|
II. LAND AND RESOURCES
Ethiopia covers an area of 1,133,380 sq km (437,600 sq mi). The heart of the country is a high tableland, known as the Ethiopian Plateau, that covers more than half the total area of the country. The plateau is split diagonally in a northeastern to southwestern direction by the Great Rift Valley. Although the average elevation of the plateau is about 1,680 m (about 5,500 ft), it is cut by many rivers and deep valleys,
- CLIMATE : The climate of Ethiopia varies mainly according to elevation. The tropical zone below approximately 1,800 m (approximately 6,000 ft) has an average annual temperature of about 27°C (about 80°F) and receives less than about 500 mm (about 20 in) of rain annually.
- NATURAL RESOURCES : The resources of Ethiopia are primarily agricultural. The plateau area is fertile and largely undeveloped.
- PLANTS AND ANIMALS : The great variations in elevation are directly reflected in the kind of vegetation found in Ethiopia.
- SOILS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES : The highland of Ethiopia is made up of folded and fractured crystalline rocks capped by sedimentary limestone and sandstone and by thick layers of volcanic lava.
 Read More ...
|
III. POPULATION
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS : The population of Ethiopia (2007 estimate) is 76,511,887, yielding an overall density of 68 persons per sq km (177 per sq mi).
POLITICAL DIVISIONS : Ethiopia is divided into nine regions composed of specific ethnic groups.
PRINCIPAL CITIES : Addis Ababa is the largest city in Ethiopia;
RELIGION : The Ethiopian Orthodox Union Church (see Abyssinian Church), an autonomous Christian sect headed by a patriarch and closely related to the Coptic church of Egypt, was the state church of Ethiopia until 1974.
LANGUAGE : Of the 70 or more languages spoken in Ethiopia, most belong to the Semitic and Cushitic branches of the Afro-Asiatic family.
EDUCATION : A major program to increase literacy in Ethiopia was started in 1979, but by 2005 only 45 percent of the population could read and write.
CULTURE : The most significant area of Ethiopian culture is in the field of literature, represented predominantly by translations from ancient Greek, Arabic, and other languages into the ancient Ge’ez and modern Amharic.
Read More ...
|
| |
|
II. LAND AND RESOURCES
Ethiopia covers an area of 1,133,380 sq km (437,600 sq mi). The heart of the country is a high tableland, known as the Ethiopian Plateau, that covers more than half the total area of the country. The plateau is split diagonally in a northeastern to southwestern direction by the Great Rift Valley. Although the average elevation of the plateau is about 1,680 m (about 5,500 ft), it is cut by many rivers and deep valleys,
- CLIMATE : The climate of Ethiopia varies mainly according to elevation. The tropical zone below approximately 1,800 m (approximately 6,000 ft) has an average annual temperature of about 27°C (about 80°F) and receives less than about 500 mm (about 20 in) of rain annually.
- NATURAL RESOURCES : The resources of Ethiopia are primarily agricultural. The plateau area is fertile and largely undeveloped.
- PLANTS AND ANIMALS : The great variations in elevation are directly reflected in the kind of vegetation found in Ethiopia.
- SOILS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES : The highland of Ethiopia is made up of folded and fractured crystalline rocks capped by sedimentary limestone and sandstone and by thick layers of volcanic lava.
Read More ...
|
III. POPULATION
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS : The population of Ethiopia (2007 estimate) is 76,511,887, yielding an overall density of 68 persons per sq km (177 per sq mi).
POLITICAL DIVISIONS : Ethiopia is divided into nine regions composed of specific ethnic groups.
PRINCIPAL CITIES : Addis Ababa is the largest city in Ethiopia;
RELIGION : The Ethiopian Orthodox Union Church (see Abyssinian Church), an autonomous Christian sect headed by a patriarch and closely related to the Coptic church of Egypt, was the state church of Ethiopia until 1974.
LANGUAGE : Of the 70 or more languages spoken in Ethiopia, most belong to the Semitic and Cushitic branches of the Afro-Asiatic family.
EDUCATION : A major program to increase literacy in Ethiopia was started in 1979, but by 2005 only 45 percent of the population could read and write.
CULTURE : The most significant area of Ethiopian culture is in the field of literature, represented predominantly by translations from ancient Greek, Arabic, and other languages into the ancient Ge’ez and modern Amharic.
Read More ...
|
|
