"text":"The area that is modern-day Ethiopia is rich in cultural and religious diversity with more than 80 ethnic groups. The oldest hominid yet found comes from Ethiopia, and Ethiopia was the second country to officially adopt Christianity in the 4th century A.D. A series of monarchies ruled the area that is now Ethiopia from 980 B.C. to 1855, when the Amhara kingdoms of northern Ethiopia united in an empire under Tewodros II. Many Ethiopians still speak reverently about the Battle of Adwa in 1896, when they defeated Italian forces and won their freedom from colonial rule. <br><br>Emperor Haile SELASSIE became an internationally renowned figure in 1935, when he unsuccessfully appealed to the League of Nations to prevent Italy from occupying Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941. SELASSIE survived an attempted coup in 1960, annexed modern-day Eritrea in 1962, and played a leading role in establishing the Organization of African Unity in 1963. However, in 1974, a military junta called the Derg deposed him and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, drought, and massive displacement, the Derg regime was toppled in 1991 by a coalition of opposing forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). The EPRDF became an ethno-federalist political coalition that ruled Ethiopia from 1991 until its dissolution in 2019. Ethiopia adopted its constitution in 1994 and held its first multiparty elections in 1995. <br><br>A two-and-a-half-year border war with Eritrea in the late 1990s ended with a peace treaty in 2000. Ethiopia subsequently rejected the 2007 Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission demarcation. This resulted in more than a decade of a tense “no peace, no war” stalemate between the two countries. In 2012, longtime Prime Minister MELES Zenawi died in office and was replaced by his Deputy Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM Desalegn, marking the first peaceful transition of power in decades. Following a wave of popular dissent and anti-government protest that began in 2015, HAILEMARIAM resigned in 2018, and ABIY Ahmed Ali took office the same year as Ethiopia's first ethnic Oromo prime minister. In 2018, ABIY promoted a rapprochement between Ethiopia and Eritrea that was marked with a peace agreement and a reopening of their shared border. In 2019, Ethiopia's nearly 30-year ethnic-based ruling coalition, the EPRDF, merged into a single unity party called the Prosperity Party; however, the lead coalition party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), declined to join. In 2020, a military conflict erupted between forces aligned with the TPLF and the Ethiopian military. The conflict -- which was marked by atrocities committed by all parties -- ended in 2022 with a cessation of hostilities agreement between the TPLF and the Ethiopian Government. However, Ethiopia continues to experience ethnic-based violence as other groups -- including the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and Amhara militia Fano -- seek concessions from the Ethiopian Government."
"text":"Blue Nile river source (shared with Sudan [m]) - 1,600 km<br><br><strong>note:</strong>[s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth"
"text":"highest density is found in the highlands of the north and middle areas of the country, particularly around the centrally located capital city of Addis Ababa; the far east and southeast are sparsely populated, as shown in this population distribution map"
"text":"geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts <br><br><strong>volcanism:</strong> volcanic activity in the Great Rift Valley; Erta Ale (613 m) is the country's most active volcano; Dabbahu became active in 2005, forcing evacuations; other historically active volcanoes include Alayta, Dalaffilla, Dallol, Dama Ali, Fentale, Kone, Manda Hararo, and Manda-Inakir"
"text":"the most populous landlocked country in the world; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia"
"text":"highest density is found in the highlands of the north and middle areas of the country, particularly around the centrally located capital city of Addis Ababa; the far east and southeast are sparsely populated, as shown in this population distribution map"
"text":"deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; loss of biodiversity; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management; industrial pollution and pesticides contribute to air, water, and soil pollution"
"text":"proposals submitted for discussion require two-thirds majority approval in either house of Parliament or majority approval of one-third of the State Councils; passage of amendments other than constitutional articles on fundamental rights and freedoms and the initiation and amendment of the constitution requires two-thirds majority vote in a joint session of Parliament and majority vote by two thirds of the State Councils; passage of amendments affecting rights and freedoms and amendment procedures requires two-thirds majority vote in each house of Parliament and majority vote by all the State Councils"
}
},
"International law organization participation":{
"text":"has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt"
},
"Citizenship":{
"citizenship by birth":{
"text":"no"
},
"citizenship by descent only":{
"text":"at least one parent must be a citizen of Ethiopia"
"text":"president indirectly elected by both chambers of Parliament for a 6-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister designated by the majority party following legislative elections"
},
"most recent election date":{
"text":"21 June 2021 and 30 September 2021 (scheduled 29 August 2020 election was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic)"
"text":"<em><br>2021:</em> SAHLE-WORK Zewde reelected president during joint session of Parliament, vote - 659 (unanimous); ABIY confirmed Prime Minister by House of Peoples' Representatives (4 October 2021)<br><br><em>2018:</em> SAHLE-WORK Zewde elected president during joint session of Parliament, vote - 659 (unanimous); snap election held on 25 October 2018 due to resignation of President MULATA Teshome"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> the House of Federation is responsible for interpreting the constitution and federal-regional issues, and the House of People's Representatives is responsible for passing legislation"
},
"Legislative branch - lower chamber":{
"chamber name":{
"text":"House of Peoples' Representatives (Yehizb Tewokayoch Mekir Bete)"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> only 470 of the 547 seats in the House of People's Representatives were filled during the 2021 elections due to security issues in the Tigray State and other areas"
},
"Legislative branch - upper chamber":{
"chamber name":{
"text":"House of the Federation (Yefedereshein Mekir Bete)"
"text":"president and vice president of Federal Supreme Court recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; other Supreme Court judges nominated by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council (a 10-member body chaired by the president of the Federal Supreme Court) and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; judges serve until retirement at age 60"
},
"subordinate courts":{
"text":"federal high courts and federal courts of first instance; state court systems (mirror structure of federal system); sharia courts and customary and traditional courts"
"text":"Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice and Democracy or EZEMA<br>Gedeo People's Democratic Party<br>Independent<br>Kucha People Democratic Party<br>National Movement of Amhara or NAMA<br>Prosperity Party or PP"
"text":"oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world, at least 2,000 years; may be traced to the Aksumite Kingdom, which appeared in the first century B.C."
