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 total; 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; separatist movement in Eritrea; antigovernment insurgencies in Tigray and other areas 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; major resettlement project--that was ongoing in rural areas and would have significantly altered population distribution and settlement patterns over the next several decades--has been derailed because of ongoing civil wars PEOPLE Population: 53,191,127 (July 1991), growth rate 3.1% (1991) Birth rate: 45 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 114 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 50 years male, 53 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 7.0 children born/woman (1991) 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% Religion: Muslim 40-45%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35-40%, animist 15-20%, other 5% Language: 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 GOVERNMENT Long-form name: People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Type: on 28 May 1991 the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) took control in Addis Ababa; on 29 May 1991 Issayas AFEWORKE, secretary general of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), announced the formation of a provisional government in Eritrea, in preparation for an eventual referendum on independence for the province Capital: Addis Ababa Administrative divisions: 25 administrative regions (astedader akababiwach, singular--astedader akababi) and 5 autonomous regions* (rasgez akababiwach, singular--rasgez akababi); Addis Abeba (Addis Ababa), Arsi, Aseb*, Asosa, Bale, Borena, Debub Gonder, Debub Shewa, Debub Welo, Dire Dawa*, Ertra (Eritrea)*, Gambela, Gamo Gofa, Ilubabor, Kefa, Metekel, Mirab Gojam, Mirab Harerge, Mirab Shewa, Misrak Gojam, Misrak Harerge, Nazaret, Ogaden*, Omo, Semen Gonder, Semen Shewa, Semen Welo, Sidamo, Tigray*, Welega Independence: oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world--at least 2,000 years Constitution: 12 September 1987 Legal system: complex structure with civil, Islamic, common, and customary law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: National Revolution Day, 12 September (1974) Executive branch: president, vice president, Council of State prime minister, five deputy prime ministers, Council of Ministers Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Shengo) Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State--Interim President Meles ZENAWI (since 1 June 1991); Head of Government--Acting Prime Minister Tamrat LAYNE (since 6 June 1991) Political parties and leaders: only party--Workers' Party of Ethiopia (WPE) Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: President--last held 10 September 1987 (next to be held September 1992); results--MENGISTU Haile-Mariam elected by the National Assembly, but resigned and left Ethiopia on 21 May 1991; National Assembly--last held 14 June 1987 (next to be held NA); results--WPE was the only party; seats--(835 total) WPE 835 Other political or pressure groups: Oromo Liberation Front; Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP) 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; US--Charge d'Affaires Robert G. HOUDEK; Embassy at Entoto Street, Addis Ababa (mailing address is P.O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa); telephone 251 (01) 550666 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 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 then 10% of agriculture, is state run. Favorable agricultural weather largely explains the 4.5% growth in output in FY89. GDP: $6.6 billion, per capita $130, real growth rate - 0.4% (FY89 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; 700 million kWh produced, 14 kWh per capita (1989) 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 (1970-88), $3.1 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) Fiscal year: 8 July-7 July 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 bituminous, 9,650 km gravel, 3,000 km improved earth, 28,000 km unimproved earth Ports: Aseb, Mitsiwa Merchant marine: 13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 69,398 GRT/89,457 DWT; includes 9 cargo, 1 roll-on/roll off cargo, 1 livestock carrier, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker Civil air: 21 major transport aircraft Airports: 153 total, 111 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 49 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; stations--4 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 45,000 TV sets; 3,300,000 radios; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense, Police Force Manpower availability: males 15-49, 11,717,614; 6,072,112 fit for military service; 609,346 reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: $NA, 8.5% of GDP (1988)