Ancient monuments and colorful wildlife

Ethiopia is an ancient country whose unique cultural heritage, rich history and remarkable biodiversity are reflected in a tally of nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites - more than any other country in Africa

At a Glance

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is located in the north-eastern part of Africa commonly known as the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by the Sudan in the west, Somalia and Djibouti in the east, Eritrea in the north and Kenya in the south. The country covers 1,112,000 square kilometres (472,000 sq. miles) making it roughly as large as France and Spain combined and is five times the size of the UK.

History

Africa has long been considered as the cradle of the human civilization. If one were to point our earliest origins, Ethiopia and its neighbors would be it. In particular, Ethiopia’s Afar Triangle yielded what became known as “Lucy,” a 3.2 million-year-old hominid that provided evidence that human ancestors walked on two feet. Further excavations revealed stone tools and other archaeological artifacts that point back to hominid settlement here as early as 4 million years ago.

Culture

One of the few African countries never to lose its independence, Ethiopia is home to more than 80 ethnic groups and a similar number of languages, the dominant religions being Christian and Muslim. One thing that unites all Ethiopians is the fact that they have never truly been colonised, although occupied by Mussolini's Fascists from 1935-1941. Consequently, Ethiopia has maintained what many refer to as its 'Ethiopianness', untainted by resonances of former colonial powers.

Ethiopia is also widely considered by botanists and historians as the home of the coffee shrub where it continues to grow wild in the highlands where Kaldi, the goat herd who according to legend discovered coffee, lived. While the café culture in Africa is starting to gain ground, a coffee ceremony in Ethiopia – which starts from arranging the ceremonial apparatus on a bed of long scented grass, then washing and roasting the red berries to grounding them, straining them, and serving them in little cups – is integral to their culture and to be invited into one is a true mark of Ethiopian hospitality.