Land area

1,221,900 sq km

Population

75m (mid-year estimate for 2010)

Main regions

Population in '000 (1999 official estimates)

Oromiya: 21,694 Afar: 1,188

Amhara: 15,850 Benishangul-Gumaz: 523

SNNPR: 12,132 Dire Dawa: 306

Somali: 3,602 Gambella Peoples: 206

Tigray: 3,593 Harari Peoples: 154

Addis Ababa (capital): 2,424

(Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa are municipalities)

Climate

Temperate on plateau, hot in lowlands

Weather in Addis Ababa (altitude 2,450 metres)

Hottest months, April-May, 10-30°C; coldest month, December, 5-23°C; driest month, December, 5 mm average rainfall; wettest month, August, 300 mm average rainfall

Languages

Amharic, Orominya, Tigrinya, Afar, Somali and others; English and Amharic are mainly used in business

Measures

Metric system; also 1 gasha = 40 ha, 1 kend = 0.5 metres, 1 frasoulla = 17 kg

Currency

The birr (previously the Ethiopian dollar) = 100 cents; the single legal exchange rate is determined by a weekly auction

Time

3 hours ahead of GMT

Public holidays

January 7th (Christmas), January 19th (Epiphany), March 2nd (Battle of Adowa), May 28th (Downfall of the Derg), September 11th (New Year), Good Friday, Easter, Eid el Fitr, Eid el Ahda, Maulid; the Ethiopian calendar has 13 months