Ethiopia Stretches Her Hands unto God (English) | |||||||
| Anthem | "Ityopp'ya Hoy (Ethiopia, Be happy)" | ||||||
| Capital | Addis Ababa | ||||||
| Largest city | Addis Ababa | ||||||
| Other cities | Asmara | ||||||
| Language official |
Amharic, English | ||||||
| others | Various native languages | ||||||
| Religion main |
Christianity, Judaism | ||||||
| others | Islam | ||||||
| Demonym | Ethiopian | ||||||
| Government | Constitutional monarchy | ||||||
| Legislature | Parliament | ||||||
| Emperor | Amha Selassie II | ||||||
| Royal house: | Solomonic dynasty | ||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||
| Population | 69,124,000 (19th largest) | ||||||
| Established | 1270 AD (Solomonic dynasty) | ||||||
| Currency | Ethiopian birr | ||||||
| Internet TLD | .et | ||||||
| Organizations | League of Nations G30 African Union | ||||||
Ethiopia, officially the Kingdom of Ethiopia is a constitutional monarchy in the Horn of Africa that is frequently described as one of the most well-developed nations on the continent. Ethiopia shares borders with Egypt and Uganda to the west, Kenya to the south, Italian Somaliland to the east, and British Somaliland to the north-northeast.
Its modern origins can be traced as far back as 980 BC, while the nation's current ruling house, the Solomonic dynasty, can trace its roots to Israel's King Solomon of the same period. The modern Solomonic dynasty was founded in 1270 AD and has ruled virtually uninterrupted since.
As one of the most well-developed countries in Africa, Ethiopia enjoys relative stability, both politically and economically. It is a member of the League of Nations, G30, and the African Union. The nation has seen recent benefits from a United Global Industries'-assisted effort to modernize its electrical grid with renewable solar energy, in addition to upgrades (and in some cases, outright replacement) of the aging hydropower facilities that provide much of Ethiopia's power and water.
History[]
Pre-1270[]
Interaction with Europe (1490-1888)[]
Italo-Ethiopian War (1896)[]
Early 20th century (1900-1914)[]
World War I (1915-1919)[]
Main Article: World War I (1915-1919)
Interwar period (1920-1938)[]
World War II (1939-1945)[]
Main Article: World War II (1938-1945)
Post-War Reformation and Modernization (1946-1976)[]
Modern Times (1990-Present)[]
Military[]
Ethiopia's military is the second largest in Africa (after South Africa), with 3.2 million active and reserve troops. It is also one of the most experienced and well-equipped militaries on the continent.
The navy maintains a force of twenty-two submarines, twenty destroyers, eight cruisers, two battleships, and one aircraft carrier, out of Massawa in Eritrea and Jabuuti in Afar. The air force is also the most well-equipped and one of the most experienced in Africa, mainly operating around 300 American-built F-16s and F-20s. The F-18 is also used, but in limited numbers and from the navy's sole carrier, the Haile Selassie. Ethiopia's principal allies include the United States, the United Kingdom, Uganda, and Kenya.
Ethiopia was key to the Gulf Agreement of 1993, and one of the initial signatories along with Italy, the UK, and Kenya.
Nuclear arsenal[]
Main Article: Nuclear weapons
Ethiopia is also known to be one of only two African nations to acknowledge a nuclear stockpile (South Africa being the other), with 200 nuclear warheads stored at military bases and silos in the Amhara and Oromia regions, and though the majority of its' delivery systems are bomber-based, Ethiopia does possess local-range SRBMs, mid-range IRBMs and roughly a half-dozen ICBM silos. A majority of the nation's nuclear capacity and capability was built up during the Cold War, as a key American ally in the region and deterrent to Communist aggressors (to a lesser extent, Italy and Yemen, as well, both of whom Ethiopia has had a rather tumultuous relationship with in the past).
International relations[]
Demographics[]
Population[]
Territory[]
Main Article: Provinces of Ethiopia