CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Ethiopia


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!| Background:
 * Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule, one exception being the Italian occupation of 1936-41. In 1974 a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), in 1991. A constitution was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A two and a half year border war with Eritrea ended with a peace treaty on 12 December 2000. Final demarcation of the boundary is currently on hold due to Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender sensitive territory.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 7,444 sq km land: 1,119,683 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Ras Dejen 4,620 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 0.75% other: 88.54% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea !| Geography - note:
 * Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
 * 8 00 N, 38 00 E
 * Africa
 * total: 1,127,127 sq km
 * slightly less than twice the size of Texas
 * total: 5,328 km
 * 0 km (landlocked)
 * none (landlocked)
 * tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation
 * high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
 * lowest point: Denakil Depression -125 m
 * small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower
 * arable land: 10.71%
 * 1,900 sq km (1998 est.)
 * geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
 * deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management
 * party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
 * landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean
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!| Population: note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.) !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 52.5% (male 17,857,758; female 17,767,411) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 855,103; female 1,071,218) (2004 est.) !| Median age: female: 17.4 years (2004 est.) male: 17.3 years !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: note: repatriation of Ethiopians who fled to Sudan for refuge from war and famine in earlier years is expected to continue for several years; some Sudanese and Somali refugees, who fled to Ethiopia from the fighting or famine in their own countries, continue to return to their homes (2004 est.) !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 91.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 112.22 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 40.03 years female: 41.75 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Major infectious diseases: overall degree of risk: high (2004) !| Nationality: adjective: Ethiopian !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 42.7% male: 50.3% female: 35.1% (2003 est.)
 * 67,851,281
 * 0-14 years: 44.7% (male 15,189,921; female 15,109,870)
 * total: 17.4 years
 * 1.89% (2004 est.)
 * 39.23 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 20.36 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
 * at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
 * total: 102.12 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 40.88 years
 * 5.44 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 4.4% (2003 est.)
 * 1.5 million (2003 est.)
 * 120,000 (2003 est.)
 * typhoid fever, malaria, leishmaniasis (cutaneous), schistosomiasis, rabies
 * noun: Ethiopian(s)
 * Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%
 * Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 3%-8%
 * Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other local languages, English (major foreign language taught in schools)
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Ethiopia local short form: Ityop'iya former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik abbreviation: FDRE !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: head of government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since NA August 1995) cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided for in the December 1994 constitution; ministers are selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives elections: president elected by the House of People's Representatives for a six-year term; election last held 8 October 2001 (next to be held NA October 2007); prime minister designated by the party in power following legislative elections election results: GIRMA Woldegiorgis elected president; percent of vote by the House of People's Representatives - 100% !| Legislative branch: elections: last held 14 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2005) note: irregularities and violence at some polling stations necessitated the rescheduling of voting in certain constituencies; voting postponed in Somali regional state because of severe drought election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - OPDO 177, ANDM 134, TPLF 38, WGGPDO 27, EPRDF 19, SPDO 18, GNDM 15, KSPDO 10, ANDP 8, GPRDF 7, SOPDM 7, BGPDUF 6, BMPDO 5, KAT 4, other regional political groupings 22, independents 8; note - 43 seats unconfirmed !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles consulate(s): New York FAX: [1] (202) 686-9551 telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa telephone: [251] (1) 550666 FAX: [251] (1) 551328 !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
 * federal republic
 * Addis Ababa
 * 9 ethnically-based states (kililoch, singular - kilil) and 2 self-governing administrations* (astedaderoch, singular - astedader); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar, Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples), Hareri Hizb (Harari People), Oromiya (Oromia), Sumale (Somali), Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples)
 * oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years
 * National Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991)
 * ratified December 1994; effective 22 August 1995
 * currently transitional mix of national and regional courts
 * 18 years of age; universal
 * chief of state: President GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8 October 2001)
 * bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation or upper chamber (108 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives or lower chamber (548 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
 * Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of the Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; for other federal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People's Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council)
 * Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP [leader NA]; Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM [ADDISU Legesse]; Bench Madji People's Democratic Organization or BMPDO [leader NA]; Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [leader NA]; Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi] (an alliance of ANDM, OPDO, SEPDF, and TPLF); Gedeyo People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or GPRDF [leader NA]; Gurage Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM [leader NA]; Kafa Shaka People's Democratic Organization or KSPDO [leader NA]; Kembata, Alabaa and Tembaro or KAT [leader NA]; Oromo People's Democratic Organization or OPDO [JUNEDI Sado]; Sidamo People's Democratic Organization or SPDO [leader NA]; South Omo People's Democratic Movement or SOPDM [leader NA]; Tigrayan People's Liberation Front or TPLF [MELES Zenawi]; Walayta, Gamo, Gofa, Dawro, and Konta People's Democratic Organization or WGGPDO [leader NA]; dozens of small parties
 * Afar Revolutionary Democratic Union Front or ARDUF [leader NA]; Council of Alternative Forces for Peace and Democracy in Ethiopia or CAFPDE [BEYANE Petros]; Southern Ethiopia People's Democratic Coalition or SEPDC [BEYANE Petros]
 * ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
 * chief of mission: Ambassador KASSAHUN Ayele
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Aurelia A. BRAZEAL
 * three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 12.6% services: 41.4% (2003 est.) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: 33.7% (1995) !| Distribution of family income - Gini index: !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $2.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $788 million (2003 est.) !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Oil - proved reserves: !| Natural gas - proved reserves: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: note: since 24 October 2001 exchange rates are determined on a daily basis via interbank transactions regulated by the Central Bank !| Fiscal year:
 * Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, which accounts for half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian economy with exports of some $156 million in 2002, but historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplement income. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought have buffeted the economy, in particular coffee production. In November 2001 Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Under Ethiopia's land tenure system, the government owns all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral for loans. Drought struck again late in 2002, leading to a 2% decline in GDP in 2003. Return to normal weather patterns late in 2003 should help agricultural and GDP growth recover in 2004. The government estimates that annual growth of 7% is needed to reduce poverty.
 * purchasing power parity - $46.81 billion (2003 est.)
 * -3.8% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $700 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 46%
 * 17% of GDP (2003)
 * 50% (2003 est.)
 * lowest 10%: 3%
 * 40 (1995)
 * 17.8% (2003 est.)
 * NA (2001 est.)
 * agriculture and animal husbandry 80%, industry and construction 8%, government and services 12% (1985)
 * NA (2002)
 * revenues: $1.813 billion
 * cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, sugarcane, potatoes, qat; hides, cattle, sheep, goats
 * food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing, cement
 * 6.7% (2001 est.)
 * 1.713 billion kWh (2001)
 * 1.594 billion kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 23,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * 214,000 bbl (1 January 2002)
 * 12.46 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
 * $-408 million (2003)
 * $537 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds
 * Djibouti 13.4%, Germany 11.4%, Saudi Arabia 6.9%, Japan 6.8%, Italy 6.4%, US 5.1% (2003)
 * $1.964 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles
 * Saudi Arabia 24.1%, US 17%, China 6.4%, Italy 4.1% (2003)
 * $956 million (2003)
 * $2.9 billion (2001 est.)
 * $308 million (FY00/01)
 * birr (ETB)
 * ETB
 * birr per US dollar - NA (2003), 8.5678 (2002), 8.4575 (2001), 8.2173 (2000), 7.9423 (1999)
 * 8 July - 7 July
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; two domestic satellites provide the national trunk service international: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean) !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 435,000 (2003)
 * 97,800 (2003)
 * general assessment: open-wire and microwave radio relay system; adequate for government use
 * AM 8, FM 0, shortwave 1 (2001)
 * 15.2 million (2002)
 * 1 plus 24 repeaters (2002)
 * 682,000 (2002)
 * .et
 * 9 (2003)
 * 1 (2002)
 * 75,000 (2003)
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!| Railways: narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2003) !| Highways: paved: 3,789 km unpaved: 27,782 km (2000) !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: by type: cargo 5, container 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2 (2004 est.) !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) !| Airports - with unpaved runways: over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 23 (2004 est.)
 * total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad)
 * total: 31,571 km
 * none; Ethiopia is landlocked and was by agreement with Eritrea using the ports of Assab and Massawa; since the border dispute with Eritrea flared, Ethiopia has used the port of Djibouti for nearly all of its imports
 * total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 81,933 GRT/101,287 DWT
 * 82 (2003 est.)
 * total: 14
 * total: 69
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!| Military branches: note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the secession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in Eritrean possession !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Ethiopian National Defense Force: Ground Forces, Air Force, Mobilized Militia
 * 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001)
 * males age 15-49: 15,748,632 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 8,234,442 (2004 est.)
 * males: 760,868 (2004 est.)
 * $345 million (2003)
 * 5.2% (2003)
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