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About Ethiopia

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Capital: Addis Ababa population > 3 million

Area: 1.13 million sq km (437.794 sq miles)

Population: 123 million (2022)

Major languages: Amharic, Oromo, Tigrinya, Somali

Major religions: Christianity, Islam

Life expectancy: 65 years (2021)

Urban population: 21% (2019)

Monetary unit: 1 Birr (ETB) = 100 cents

Main exports: Coffee, hides, oilseeds, beeswax, sugarcane, flowers

GNI per capita: US $660 (World Bank, 2016)

Human Development Index rank: 174 out 188 countries in 2016 (UN)

29.6 % population living below the poverty line in 2010 (World Bank)

Annual growth rate; 7.6%,in 2016, 10.4% in 2015. (World Bank)

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Ethiopia is a mountainous country in East Africa situated between 18° and 4° N. It is bordered by Sudan and South Sudan on the west, Kenya on the south, Somalia and Djibouti on the east, and Eritrea in the north. Large parts of the country lie between 1,800m/6,000 ft and 2,400 m/8,000 ft and the highest mountain rises to over 4,600 m/15,000 ft.

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There are lowland regions in the east of the country. Most of Ethiopia has a tropical climate moderated by altitude, with a marked wet season at the time of high sun. The eastern lowlands are much drier with a hot, semi-arid to desert climate.

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Ethiopia is one of Africa’s poorest states. Half the males and only 41% of the females are literate (2015). The economy revolves around agriculture, which in turn relies on rainfall. The country is one of Africa’s leading coffee producers. 43% of the population is under 15 years of age.

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