Ethiopia was also historically called Abyssinia, derived from the Arabic form of the Ethiosemitic name á¸¤BÅT, modern Habesha. In some countries, Ethiopia is still referred to by names related to "Abyssinia", e.g. Turkish Habesistan and Arabic Al Habesh meaning land of Habesha people.Ethiopia's economy is based on agriculture, which accounts for 46% of GDP and 85% of total employment.