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Communications

Airports [time series]

total: 121 usable: 82 with permanent-surface runways: 9 with runways over 3,659 m: 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 13 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 83 (1993 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

39,150 km total; 2,776 km paved, 7,504 km gravel, 2,054 km improved earth, 26,816 km unimproved earth (1993 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

none; landlocked

Ports [time series]

none; landlocked

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

781 km total; 781 km 1.000-meter gauge; 307 km 0.950-meter gauge linking Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) to Djibouti; control of railroad is shared between Djibouti and Ethiopia

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

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

Affiliation [time series]

(possession of France)

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49 12,793,340; fit for military service 6,640,616; reach military age (18) annually 576,329 (1993 est.)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues $1.4 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $565 million (FY91)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 birr (Br) = 100 cents

Economic aid [time series]

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), $2.0 billion

Electricity [time series]

330,000 kW capacity; 650 million kWh produced, 10 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates [time series]

birr (Br) per US$1 - 5.0000 (fixed rate)

Exports [time series]

$276 million (f.o.b., FY90) commodities: coffee, leather products, gold, petroleum products partners: EC, Djibouti, Japan, Saudi Arabia, US

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$3.48 billion (1991)

Fiscal year [time series]

8 July - 7 July

Illicit drugs [time series]

transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and destined for Europe and North America; cultivates qat (chat) for local use and regional export

Imports [time series]

$1.0 billion (c.i.f., FY90) commodities: capital goods, consumer goods, fuel partners: EC, Eastern Europe, Japan, US

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 2.3% (FY89 est.); accounts for 12% of GDP

Industries [time series]

food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing, cement

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

7.8% (1989)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (National product) [time series]

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $6.6 billion (FY92 est.)

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$130 (FY92 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

6% (FY92 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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.

Unemployment rate [time series]

NA%

Geography

Area [time series]

total area: 1,127,127 km2 land area: 1,119,683 km2 comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Climate [time series]

tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation; some areas prone to extended droughts

Coastline [time series]

none - landlocked

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; frequent droughts; famine

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

southern half of the boundary with Somalia is a Provisional Administrative Line; possible claim by Somalia based on unification of ethnic Somalis; territorial dispute with Somalia over the Ogaden

Irrigated land [time series]

1,620 km2 (1989 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total 5,311 km, Djibouti 337 km, Erithea 912 km, Kenya 830 km, Somalia 1,626 km, Sudan 1,606 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 12% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 41% forest and woodland: 24% other: 22%

Location [time series]

Eastern Africa, between Somalia and Sudan

Map references [time series]

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims [time series]

none - landlocked

Natural resources [time series]

small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash

Note [time series]

landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993

Terrain [time series]

high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

Addis Ababa

Constitution [time series]

to be redrafted by 1993

Digraph [time series]

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador BERHANE Gebre-Christos chancery: 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 234-2281 or 2282

Executive branch (Elections) [time series]

President: 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 Constituent Assembly: now planned for January 1994 (to ratify constitution to be drafted by end of 1993)

Executive branch [time series]

president, prime minister, Council of Ministers

Flag [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court

Executive branch (Leaders) [time series]

Chief of State: President MELES Zenawi (since 1 June 1991) Head of Government: Prime Minister TAMIRAT Layne (since 6 June 1991)

Legal system [time series]

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral Constituent Assembly

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

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

Country name (Names) [time series]

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ethiopia local long form: none local short form: Ityop'iya

National holiday [time series]

National Day, 28 May (1991) (defeat of Mengistu regime)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

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

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Government type (Type) [time series]

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

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

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) 551-166

People

Birth rate [time series]

45.37 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate [time series]

14.23 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigrean 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

108.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Labor force [time series]

18 million by occupation: agriculture and animal husbandry 80%, government and services 12%, industry and construction 8% (1985)

Languages [time series]

Amharic (official), Tigrinya, Orominga, Guaraginga, Somali, Arabic, English (major foreign language taught in schools)

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 52.21 years male: 50.6 years female: 53.88 years (1993 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 10 and over can read and write (1983) total population: 62% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Ethiopian(s) adjective: Ethiopian

Net migration rate [time series]

2.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population [time series]

53,278,446 (July 1993 est.) note: Ethiopian demographic data, except population and population growth rate, include Eritrea

Population growth rate [time series]

3.41% (1993 est.)

Religions [time series]

Muslim 45-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35-40%, animist 12%, other 5%

Total fertility rate [time series]

6.88 children born/woman (1993 est.)