Ethiopia
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.

Location: Eastern Africa, west of Somalia

Climate: tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

Population: 67,851,281

Religions: Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 3%-8%

Languages: Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other local languages, English (major
foreign language taught in schools)

Economy: 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.

HIV/AIDS: Adult prevalence rate – 4.4% (2003 est.) People living with HIV/AIDS – 1.5 million (2003 est.)
Deaths – 120,000 (2003 est.)

Construction continues