Facts and Information on Ethiopia, Africa

Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries civilizations not only in Africa, but also in the entire world. It is located in East Africa, and is known as the Horn of Africa. The bordering countries include Djabouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan. The main languages spoken in Ethiopia are Amharic, Ormigna, and Tigrigna, along with many others. Just like many countries in Africa, the most taught foreign language in schools is English. During the fourth century, Christianity was introduced due to missionaries from Egypt and Syria. According to the 2007 National Cesus: Christians make up to 62.8%, Muslims make up to 33.9%, traditional faiths make up to 2.6% and other religions make up to 0.6% of the country’s population. So it is safe to say that Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in Ethiopia (Abegaz 1). The current capital city is Addis Ababa, which was founded by Emperor Menlik in 1887. In 1995, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, which contains nine states and two cities, was proclaimed. Presented by a federal parliamentary republic, the Ethiopian government is a multi-party democracy. Taking in consideration Ethiopia’s history, language, politics, religion, and many other aspects, one can recognize the poverty growth in the country.

Even though Ethiopia is considered a LEDC (Least Economically Developed Country) that is fighting extreme poverty, it has achieved commendable development results over the past years. However “About 29 per cent of the population lives below the national poverty line. Ethiopia ranks 174th out of 187 countries on the United Nations Development Program's human development index, and average per capita incomes are less than half the current sub-Saharan average” (Rur...

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...on providing water to camps and communities in Ethiopia, works on decreasing blindness caused by a common disease in Ethiopia called iBlindness and puts effort in sight restoration.

In conclusion, one has to say that poverty is something an undeveloped country could fall into easily, however would have a difficult time coming out of. The main cause of Ethiopia’s poverty is it’s extractive political and economical institutions. If there is a chance for Ethiopia to become a more developed country with less poverty, then it has to find realistic and efficient solutions for the problems, and changes the system of the institutions to create a working incentive to the people. However if Ethiopia continues walking down the road of improvement, it will experience great results in it’s future and might actually become a MEDC (more economically developed country) some day.