Portal:Ethiopia

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
የኢትዮጵያ ፌደራላዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ (Amharic)
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia የኢትዮጵያ ፌደራላዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ (Amharic)
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	Anthem: ; [ወደፊት ገስግሺ ፣ ውድ እናት ኢትዮጵያ] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: \|bold= (help); (English: "March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia");
ISO 3166 code	ET

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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...)

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The Ogaden War, also known as the Ethio-Somali War (Somali: Dagaalkii Xoraynta Soomaali Galbeed, Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ሶማሊያ ጦርነት, romanized: ye’ītiyop’iya somalīya t’orinet), was a military conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia fought from July 1977 to March 1978 over control of the sovereignty of the Ogaden region. Somalia launched an invasion in support of the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF) insurgency, triggering a broader inter-state war. The intervention drew the disapproval of the Soviet Union, which subsequently withdrew its support for Somalia and backed Ethiopia instead.

Ethiopia was saved from defeat and permanent loss of territory through a massive airlift of military supplies worth $1 billion, the arrival of more than 12,000 Cuban soldiers and airmen and 1,500 Soviet advisors, led by General Vasily Petrov. On 23 January 1978, Cuban armored brigades inflicted the worst losses the Somali forces had ever taken in a single action since the start of the war. (Full article...)

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Al Pouessi, baptized Marthe Adélaïde Modeste Testas and known under the name of Modeste Testas (1765 – 1870) was an Ethiopian woman who was enslaved, purchased by Bordeaux merchants and subsequently freed after living on three continents. One of her grandsons is a former president of Haiti, François Denys Légitime. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Ethiopia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Ethiopian New Year, Enkutatash, is celebrated across the country, with the 'adey abeba' (Bidens macroptera) flower symbolising a new beginning. (from Ethiopia)
Image 2This meal consisting of injera and several kinds of wat ('stew'), is typical of Ethiopian cuisine. (from Ethiopia)
Image 3The African Union Headquarters located in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia is a founding member of the AU. (from Ethiopia)
Image 4Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) training under AMISOM, 2021 (from Ethiopia)
Image 5Fasil Ghebbi, one of the key castles of the Gondarine period (from Ethiopia)
Image 6Afewerk Tekle's "The Last Judgment" at St. George's Cathedral (from Ethiopia)
Image 7Map of regions and zones of Ethiopia (from Ethiopia)
Image 8Entrance of Addis Ababa University (from Ethiopia)
Image 9The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam constructed between 2011 and 2023, set to be the largest dam in Africa (from Ethiopia)
Image 10Yared in a piece of 15th century Ethiopian sacred art holding a mequamia ('prayer stick') (from Ethiopia)
Image 11The Empire of Axum at its peak in the 6th century (from Ethiopia)
Image 12Cultural performance in Addis Ababa (from Ethiopia)
Image 13Abebe Bikila, Ethiopia's first Olympic gold medalist (from Ethiopia)
Image 14Biete Medhane Alem, built during Zagwe dynasty in the Middle Ages (from Ethiopia)
Image 15The Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, former headquarters in Addis Ababa (from Ethiopia)
Image 16The Federal Supreme Court is the highest court determining constitutionality of ordeals in the nation. (from Ethiopia)
Image 17An Ethiopian logistics shipping cargo docked at the Red Sea (from Ethiopia)
Image 18Emperor Haile Selassie I with U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt during the end of World War II (from Ethiopia)
Image 19Declining child mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa and Ethiopia since 1950 (from Ethiopia)
Image 20The Ethiopia Museum of Art and Science showcases the country's newest innovations. (from Ethiopia)
Image 21Sheger Park is the largest park in the country, hosting hundreds of thousands of visitors a year since its opening. (from Ethiopia)
Image 22Ruth Negga is an Ethiopian-born Irish actress. (from Ethiopia)
Image 23A Walia ibex in Simien Mountains National Park, one of the national symbols of Ethiopia, found only in the north of the country (from Ethiopia)
Image 24Fasil Ghebbi complex, built in the 17th century. (from Ethiopia)
Image 25Ethiopian troops sent by the government under the Emperor Haile Selassie I during the Korean War fighting for South Korean independence (from Ethiopia)
Image 26Ethiopian PM Meles Zenawi (bottom row, fourth from left) in G8 meeting in 2007 (from Ethiopia)
Image 27Development of GDP per capita (from Ethiopia)
Image 28Köppen climate classification of Ethiopia (from Ethiopia)
Image 29A group of men gather in a rural village for health training. (from Ethiopia)
Image 30The Blue Nile Falls during winter provides over 86% of the Nile river's water, coming from melted snow in the Simien Mountains. (from Ethiopia)
Image 31Meles Zenawi, a panelist at World Economic Forum on Africa 2012 (from Ethiopia)
Image 32Afewerk Tekle (1965) (from Ethiopia)
Image 33Aksumite currency of the Aksumite king Endybis (227–235), British Museum (from Ethiopia)
Image 34Mengistu Haile Mariam was sentenced to death in absentia for committing crimes during his rule. (from Ethiopia)
Image 35House of Peoples' Representatives is the lower house of the Ethiopian Federal Parliamentary Assembly. (from Ethiopia)
Image 36A Homo sapiens idaltu hominid skull (from Ethiopia)
Image 37Over 6 million residents live in Addis Ababa, the financial epicentre of the country. (from Ethiopia)
Image 38The Aksumite Steles served as official markers for the Emperors of Ethiopia during the time of the Aksumite Empire. (from Ethiopia)
Image 39A copy of 17th century philosophical and ethical treatise by Ethiopian philosopher Zara Yaqob (from Ethiopia)
Image 40Relief map of Ethiopia (from Ethiopia)
Image 41PM Abiy Ahmed with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023 (from Ethiopia)

