Ethiopia 2006

Ethiopia 2006

In 2006, Ethiopia was a large country located in the Horn of Africa. It was bordered by Eritrea to the north, Djibouti and Somalia to the east, and Sudan to the west. The population of Ethiopia in 2006 was estimated to be around 81 million people, with the majority of its citizens being of Oromo or Amhara descent. Amharic is the official language, although English is also widely spoken. The main religion is Christianity with a strong presence of Orthodoxy in some areas.

According to constructmaterials, Ethiopia had been an independent nation since 1991 after decades of Italian colonial rule and political instability. Despite this, poverty levels remained high and inequality was widespread throughout the country. In 2006, Ethiopia’s economy was largely dependent on its exports of coffee and other agricultural products as well as livestock products. There were some efforts to diversify its economy by encouraging foreign investment in tourism but with limited success. The healthcare system was also inadequate with poor access to basic medical care for much of the population as well as high rates of infant mortality and malnutrition.

Yearbook 2006

Ethiopia. The trial of well over 100 opposition politicians, journalists and human rights activists continued in 2006. They were prosecuted in 2005 for treason and genocide in connection with unrest following parliamentary elections, in which they claimed the regime had cheated.

According to CountryAAH, major public holidays in Ethiopia include Independence Day (July 23) and New Year (January 1). Most of the country’s financial assistance to the government remained frozen. However, in May, the World Bank and the United Kingdom committed a total of approximately SEK 3.2 billion to humanitarian aid, provided that the government would not receive the money.

A series of blast attacks in public places, especially the capital Addis Ababa, demanded several deaths. Who was behind the explosions did not appear, but the police suggested a connection to the ongoing mass trial by claiming that a larger seizure of explosives could be traced to the opposition Alliance Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), whose leaders were among the defendants. The CUD announced in May that it has entered into cooperation with four armed opposition movements but intends to continue waging a peaceful fight against the regime.

Two EU diplomats, one of whom is a Swedish, were expelled in October after, according to the government, being caught trying to smuggle two oppositionists out of the country. On the same day, the head of EU election observers in 2005 had revealed that an official investigation showed that Ethiopian police killed 193 people during the unrest; far more than the government admitted.

After a twelve-year trial, former dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam was found and eleven co-accused in December guilty of genocide during the left regime 1974–91. The penalty was expected to be set in early 2007. However, Mengistu lives in security in Zimbabwe, whose government emphasized that he should not be extradited.

During the fall, Ethiopia sent large troops into Somalia, where Islamist militia took control of ever-larger territory. The Islamist militia proclaimed jihad (holy war) against Ethiopia, whose forces at the end of December went on the offensive in support of the fragile Somali transition government. In a brief but intense flight and armor war, the Islamist militia was driven away from all cities and an Ethiopian-supported government could be installed in the capital Mogadishu.

Ethiopia Map with Surrounding Countries

Climate

The climatic differences within Ethiopia are primarily due to the altitude, it is hot in the lowlands and relatively cool in the plateaus.

One can differentiate between three climatic zones: the tropical-hot areas up to 1,800 m, the warm-temperate zone from 1,800 to 2,500 m and the cool zone above 2,500 m. In the capital Addis Ababa, which is at an altitude of about 2,400 m, the average daytime temperature at noon is between 8 and 24 ° C.In the tropical hot zone (Qolla) it is an average of 27 degrees with an annual rainfall of less than 500 mm. The warm-temperate zone (Woyna Dega) is 22 degrees warm with 500 to 1,500 mm of precipitation per year. In the mountain area (Dega, over 2,500 m) only 16 degrees are measured and the amount of rain rises to 1,800 mm of precipitation. The main rainy season is between mid-June and September, and there is a small rainy season between February and March.

Ethiopia has a long history of extreme weather events. Precipitation is very often very concentrated as convection storms. In the past three decades there have been countless local droughts and seven major droughts, some of which have resulted in famine.

Ethiopia Overview

Ethiopia (originally Abyssinia) is located in East Africa in the so-called Horn of Africa, near the equator. The Nile, Africa’s longest river, originates in the Ethiopian highlands.

Ethiopia is considered the cradle of humanity, for the earliest fossils of modern humans have been found there.

The country was also the second in the world to adopt Christianity as the state religion and is exceptional among African states in that it retained its independence throughout the colonial period, with the exception of the Italian occupation during World War II.

Ethiopia’s state past dates back to a time when the Romans were only gradually maturing to establish their own society. The queen of Saba mentioned in the Bible is thought to have been an Ethiopian ruler whose common heirs with King Solomon of Israel would be descended from Falasha Jews. However, they have emigrated from Ethiopia to Israel for almost the last family in the last twenty years.

There is not just one Ethiopian people in Ethiopia, as there are at least 47 ethnic groups with their own distinctive cultures, languages ​​and beliefs. The largest peoples – and languages ​​- are the Amharas, Orums and Tigers, other peoples make up about a third of the population. One of the important means of communication is the English language, which is foreign to everyone.

Area: 1,104,300 km

Population: 108,113,150 (estimate 7/2020)

Capital: Addis Ababa

Population: Dozens of ethnic groups, the largest Oromo and Amharic

Language: Amharic 33% (official), oromigna 32% (regionally official), Tiger 6% (regionally official), other 29%. In addition, English and Arabic are the official languages.

Religion: Orthodox 44%, Islam 34%, Protestant 19%, others 3%.

Currency: Ethiopian Birr

Form of government: Federal Republic