A Few Facts about Ethiopia
Ethiopia is located in the “Horn of Africa” (eastern area) and is bordered by Eretria to the north, Djibouti and Somalia to the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south. It is the most populous land-locked country in the world and with over 91,000,000 inhabitants it is the second most populated nation on the African continent. It occupies a total area of 420,000 square miles, which is just slightly larger than France and Spain combined. Its topography is a combination of mountains and desert regions, and its people are agrarian (coffee, maize and beans are primary crops) and pastoral. The climate is comfortable year round (mid 70’s) except in the northern area by the Red Sea, where it can be extremely hot. The rainy season is from early June to the end of September. Its capital city is Addis Ababa and it has a population of approximately 3 million inhabitants, roughly the size of Chicago.
Ethiopia was ruled by Emperor Haile Selassie for 58 years until 1974, when he was ousted from power in a coup. Today the “Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia” operates in a parliamentary structure but not without serious strife and conflict. There had been charges of rigged elections, genocide wars, massacres, treason and torture by police. Meles Zenawi, prime minister for 21 years until August 2012, had controlled inflation and attracted foreign investments. However, he had also exploited both state and personal power to repress the citizens and control the media. Ethiopia’s new prime minister, Haile Desalegn, is a worldly educated man who received his Masters in Organizational Leadership in California. Human rights groups are watching him closely.
Approximately 70% of all marriages are “by kidnapping”, whereby an often older man chooses a girl (as young as 11) for a bride and will kidnap her, and rape her until she becomes pregnant. This pregnancy confers on her the status of a wife. In 2004 the government raised the marriageable age to 18 and criminalized all forced marriages. However, enforcement is weak to non-existent. Such abduction is based on ancient customs and rituals and in certain remote regions, statistics indicate this barbaric practice accounts for over 90% of all marriages.
Years of famine, poverty and neglect by the government continue to take its toll on the Ethiopian people. The literacy rate, according to the UN report of 2012, is one of the lowest in the world: 28%. School attendance is not mandatory, and statistics of children not in school range from 30%-50%. Life expectancy is 56 years for men, 60 years for women. Thanks to research, pharmaceuticals and funding, the growth of AIDS has remained stagnant for several years, however estimates show it has left over 650,000 orphans in its wake.
What does the future hold?
Ethiopia continues to be one of the poorest countries of the world. 2011 statistics by the World Bank show yearly per capita income is $370 (US dollars), and at least 30% of its population live below the poverty line (US$1.25 a day). While 42% of the population has access to clean water and 11% has access to sanitation facilities, these statistics reflect urban areas. For those in rural regions, the lack of clean water and appropriate sanitation continues to be the death-knell for emergence from life-threatening disease and abysmal poverty. At this time, Ethiopia is enjoying a fast-growing economy. Over half of all city dwellers are under 18 and they will be deciding future elections. They will be demanding better economic opportunities for themselves and their families, a modern healthcare system, an infrastructure designed for hi-tech growth, and a government that will invest in its own resources for the good of its own people.
They will ask for a lot, but will anyone listen?