},
"National holiday":{
"text":"Derg Downfall Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991)"
"text":"<strong>description:</strong> three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red, with a light blue disk centered on the three bands; on the disk is a yellow pentagram with single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> green stands for hope and the land's fertility, yellow for justice and harmony, and red for sacrifice and heroism; the blue of the disk symbolizes peace, and the pentagram represents the Ethiopian people's unity and equality<br><br><strong>history:</strong> the emblem in the center of the current flag was added in 1996",
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and newly independent African countries often adopted the Ethiopian flag's colors, which were later known as the Pan-African movement's colors"
"text":"adopted in 1996, the coat of arms features the national symbol, a pentagram; the blue circle symbolizes peace, and the pentagram represents the unity and equality of the Ethiopian people"
"text":"<p>Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela (c); Simien National Park (n); Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region (c); Aksum (c); Lower Valley of the Awash (c); Lower Valley of the Omo (c); Tiya (c); Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town (c); Konso Cultural Landscape (c); Gedeo Cultural Landscape (c); Bale Mountains National Park (n); Melka Kunture and Balchit: Archaeological and Palaeontological Sites in the Highland Area of Ethiopia (c)</p>"
"text":"<p>low-income, fast-growing Horn of Africa economy; widespread poverty and food insecurity worsened by conflict and environmental factors; landlocked with tensions over seaport access; development aid supporting reforms to boost private-sector growth and financial stability; challenge of creating jobs for growing labor force</p>"
"note":"<b>note:</b> central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated"
"text":"10 public/state broadcasters; 9 public/state radio stations; 13 commercial FM radio stations; 18 commercial TV stations; 45 community radio stations; 5 community TV stations (2023)"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> electric railway with redundant power supplies; under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia and managed by a Chinese contractor"
"text":"Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF; aka Federal Defense Force of Ethiopia, FDRE): Army, Air Force, Naval Force, Defense Cyber Main Directorate (2025)",
"note":"<strong>note 1: </strong>national and regional police forces are responsible for law enforcement and maintenance of order, with the ENDF sometimes providing internal security support; the Ethiopian Federal Police (EFP) report to the Prime Minister’s Office<br><br><strong>note 2:</strong> the regional governments control regional security forces, including \"special\" paramilitary forces, which generally operate independently from the federal government and in some cases operate as regional defense forces maintaining national borders; in April 2023, the federal government ordered the integration of these regional special forces into the EFP or ENDF; in some cases, the regional governments have maintained former members of the special forces for “crowd control/Adma Bitena” as a separate unit within their security structures; local militias also operate across the country in loose and varying coordination with regional security and police forces, the ENDF, and the EFP<br><br><strong>note 3:</strong> in 2018, Ethiopia established a Republican Guard military unit as a separate command operationally under the Office of the Prime Minister and administratively accountable to the Ministry of Defense; it is responsible for protecting senior officials and government institutions and conducting some military operations<br><br><br>"
"text":"the ENDF's major weapons and equipment inventory has traditionally been comprised of Russian, Soviet, and Eastern bloc material; it suffered considerable equipment losses during the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict; in more recent years, Ethiopia has diversified its arms sources to include weapons from China, Israel, Turkey, Ukraine, and the UAE; Ethiopia has a modest industrial defense base centered on small arms and production of armored vehicles under license (2024)"
"text":"18-22 years of age for voluntary military service (although the military may, when necessary, recruit a person more than 22 years old); no compulsory military service, but the military can conduct callups when necessary and compliance is compulsory (2023)"
"text":"as many as 10,000 troops Somalia (approximately 2,500 under the AU; the remainder under a bilateral agreement with the Somali Government); 1,500 South Sudan (UNMISS) (2024)"
"text":"the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) is focused on both external threats emanating from its neighbors and internal threats from multiple internal armed groups; since 1998, the ENDF has engaged in several conventional and counterinsurgency operations, including border wars with Eritrea (1998-2000) and Somalia (2006-2008) and internal conflicts with the Tigray regional state (2020-2022), multiple insurgent groups and ethnic militias, and the al-Shabaab terrorist group; as of 2025, the ENDF was actively conducting counterinsurgency operations against anti-government militants in several states, including the Amhara militia Fano and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), as well as al-Shabaab in Somalia (2025)"
"text":"Ethiopian Space Science and Geospatial Institute (ESSGI; formed in 2022 from the joining of the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute or ESSTI and the Ethiopian Geospatial Information Institute or EGII) (2025)"
"text":"focuses on acquiring and operating satellites, as well as conducting research; jointly builds satellites with foreign partners, and operates and exploits remote sensing (RS) satellites; developing the ability to manufacture satellites and their payloads; involved in astronomy and the construction of space observatories; works with a variety of countries, including China, France, India, Russia, and multiple African countries, particularly Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda; shares RS data with neighboring countries (2025)"
"text":"2015 - established Entoto Observatory and Space Science Research Center<br><br>2019 - first remote sensing (RS) satellite (Ethiopia RS Satellite or ETRSS-1) built and launched by China<br><br>2020 - second RS satellite (ET-SMART-RSS) built with assistance from and launched by China; began construction of satellite manufacturing, assembly, integration, and testing facility<br><br>2021 - established a multi-mission ground control station for RS satellites<br><br>2024 - declared second satellite ground station operational<br><br>2025 - announced plans to launch third RS satellite (ETRSS-02) in partnership with China in 2026"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide"
