Portal:Ethiopia
Introduction
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia | |
|---|---|
| Anthem: [ወደፊት ገስግሺ ፣ ውድ እናት ኢትዮጵያ] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |bold= (help) (English: "March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia") | |
| ISO 3166 code | ET |
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE), is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the southeast, Kenya to the south, South Sudan to the west, and Sudan to the northwest. Ethiopia covers a land area of 1,104,300 km2 (426,400 sq mi). As of 2026[update], it has around 138 million inhabitants, making it the 10th-most populous country in the world and 2nd most populous country in Africa. The national capital and largest city, Addis Ababa, lies several kilometres west of the East African Rift that splits the country into the African and Somali tectonic plates.
Anatomically modern humans emerged in what is now Ethiopia. In 980 BC, the Kingdom of D'mt extended its realm over Eritrea and the northern region of Ethiopia, while the Kingdom of Aksum maintained a unified civilisation in the region for 900 years. Christianity arrived to the kingdom in 330 AD, while Islam gained influence during the first Hijra in 615. After the collapse of Aksum in 960, the Zagwe dynasty ruled the north-central parts of Ethiopia. The Shewan usurper, Yekuno Amlak, overthrew the dynasty in 1270 at the Battle of Ansata, inaugurating the Ethiopian Empire and the Solomonic dynasty – asserting its lineage through Aksumite legitimacy by the biblical Solomon and Queen of Sheba, and Menelik I was the first emperor. Under Emperor Amda Seyon I (r. 1314–1344), the empire grew in prestige through territorial expansion against neighbouring Muslim territories. Later, the Ethiopian–Adal War (1529–1543) weakened the empire and opened the way for the Oromo expansion. The growing influence of the Oromo at the Gondarine court ultimately contributed to the fragmentation known as Zemene Mesafint, beginning in 1769. Emperor Tewodros II ended the Zemene Mesafint at the beginning of his reign in 1855, marking the reunification and modernisation of Ethiopia. (Full article...)
Selected article -
The emperor of Ethiopia (Ge'ez: ንጉሠ ነገሥት, romanized: nəgusä nägäst, "King of Kings"), also known as the Atse (Amharic: ዐፄ, "emperor"), was the hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century until the abolition of the monarchy in 1975. The emperor was the head of state and head of government, with ultimate executive, judicial and legislative power in that country. A National Geographic article from 1965 called Imperial Ethiopia "nominally a constitutional monarchy; in fact it was a benevolent autocracy". (Full article...)
Selected biography -
Haile Selassie I (born Tafari Makonnen or Lij Tafari; 23 July 1892 – 27 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (Enderase) under Empress Zewditu between 1916 and 1930.
Widely considered to be a defining figure in modern Ethiopian history, he is accorded divine importance in Rastafari, an Abrahamic religion that emerged in the 1930s. A few years before he began his reign over the Ethiopian Empire, Selassie defeated Ethiopian army commander Ras Gugsa Welle Bitul, nephew of Empress Taytu Betul, at the Battle of Anchem. He belonged to the Solomonic dynasty, founded by Emperor Yekuno Amlak in 1270. (Full article...)
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Things you can do
- Visit the Ethiopian Wikipedians' notice board.
- The noticeboard is the central forum for information and discussion on editing related to Ethiopia.
- Comment at the Ethiopian deletion sorting page.
- This page lists deletion discussions on topics relating to Ethiopia
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Did you know -

- ... that a volcano in Ethiopia had its first recorded explosive eruption in 2025?
- ... that Eritrea's abortion law was based on Ethiopia's, which was based on Switzerland's, which was based on France's?
- ... that Ethiopian migrants have to stay in Malawi's overcrowded Maula Prison until they can fund their own deportation?
In the news
- 22 October 2026 –
- The Athletics Integrity Unit bans Ethiopian marathon runner Ruti Aga for six years after she tested positive for methylprednisolone and submitted false information and a forged prescription during an investigation. (AFP via France 24)
- 10 October 2026 – Ethiopian civil conflict
- 2026 Ethiopian offensive
- 2026 Eritrean incursion into Ethiopia
- Ethiopian forces regain control of Adigrat in the Tigray Region following a withdrawal of Eritrean forces. Celebrations are reported in the city following the withdrawal. (Oman Observer) (Al Jazeera) (UA News)
- 7 October 2026 – Ethiopian civil conflict
- 2026 Ethiopian offensive
- 2026 Eritrean incursion into Ethiopia
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