Ethiopia

**Ethiopia** has one of the longest  known histories as a country in Africa. Ethiopia was one of the few countries in Africa that escaped the Scramble for Africa. It avoided being colonized until 1935, when it was invaded by the Italians under Benito Mussolini, who took over the country for a brief time. Ethiopia used to be called Abyssinia.  The word "Ethiopia" is the combination of two words,"**Eth**" and "**Yop**". The word "**Eth**" was taken from the first king of Ethiopia named "**Etheal**" (**meaning: Gift of God**) and "**Yop**" (**meaning: Yellow Gold**) was the place where Etheal was appointed.  And "**ia**" shows that Ethiopia is a country name.  Thus, **Ethiopia** means "**Gift of yellow gold for God**".  It is the most populous landlocked country in the world.  It  lost its Red Sea ports when Eritrea gained independence in 1993.

## History

The idea of an Ethiopian nation became important  with the Kingdom of Aksum in the 4th century A.D. The Aksumite Kingdom was a mainly Christian state. At its biggest it controlled what is now the Ethiopian Highlands, Eritrea, and the coastal regions of Southern Arabia.  The Aksumite Kingdom was responsible for the development of the religious movement that became the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The expansion of Islam in the 7th century caused the decline of the Aksumite Kingdom. Most of the lowland populations converted to Islam, while the highland people remained Christian. Since the Aksumite people became divided between Christian highlands and Islamic lowlands, religious and tribal tensions and rivalries between the people intensified. The Aksumite society changed into a loose confederation of city-states that maintained traditions and languages influenced by Aksum.

After the fall of Aksum due to declining sea trade from fierce competition by Muslims and changing climate, the power base of the kingdom moved south. The capital moved to Kubar (near Agew). The Axumite Kingdom welcomed and protected the companions of Prophet Muhammad in Ethiopia. They came as refugees to escape the persecution of the ruling families of Mecca and earned the friendship and respect of the Prophet.

## Infobox (infobox)

- **subbox**: yes
- **bodystyle**: font-size:78%;font-weight:normal;
- **rowclass1**: mergedrow
- **label1**: Ge'ez:
- **label2**: Amharic:
- **data2**:

- **rowclass3**: mergedrow
- **label3**: Oromo language, Oromo:
- **rowclass4**: mergedrow
- **label4**: Somali language, Somali:
- **rowclass5**: mergedrow
- **label5**: Afar language, Afar:
- **rowclass6**: mergedrow
- **label6**: Tigrinya language, Tigrinya:
- **data6**:


## Infobox (country)

- **conventional long name**: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
- **gdp ppp per capita**: $2,772
- **gdp ppp rank**: 58th
- **gdp ppp year**: 2020
- **gdp ppp**: $272 billion
- **population density rank**: 123rd
- **population density sq mi**: 240.1
- **population density km2**: 92.7
- **population census year**: 2007
- **population estimate rank**: 13th
- **population census**: 73,750,932
- **gdp nominal**: $96   billion
- **percent water**: 0.7
- **area sq mi**: 426,371
- **area rank**: 28th
- **area km2**: 1,104,300
- **established date10**: August 21, 1995
- **established date9**: 1993
- **established event9**: Eritrean War of Independence, Secession of Eritrea
- **gdp nominal year**: 2020
- **established event8**: People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
- **currency**: Ethiopian birr, Birr
- **cctld**: .et
- **calling code**: +251
- **drives on**: right
- **utc offset**: +3
- **time zone**: East Africa Time, EAT
- **currency code**: ETB
- **hdi rank**: 173rd
- **gdp nominal rank**: 61st
- **hdi change**: increase
- **hdi year**: 2019
- **hdi**: 0.485
- **gini change**: increase
- **gini year**: 2011
- **gini**: 33.6
- **gdp nominal per capita**: $974
- **established date8**: 1987
- **established date7**: 1974
- **common name**: Ethiopia
- **leader title1**: President of Ethiopia, President
- **government type**: Ethnic federalism#Ethiopia, Ethnofederalist Parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutional republic
- **demonym**: Ethiopians, Ethiopian
- **religion**: 62.8% Christianity in Ethiopia, Christianity
—43.5% Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Ethiopian Orthodoxy
—18.6% Pentay (P'ent'ay (Ethiopian Evangelicalism), Protestantism)
—0.7% Catholic Church in Ethiopia, Catholicism
33.9% Islam in Ethiopia, Islam
2.6% Traditional African religion, Traditional faiths
0.7% Religion in Ethiopia, Others / Irreligion, None
- **ethnic groups year**: 2016
- **languages2 type**: Foreign languages
- **languages sub**: yes
- **leader title2**: Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Prime Minister
- **official languages**: Afar language, Afar
 Amharic language, Amharic
 Oromo language, Oromo
 Somali language, Somali
 Tigrinya language, Tigrinya
 English language, English
- **largest city**: capital
- **capital**: Addis Ababa
- **image map**: Ethiopia (Africa orthographic projection).svg
- **national anthem**:

()
<div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;"></div>
- **symbol type**: Emblem
- **image coat**: Emblem of Ethiopia.svg
- **image flag**: Flag of Ethiopia.svg
- **leader name1**: Taye Atske Selassie
- **leader name2**: Abiy Ahmed
- **established event7**: Derg, Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia
- **established event2**: Kingdom of Aksum
- **established date6**: 1941
- **established event6**: Sovereignty restored
- **established date5**: 1936
- **established event5**: Italian Ethiopia, Occupied & Annexed into Italian East Africa
- **established date4**: 1137
- **established event4**: Ethiopian Empire
- **established date3**: 900
- **established event3**: Zagwe Dynasty
- **established date2**: c. 100
- **established date1**: c. 980
- **leader title3**: Deputy Prime Minister
- **established event1**: Dʿmt
- **sovereignty type**: History of Ethiopia, Formation of Ethiopia

- **lower house**: House of Peoples' Representatives
- **upper house**: House of Federation
- **legislature**: Federal Parliamentary Assembly
- **leader name5**: Tewodros Mihret
- **leader title5**: Federal Supreme Court of Ethiopia, Supreme Court Chief
- **leader name4**: Tagesse Chafo
- **leader title4**: Speaker of the House of Peoples' Representatives
- **leader name3**: Temesgen Tiruneh
- **patron saint**: Saint George