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About Ethiopia
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Home | About Ethiopia |
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Top | Country, culture & climate |
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CLIMATE The average daytime temperature in Ethiopia is 16 degrees Celsius. The high-altitude Rift Valley is warm to hot depending on the season. The eastern and southern regions tend to be dry and hot, while the west is more humid and hot. Ethiopia has two rainy seasons: the Meher and the Belg. You can expect heavy rainfall from June through August. | ||||
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LANGUAGE Amharic is the principle language used in Ethiopia, although English is the second official language. Orominya, spoken in the Southern parts of the country, and Tigrinya, spoken in the North, are also widely used. However, more than 90 other languages and 200 dialects can be heard around the country. Amharic, Orominya and Tigrinya use an alphabet made up of 33 consonants related to the ancient Phoenician language. | ||||
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RELIGION Christianity has existed in Ethiopia since the 4th century, when it was brought to the country by the Syrian Frumentius, who converted Emperor Ezana and later became the first bishop of Axum in 330 AD. Islam gained a foothold in the country, following the death of the Prophet Mohammed's death in 632 AD. Today, about 40 percent of the population is Christian Orthodox and another 40 percent is Muslim. |
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Top | WFP in Ethiopia |
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According to UNDP's 1998 Human Development Report, the country's human development index ranks very low (169 out of 174 countries). The agricultural sector contributes over 50%, or the largest share, to Ethiopia's GDP. While the government has touted agricultural development as one of the foundations for economic growth, progress is hampered by the heavy reliance on traditional technology, fragmented landholdings, deteriorating land fertility and unreliable rainfall. Some areas suffer chronic food deficits. Over two million people are estimated to be chronically food insecure, while up to eight million people are vulnerable to transitory food insecurity. Large volumes of food aid, Ethiopia on average receives 677,500 MT per year from WFP and others, are typically required. |
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Present in Ethiopia since 1965, WFP has from the beginning played a key role in food aid coordination. The Country Office was instrumental in developing the national food policy and in establishing the Emergency Food Security Reserve (EFSR). Moreover, WFP has been active in advocating and influencing the development of both the national food security strategy, which addresses the chronically vulnerable and a land use policy that safeguards the environment. WFP's country programme of activities has consistently focused on food deficit areas, addressing land degradation, human resources development, urban poverty, refugees and famine relief. The Country Office has a well-developed vulnerability assessment mapping (VAM) unit which uses data to support emergency food needs assessment and the planning of development assistance. |
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As of August 1998, the Ethiopia office has become the center for a new cluster grouping which comprises Djibouti. In addition to the central WFP Country Office in Addis Ababa, there are seven sub-offices located in Jijiga, Mekele, Dire Dawa, Dessie, Gambela, Assosa and Nazareth. In total, 98 staff (22 international and 76 national) work for WFP Ethiopia. Women constitute 40% of the total Country Office staff: 50% for international staff and 33% for national staff. |
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Top | Coming to Ethiopia? |
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HEALTH REQUIREMENTS Visitors traveling to Ethiopia are required to have a valid health certificate for yellow fever prior to entering the country. A vaccination against cholera is also required for any person who has visited a cholera-infected area six days prior to arrival in Ethiopia. | ||||
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ELECTRICITY Ethiopia uses 220 volts 50 cycles AC. | ||||
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CURRENCY The local currency is the Ethiopian Birr, made up of 100 cents. The current exchange rate is 7.6 Birr to the US dollar. Credit card use is essentially limited to hotels in Addis Ababa. All cash and travelers cheques should be officially declared to Customs on arrival. | ||||
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INFORMAL TRAVEL INFORMATION Several of our staffers have suggested bringing the following, in case it hadn't occurred to you:
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Top | Travellers' Links |
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Those coming to Ethiopia may like to explore the following links. These sites are in no way connected to WFP Ethiopia but we find them useful! |
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Destination Ethiopia Information on travelling to Ethiopia from the producers of the Lonely Planet series. |
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COUNTRY Ethiopia is a landlocked country with an area of 1,112,000 square kilometers -- as large as France and Spain combined. The country is bordered by Sudan, Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia and Eritrea. According to the last conducted census, the population is 57.6 million, with an estimated 2.4 million people living in the capital of Addis Ababa. Ethiopia has an elevated central plateau varying in height between 2,000 and 3,000 meters. Some 25 mountains peak at over 4,000 meters in the north and center of the country. About 85 percent of Africa's highlands can be found in Ethiopia. The Blue Nile, also know as the Abbay, meanders 1,450 kilometers from its source at Lake Tana to the join the White Nile in Khartoum. Lake Tana supplies 80 percent of the river's volume.
Ethiopia is a landlocked, low-income country with a land mass of 110 million ha, and a population of 57 million people. The country has a rich historical and cultural heritage. Apart from a brief period of occupation by the Italians during the second World War, Ethiopia is the only African country to have never been colonized. Historically, Ethiopia has suffered from wars, food shortages, and famines. More recently, it has also been both a host to and source of large numbers of refugees.
VISAS Visas are required for all visitors to Ethiopia except for nationals of Djibouti and Kenya and should be obtained from Ethiopian embassies abroad. Passengers travelling through Ethiopia to another destination within 72-hours can obtain a transit visa upon arrival but their passports will be held at the airport until departure.
We hope you enjoy your time in Ethiopia. If you would like to find out more details about the country and its people, please explore our