Access to THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1994 provided courtesy of
the libraries of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
======================================================
National Trade Data Bank
ITEM ID     : CI WOFACT WO0076
DATE        : Oct 28, 1994
 
AGENCY      : CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
PROGRAM     : WORLD FACTBOOK
TITLE       : World Factbook: Ethiopia
 
Source key      : CI 
Program key     : CI WOFACT 
Update sched.   : Annually         
Data type       : TEXT 
End year        : 1994
Date of record  : 19941020
Keywords 3      :  
Keywords 3      : | Ethiopia 
 
 
                                 Ethiopia
 
 
                                 Geography
 
Location:
     Eastern Africa, between Somalia and Sudan
Map references:
     Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     1,127,127 sq km
land area:
     1,119,683 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
     total 5,311 km, Djibouti 337 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 830 km, Somalia
     1,626 km, Sudan 1,606 km
Coastline:
     none - landlocked
Maritime claims:
     none - landlocked
International disputes:
     southern half of the boundary with Somalia is a Provisional
     Administrative Line; territorial dispute with Somalia over the Ogaden
Climate:
     tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation
Terrain:
     high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
Natural resources:
     small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash
Land use:
arable land:
     12%
permanent crops:
     1%
meadows and pastures:
     41%
forest and woodland:
     24%
other:
     22%
Irrigated land:
     1,620 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
     deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; famine
natural hazards:
     geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes,
     volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
international agreements:
     party to - Endangered Species; signed, but not ratified -
     Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the
     Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
 
 
Note:
     landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de
     jure independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993
 
                                  People
 
Population:
     54,927,108 (July 1994 est.)
note:
     Ethiopian demographic data, except population and population growth
     rate, include Eritrea
Population growth rate:
     3.4% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     45.01 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     13.89 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     2.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     106.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     52.67 years
male:
     51 years
female:
     54.38 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     6.81 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Ethiopian(s)
adjective:
     Ethiopian
Ethnic divisions:
     Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigrean 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%,
     Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%
Religions:
     Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 5%
Languages:
     Amharic (official), Tigrinya, Orominga, Guaraginga, Somali, Arabic,
     English (major foreign language taught in schools)
Literacy:
     age 10 and over can read and write (1984)
total population:
     24%
male:
     33%
female:
     16%
Labor force:
     18 million
 
 
by occupation:
     agriculture and animal husbandry 80%, government and services 12%,
     industry and construction 8% (1985)
 
                                Government
 
Names:
conventional long form:
     none
conventional short form:
local long form:
     none
local short form:
     Ityop'iya
Digraph:
     ET
Type:
     transitional government
note:
     on 28 May 1991 the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
     (EPRDF) toppled the authoritarian government of MENGISTU Haile-Mariam
     and took control in Addis Ababa; the Transitional Government of
     Ethiopia (TGE), announced a two-year transitional period
Capital:
     Addis Ababa
Administrative divisions:
     14 administrative regions (astedader akababiwach, singular - astedader
     akababi) Addis Ababa, Afar, Amhara, Benishangul, Gambela,
     Gurage-Hadiya-Kambata, Harer, Kefa, Omo, Oromo, Sidamo, Somali,
     Tigray, Wolayta
Independence:
     oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the
     world - at least 2,000 years
National holiday:
     National Day, 28 May (1991) (defeat of Mengistu regime)
Constitution:
     to be redrafted by 1993
Legal system:
     NA
Suffrage:
     18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
     President MELES Zenawi (since 1 June 1991); election last held 10
     September 1987; next election planned after new constitution drafted;
     results - MENGISTU Haile-Mariam elected by the now defunct National
     Assembly, but resigned and left Ethiopia on 21 May 1991
head of government:
     Prime Minister TAMIRAT Layne (since 6 June 1991)
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers; designated by the chairman of the Council of
     Representatives
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
 
 
Constituent Assembly:
     elections were held on 5 June 1994 (next to be held NA); results - NA;
     a major task of the new Assembly will be to ratify the constitution to
     drafted by the end of 1994
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
     Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), MELES
     Zenawi; Oromo People's Democratic Organization (OPDO), Kuma DEMEKSA
Other political or pressure groups:
     Oromo Liberation Front (OLF); Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party
     (EPRP); numerous small, ethnic-based groups have formed since
     Mengistu's resignation, including several Islamic militant groups
Member of:
     ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD,
     IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS,
     NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador BERHANE Gebre-Christos
chancery:
     2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
     (202) 234-2281 or 2282
FAX:
     (202) 328-7950
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Marc A. BAAS
embassy:
     Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
mailing address:
     P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
telephone:
     [251] (1) 550-666
FAX:
     [251] (1) 552-191
Flag:
     three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red; Ethiopia
     is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the colors of her
     flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon
     independence that they became known as the pan-African colors
 
