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Offical name
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Capital
Addis Ababa
Government type
federal republic
Language
Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna
Area
1,127,127 sq km
Population
74,777,981 ( 2006 est.)
Currency
birr (ETB)
Religion
Ethiopian Orthodox, Muslim
Time zone
GMT/UTC +3 ()
Country dialing code
251
Click to see larger map
Ethiopia is in northeast-central Africa and more than half of its territory consists of plateaus. Addis Ababa, its capital, is also located in a high area of 2,400m above sea level. The UNESCO designated Simen National Park as World Cultural Heritage site (1978) sits in the northwest. This is widely known for its high mountains of more than 4000m and cliffs more than 1000m as well as unique animals and plants only seen in this area. Ethiopia boasts its time-honored history and diverse cultural aspects. In particular, Aksum which was the capital of the Kingdom of Aksum is one of the world-famous historic scenes. The Kingdom of Aksum was one of the most thriving kingdoms between the Byzantine Empire and Persian Empire. Some King's Tombstones and royal palaces still remain across the city. Abebe Bikila (1932 ~ 1973) who won the Olympic gold medals for two consecutive years of 1960 and 1964 for the first time in the Ethiopian history is a national hero even today. Lamentably, though Abebe Bikila had his lower half of the body paralyzed by an accident, he bore up under an physical adversity to challenge himself in International Paralympic Games.
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