The Ethiopia You Never Knew

The country we now call Ethiopia was once commonly known as Abyssinia. Ethiopia was founded in 980 B.C., and is one of the oldest nations in the world. Officially the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, Ethiopia is located in the horn of Africa. Ethiopia's President and Prime Minister are Mulatu Teshome and Abiy Ahmed Ali respectively. The Ethiopian currency is Birr (ETB). Addis Ababa is Ethiopia's capital and largest city. Ethiopia is a truly amazing country with interesting history. Discover some amazing facts pertaining to this East African wonder.

1. Ethiopia is the second most-populous country in Africa, coming second to Nigeria. Ethiopia has a population of 107,950,319 people (2018). Ethiopia is also the most populated landlocked country in the world.

2. Ethiopia is sometimes known as the "Roof of Africa" as the Ethiopian Highlands contain the largest continuous area of high altitude land in the African continent.

3. Female genital mutilation/female genital cutting is a popular practice in Ethiopia. According to a UNICEF report, the female genital mutilation rate in Ethiopia stands at 74%. It is estimated that 23.8 million girls and women in Ethiopia have undergone female genital mutilation. This number comes second only to Egypt (UNICEF, 2013).

4. Ethiopia is mentioned in the Bible and Koran. In the King James Bible, the word Ethiopia is mentioned 45 times. Muhammad (the prophet of Islam, P.B.U.H) and his supporters sought for refuge in Ethiopia when Muslims were persecuted and tortured by the ruling families of Mecca (in the early years of Islam). Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) sent about 80 people, including one of his daughters, to Ethiopia, for their protection. This event in Islamic history is known as the first Hijrah (migration).

5. Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia professed that Africa's peoples ought to unite and form a singular race, from which hailed the introduction of Pan-Africanism. Pan-Africanism led to the emergence of the African Union (previously known as the Organization for African Unity [OAU]). Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia was selected as the first President of the OAU.

6. According to a recent IMF ranking (2018) on purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita, Ethiopia ranks 22nd among the 28 poorest countries in the world. In 15 of these 28 countries, people live on less than £750 per year. Ethiopia has a GDP per capita of $909.

7. Dallol, a settlement in northern Ethiopia, has the highest average temperature of any inhabited place on Earth. Dallol is also one of the most remote places in the world as it has no roads. The only regular transport service in Dallol is provided by camel caravans who visit the ghost town for salt mining.

8. Ethiopia is home to the world's rarest canid - the Ethiopian wolf. The Ethiopian wolf is also Africa's most endangered carnivore.

9. Ethiopia was the first independent African member of the 20th-century League of Nations and the United Nations.

10. Coffee was accidentally discovered in Ethiopia by Kaldi, a goat herder. He noticed his goats became excited and energized that they did not want to sleep at night, after eating the red fruit of the coffee shrub. Kaldi tried the fruit too and felt elated too. He report his findings to the abbot of the local monastery, who made a drink with the fruits and found that it kept him alert  through the long evening prayer.