapidly expanding pandemic of HIV/AIDS and other
communicable diseases are adversely affecting millions of
citizens either directly or indirectly.
High death rate caused by AIDS, inadequate medical intervention, and unsanitary living conditions have added another layer of stress on the already precarious family institution of the poor. When one parent dies, it becomes increasingly difficult for a single parent to support their family. If something happens to the surviving parent, traditionally the extended family would take care of the children. However, with large family sizes and limited resources, well-
intentioned relatives are many times simply unable to take
on the additional burden of providing for their relations. There are
close to 4.6 million orphaned children in Ethiopia, and 1
million of these are believed to be orphaned because of HIV.
UNICEF data states there are more than 300,000 orphaned
children relegated to living on the streets nationwide
with all the associated hazards (100,000 in Addis Ababa alone), and the school drop-out rate among these children is
alarmingly high, further adding to the problem.
The major ethnic groups include Oromo 40%, Amhara and
Tigre 32%, and several other smaller tribal groups. Amharic is
the official language of Ethiopia although the government
encourages local languages to be taught in schools. English is
the major foreign language taught in schools. Ethiopia has a
literacy rate of 42%.
Ethiopians take their father's first name as a surname -
there are no inherited last names. Women keep their maiden
name when marrying. Most Ethiopian names have beautiful
meanings, often with a Christian element. A fairly extensive
list of common Ethiopian names and their meanings can be
found at BabyNamesWorld. An excellent website about
Ethiopian names was created by an Ethiopian immigrant
for families interested in adopting children from Ethiopia-
it is My Ethiopian Name.
Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa and
one of the oldest in the world. The ancient Ethiopian archy
maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception
of the Italian occupation during World War II. In 1974,
following the deposition of the emperor Haile Selassie who had ruled since 1930, the Derg seized power and installed a
government which was socialist in name and military
in style. Many members of the Royal Government were
executed. Major Mengistu Haile Mariam assumed power
and his totalitarian-style government and massive militarism was financed and supplied by the Soviet Union and assisted
by Cuba. The brutal regime, aided by droughts and famine,
hastened the Derg's collapse. Insurrections followed.
In 1991, the Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TGE)
was set up, followed by the Eritrean vote for
independence in 1993. Elections for the first parliament of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia were held in
1995 and the governmentwas installed in August of that year.
Ethiopia currently has a president and a prime minister.
Religion has always been a major influence in Ethiopia. Ethiopian culture and tradition have been greatly influenced by both Christian and Muslim religions. Sunni Muslims, the largest religious group, account for 45-50% of practicing religious beliefs. The Amharas and Tigreans are predominantly Christian and adhere to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Catholicism and Ethiopian evangelism (Mekane Yesus) are
also important religions in Ethiopia.
The local currency is the Ethiopia birr (12 birr = $1 US). Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture. The country is endowed with vast agricultural, mineral and energy resources which remain virtually untapped due to the recent wars and economic stagnancy. Coffee, oilseeds, hides and livestock are Ethiopia's major exports. Some of the finest and rarest coffees in the world are grown in the highlands of Ethiopia. Ethiopians have a beautiful coffee
ceremonythat is performed with great honor for their guests.
Coffee beans are roasted over coals, then ground up before
hot water is added. The coffeeis served in small cups - often with
sugar - and is very dark and strong! | 
