Terrain: high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great
Rift Valley

Natural resources: small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash

Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 41%
forest and woodland: 24%
other: 22%

Irrigated land: 1,620 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion;
desertification; famine
natural hazards: geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified -
Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear
Test Ban

Note: landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with
the de jure independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993

@Ethiopia:People

Population: 55,979,018 (July 1995 est.)
note: Ethiopian demographic data, except population and population
growth rate, include Eritrea

Age structure:
0-14 years: 46% (female 12,782,345; male 12,802,187)
15-64 years: 52% (female 14,352,059; male 14,511,342)
65 years and over: 2% (female 815,974; male 715,111) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.09% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 46.68 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 15.77 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees from Sudan, Kenya and
Somalia, where they had taken refuge from war and famine in earlier
years, is expected to continue in 1995; additional influxes of
Sudanese and Somalis fleeing fighting in their countries can be
expected in 1995

Infant mortality rate: 120.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 50 years
male: 48.28 years
female: 51.78 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 7.07 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Ethiopian(s)
adjective: Ethiopian

Ethnic divisions: Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigrean 32%, Sidamo 9%,
Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%

Religions: Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%,
other 5%

Languages: Amharic (official), Tigrinya, Orominga, Guaraginga, Somali,
Arabic, English (major foreign language taught in schools)

Literacy: age 10 and over can read and write (1984)
total pop