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Selected pictures

Image 1

Haile Selassie was Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. The heir to a dynasty that traced its origins to the 13th century, and from there by tradition back to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, he is a defining figure in both Ethiopian and African history. Selassie is revered as the religious symbol for God incarnate among the Rastafari movement, whose name comes from Ras (literally "Head," an Ethiopian title equivalent to Duke), and Tafari Makonnen, Selassie's pre-coronation name.

Photo credit: American Colony, Jerusalem
Image 2

Saint George (died 23 April 303) was a soldier of Cappadocian Greek origin. A member of Roman emperor Diocletian's Praetorian Guard, he was sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith. He is immortalised in the legend of Saint George and the Dragon and his feast day is celebrated on 23 April. Saint George is claimed as their patron saint by England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Catalonia and several other nation states, as well as by various cities, universities, professions and organisations.

Painting credit: Carlo Crivelli
Image 3

The plains zebra (Equus quagga, subspecies Grant's zebra pictured) is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra. It ranges from the south of Ethiopia through East Africa to as far south as Angola and eastern South Africa. The plains zebra is mid-sized, smaller on average than the other two zebra species, and thick-bodied with relatively short legs. Adults of both sexes can stand from 1.1 to 1.47 m (3.6 to 4.8 ft) high at the shoulder, are 2 to 2.5 m (6.6 to 8.2 ft) long (excluding the tail), and weigh 175 to 387 kg (386 to 853 lb), with males slightly heavier than females.

Photo credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim
Image 4

The black-chested snake eagle (Circaetus pectoralis) is a large African bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It resembles other snake eagles and was formerly considered conspecific with the short-toed and Beaudouin's snake eagles, to which it is closely related. As well as feeding on snakes, which may be swallowed while still alive, it feeds on lizards, small mammals, frogs and insects. It typically perches in an elevated position ready to swoop silently to capture its prey, before returning to its perch to eat.

Photo credit: Charles J. Sharp
Image 5

The black-headed lapwing (Vanellus tectus tectus) is a resident breeder located across sub-Saharan Africa, living in locations ranging from Senegal to Ethiopia.

Photo credit: Charles J. Sharp

Did you know - load new batch

... 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?

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