Location

Ethiopia is a land-locked country located in Northeastern Africa.  Ethiopia shares its longest border with Somalia to the east.  It shares a southern border with Kenya and a western border with Sudan.

Size

As the 10th largest country in Africa, Ethiopia covers an area that is a little over 1.1 million km or 686,000 miles.  In US standards, that would be a little over twice the size of Texas.

Capital

Ethiopia's capital is Addis Ababa, which is in the center of the country.  At an altitude of 2,300 meters or approximately 7,500 feet, Addis Ababa is the third highest capital in the world.

Flag Pan-African colors with the center symbol of the sun.

Population

The population of Ethiopia is approximately 70 million people, which makes it the third highest populated African country.

Geography

Ethiopia is dominated by a volcanically formed mountainous highlands (or commonly referred to as plateau) which ranges in altitude from 6,500 feet to 13,000 feet.  This central plateau is surrounded on three sides by low lying arid desert.  Running thru Ethiopia are 4 major river systems, the best known of these is the Blue Nile.

Climate

Due to the topography, Ethiopia experiences a wide climatic range from periodic snowfall on the mountain peaks to a regular daytime temp of over 122 Fahrenheit in the Danakil Desert.  The central highlands (Addis Ababa) have an average daytime temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit Jan - Dec.