Land area
1,221,900 sq km
Population
75m (mid-year estimate for 2010)
Main regions
Population in '000 (1999 official estimates)
Oromia: 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