Region: Eastern Africa

Capital: Addis Ababa

Population: 78,254,090 (July 2008 est.)

Surface area: 1,127,127 sq km

Currency: birr (ETB)

GDP per capita: Purchasing power parity US $800 (2007 est.)

Background:

Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of the 1936-41 Italian occupation during World War II. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile Selassie (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. The Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission in November 2007 remotely demarcated the border by geographical coordinates, but final demarcation of the boundary on the ground is currently on hold because of Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender territory considered sensitive to Ethiopia.
Economy – Overview:

Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, accounting for almost half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian economy with exports of some $350 million in 2006, but historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplement income. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought have buffeted the economy, in particular coffee production. In November 2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in December 2005 the IMF voted to forgive Ethiopia's debt to the body. Under Ethiopia's constitution, the state owns all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral for loans. Drought struck again late in 2002, leading to a 3.3% decline in GDP in 2003. Normal weather patterns helped agricultural and GDP growth recover during 2004-07.
Major Export Commodities: coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds

Remittances: US $158 million (2006)

Human Development Index 2007/2008 ranking: 169 out of 177

Official Development Assistance and Major Development Partners: Net ODA in 2006 was US $1,024.09 million. Major development partners include the IDA, the United States, the African Development Fund, and the European Community.

Total External Debt: US $2.622 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

United Nations membership date: 13 November 1945

New York Mission:

Permanent Representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the United Nations 

866 Second Avenue, Third Floor, New York, NY 10017 

Telephone: (212) 421-1830,

Telefax: (212) 754-0360 
Website: ethiopia.un.int

Sources:

CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. www.cia.gov 

World Development Indicators. World Bank www.worldbank.org

Development, Recipient Aid Charts. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. www.oecd.org

Human Development Report 2007/2008.United Nations Development Programme. www.undp.org

Updated June 2008