Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Wealth and National Well-Being

Country Comparisons:
2010: see chart

World Factbook: "Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, accounting for almost 45% of GDP, and 85% 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."

Apr 2008: Foreign Policy magazine describes Ethiopia as 45 percent undernourished.

Oct 2004: The BBC describes a poll of 50,000 families in 28 African countries, by the UN Economic Commission for Africa. There are complaints of "corruption, poor tax systems, run-down and unaccountable public services, weak parliaments and unreformed courts." Ethiopia is among the four lowest ranking countries regarding trust in authorities by those polled.

People

April 2011: The AHA Foundation reports that a rural village in southern Ethiopia, Senbata Lencho, has vowed to try and end the practice of female genital mutilation.

Living in an urban area:
12010: 7%

Religions
2007 census: Orthodox Tewadhedo Christian 43.5%, Muslim 33.9%, Protestant 18.6%, animist 2.6%, Roman Catholic 0.7%

Geography

Central-Eastern Africa. Landlocked. East of where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden. A little less than half the size of Texas. Capital: Addis Ababa.

Government

President elected by the House of People's Representatives for a six-year term.

Bicameral Parliament. Upper chamber (108 seats), with members chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms. Lower chamber (548 seats) with members elected by popular vote for five-year terms.

Recent History

July 2007. Ethiopia claims to be a democracy, but the regime in power has little tolerance for opposition. Elections are said to be rigged and protesters have been killed. Opposition candidates have been accused of trying to overthrow the government. A judge who accused the police of carrying out a massacre felt compelled to flee the country.

SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
BBC News