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Geography of Ethiopia

Location:Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
Geographic coordinates:8 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 1,127,127 sq km
land: 1,119,683 sq km
water: 7,444 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:total: 5,328 km
border countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km
Coastline:0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:none (landlocked)
Climate:tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation
Terrain:high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Denakil Depression -125 m
highest point: Ras Dejen 4,620 m
Natural resources:small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower
Land use:arable land: 10.01%
permanent crops: 0.65%
other: 89.34% (2005)
Irrigated land:2,900 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
Environment - current issues:deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
Geography - note:landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean

Ethiopia Quickstats

  • Population: 76,511,887
  • Area: 1,127,127 sq km
  • Density: 70 /km² (123rd)
  • GDP (total): $69.099 billion (69th)
  • GDP (per capita): $823 (175fth)
  • Literacy: 42.7%

Languages of Ethiopia

  • Amarigna 32.7%
  • Oromigna 31.6%
  • Tigrigna 6.1%
  • Somaligna 6%
  • Other 23.5%

Useful to know

  • Currency: Birr (ETB)
  • Dial code: +251

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