                                  Economy
 
 
Overview:
     With the independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993, Ethiopia continues
     to face difficult economic problems as one of the poorest and least
     developed countries in Africa. (The accompanying analysis and figures
     predate the independence of Eritrea.) Its economy is based on
     subsistence agriculture, which accounts for about 45% of GDP, 90% of
     exports, and 80% of total employment; coffee generates 60% of export
     earnings. The manufacturing sector is heavily dependent on inputs from
     the agricultural sector. Over 90% of large-scale industry, but less
     than 10% of agriculture, is state run; the government is considering
     selling off a portion of state-owned plants. Favorable agricultural
     weather largely explains the 4.5% growth in output in FY89, whereas
     drought and deteriorating internal security conditions prevented
     growth in FY90. In 1991 the lack of law and order, particularly in the
     south, interfered with economic development and growth. In 1992,
     because of some easing of civil strife and aid from the outside world,
     the economy substantially improved.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $22.7 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     7.8% (FY93 est)
National product per capita:
     $400 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     21% (1992 est)
Unemployment rate:
     NA%
Budget:
revenues:
     $NA
expenditures:
     $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)
Exports:
     $189 million (f.o.b., FY91)
commodities:
     coffee, leather products, gold, petroleum products
partners:
     Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, France, Italy
Imports:
     $472 million (c.i.f., FY91)
commodities:
     capital goods, consumer goods, fuel
partners:
     US, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Japan
External debt:
     $3.48 billion (1991)
Industrial production:
     growth rate -3.3% (FY92); accounts for 12% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
     330,000 kW
production:
     650 million kWh
consumption per capita:
     10 kWh (1991)
 
 
Industries:
     food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing,
     cement
Agriculture:
     accounts for 47% of GDP and is the most important sector of the
     economy even though frequent droughts and poor cultivation practices
     keep farm output low; famines not uncommon; export crops of coffee and
     oilseeds grown partly on state farms; estimated 50% of agricultural
     production at subsistence level; principal crops and livestock -
     cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseeds, sugarcane, potatoes and other
     vegetables, hides and skins, cattle, sheep, goats
Illicit drugs:
     transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and
     destined for Europe and North America as well as cocaine destined for
     southern African markets; cultivates qat (chat) for local use and
     regional export
Economic aid:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $504 million; Western
     (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.4
     billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $8 million; Communist countries
     (1970-89), $2 billion
Currency:
     1 birr (Br) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
     birr (Br) per US$1 - 5.0000 (fixed rate since 1992); fixed at 2.070
     before 1992
Fiscal year:
     8 July - 7 July
 
                              Communications
 
Highways:
total:
     24,127 km
paved:
     3,289 km
unpaved:
     gravel 6,664 km; improved earth 1,652 km; unimproved earth 12,522 km
     (1993)
Ports:
     none; landlocked
Merchant marine:
     12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 62,627 GRT/88,909 DWT, cargo 8,
     livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 2, roll on/roll off cargo 1
Airports:
total:
     120
usable:
     84
with permanent-surface runways:
     10
with runways over 3,659 m:
     1
 
 
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     15
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     83
Telecommunications:
     open-wire and radio relay system adequate for government use;
     open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and
     Djibouti; broadcast stations - 4 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 100,000 TV sets;
     9,000,000 radios; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
     and 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT
 
                              Defense Forces
 
Branches:
     Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 13,229,078; fit for military service 6,867,582; reach
     military age (18) annually 596,691 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     $NA, NA% of GDP
 
 
 
===========================================================================
This section of THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1994 produced by the United States
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was derived from the US Dept. of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Division's NATIONAL TRADE DATA BANK (NTDB) CD-ROM,
November, 1994, SuDoc No. C 1.88:994/11/v.1-2 / Presented by Raleigh Muns,
(srcmuns@umslvma.umsl.edu) University of Missouri-St. Louis Libraries.