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Ethiopia |
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Capital city: Addis Ababa
Ethnic groups that make up the population: Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1% Religions: Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 3%-8% Languages: Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other local languages, English (major foreign language taught in schools) Literacy rate (Definition: age 15 and over can read and write):total population: 42.7 %;male: 50.3%; female: 35.1% (2003 est.) Legal system: currently transitional mix of national and regional courts Industries & Agriculture: food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing, cement/ cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, sugarcane, potatoes, qat; hides, cattle, sheep, goats GDP: $48.53 billion (2002 est.) GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $700 (2002 est.) Currency: birr (ETB) Misc. interesting facts: Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule, one exception being the Italian occupation of 1936-41. 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 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), in 1991. A constitution was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia 's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A two and a half year border war with Eritrea ended with a peace treaty on 12 December 2000 . Final demarcation of the boundary is currently on hold due to Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender sensitive territory.
References: CIA Fact book http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
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