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Basic Indicators
Population: 77,431,000 (2005)
National Language: Ahmaric, Arabic, Somali, Tigrinya
Per capita income: US$ 160 (2005)
Life expectancy: 48 (2005)
22% of population using
improved drinking water sources (2004)
13% of population using
adequate sanitation facilities
(2004)
Under 5 Mortality Rate: 164/1,000 live births (2005)
State of the World's Children Report
2007 (published by Unicef) |
 Ethiopia
is unique among African countries because, with the brief
exception of Italian invasion during World War II, it was
never ruled by a colonial power. It is one of the oldest independent
countries in the world.
Located in the Horn of Africa and roughly twice the size of
Texas, landlocked Ethiopia has borders with Eritrea and Djibouti
to the north, Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south and
Sudan to the west. Civil war, combined with the spillover
of violent conflicts in surrounding countries, has created
a large number of refugees which tax the country's capacity
to provide for its citizens.
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Nearly 80 percent of Ethiopians work
in agriculture, growing cash crops like coffee and qat,
a stimulant drug that is legal in Ethiopia and surrounding
countries.
Recurring droughts have hit the agriculture industry hard
in the past few years, leading to widespread food shortages.
Ethiopia is one of the world's poorest countries and is
heavily indebted.
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