About Ethiopia

Ethiopia at a glance: geography, history, government, economy, culture, holidays and tourism.

Overview

Location: The Horn of Africa. Ethiopia has no coastline.
Neighbours: Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan and Sudan
Languages: More than 80 languages. Amharic is the official language; Afaan Oromoo and Tigrinya are also widely spoken.
Time: GMT+3. Many Ethiopians count the hours from 6 a.m., so 7 a.m. is 1 o’clock in Ethiopian time.
Calendar: Ethiopia has its own calendar of 13 months. The new year starts on 11 September.
Climate: Dry from October to May, with short rains in March; the main rains fall from June to September. The highlands rarely go above 25°C.

The 3.2-million-year-old human ancestor known as “Lucy” was found at Hadar in 1974.
The ancient kingdom of Axum; Christianity arrived in the 4th century.
Ethiopia defeated Italy at the Battle of Adwa in 1896.
The current constitution was adopted in December 1994.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office on 2 April 2018 and won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

The embassy’s overview page gives different population and area figures in different places, so they are not repeated here.

Official source: ethioembassy.ca ↗· Photos: Embassy of Ethiopia (ethioembassy.ca)

Ethiopia is a federal, multi-party parliamentary democracy.

Parliament has two houses: the House of Peoples’ Representatives (547 members) and the House of Federation (110 members).
The party that wins the election forms the government and chooses the Prime Minister.
Federal and regional elections are held every five years.
The President is elected by Parliament.

Other ministers (21)

As listed on the embassy’s website, last updated in April 2025. Appointments may have changed since.

Official source: ethioembassy.ca ↗· Photos: Embassy of Ethiopia (ethioembassy.ca)

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and one of Africa’s largest coffee producers.
Main exports include coffee, oilseeds and pulses, hides and skins, gold and cut flowers.
It is one of the world’s ten largest livestock producers.
Hydropower is a major resource, with plans to sell electricity to neighbouring countries.
Development has focused on agriculture-led industrialization and large investments in railways and power.
Ethiopia belongs to the regional blocs IGAD and COMESA. China is one of its leading partners.

Most of the embassy’s economy page dates from the early 2010s. For current figures, ask the Ethiopian Investment Commission.

Official source: ethioembassy.ca ↗· Photos: Embassy of Ethiopia (ethioembassy.ca)

Injera, a sour flatbread made from teff, is eaten by hand from a shared plate, with stews spiced with berbere.
On Orthodox fasting days, meals are vegan.
Traditional drinks include tej (honey wine) and tela (home-brewed beer).
Coffee comes from Ethiopia. In the coffee ceremony, beans are roasted, ground and brewed in a clay pot, with incense and fresh grass on the floor.

Dates are shown only where the embassy’s page gives one.

Official source: ethioembassy.ca ↗· Photos: Embassy of Ethiopia (ethioembassy.ca)

Ethiopia is called a cradle of civilization: “Lucy” was found here.
Historic sites include the obelisks of Axum, the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela and the castles of Gondar.
National parks, adventure travel and ecotourism.

Official source: ethioembassy.ca ↗· Photos: Embassy of Ethiopia (ethioembassy.ca)