Ethiopia A Country Study Essay Research Paper

Ethiopia: A Country Study Essay, Research Paper

Ethiopia: A Country Study

Located in northeastern Africa, in an area known as the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia is one of the largest and most populous countries in Africa. It is bordered by Djibouti and the former Ethiopian autonomous region of Eritrea on the north, Somalia on the east, Kenya on the south, and Sudan on the west. While influenced and even occasionally occupied by other nations, Ethiopia is one of the few countries in Africa or Asia never truly colonized.

The Ethiopian population is very mixed, with broad differences in cultural backgrounds and traits, languages, and religions. The greatest numbers of people speak either Semitic or Cu*censored*ic languages and their dialects. In the west and southwest some people speak Nilotic languages.

Various religions are represented, with numerous people following Christianity, Islam, and traditional African religions. Christianity was introduced into Ethiopia in the 4th century and was the official state religion until 1974. Christians tend to be the most numerous in the highland areas, Muslims in the lowlands, and Traditional African religions in the south and west.

The diversity of people has always played a significant role in Ethiopia. Disagreements and problems between groups are often tied to differences in language, religion, and other cultural aspects.

The population of Ethiopia is about 54 million. It is most densely concentrated in the highland areas. Like in most other African countries, most people live in rural areas. Only about 10% of Ethiopians live in the cities. The life expectancy is among the world’s lowest at approximately 45 years for males and 49 years for females.

The Ethiopian economy is one of poverty. Average annual incomes are estimated at between 100 and 150 dollars per person in United States dollars. Little is produced that is not needed within the country. Throughout most of Ethiopia there is the raising of both plants and animals. In most areas the major crops include grains such as teff, wheat, barley, sorghum, millet, and corn. Manufacturing forms only a small part of the Ethiopian economy. Processed foods, textiles, and beverages are the major products, mostly for local consumption.

Semitic people from Arabia settled in Ethiopia about 3,000 years ago. Their descendants established an empire at Aksum in northeast Ethiopia before the time of Christ. The empire grew wealthy as trade with other lands poured through its port of Adulis, near what is now Mitsiwa. The people were converted to Christianity in the early A.D. 300’s.

The Aksumite empire declined around the 900’s. A new empire, ruled by the Zagwe dynasty, began 200 years later about 150 miles south of Aksum. In 1270, Yekuno Amlak, a prince claiming descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, overthrew the dynasty. The empire broke into small kingdoms in the 1600’s after a series of wars against invading Muslims.

During this time, anyone accepted as possessing Solomic descent could claim rights to the monarchy. This obviously caused frequent internal problems, civil wars, and wars of succession.

The ruler who laid the foundations of modern-day Ethiopia was Menelik II. Menelik became emperor in 1889. He began to modernize the country, and regained many lost provinces. In the late 1800’s, the Italians invaded Ethiopia but were defeated by Ethiopian armies in the battle of Aduwa in 1896. This was the first major victory of an African country over a European power. This preserved Ethiopia as one of the few noncolonized nations of Africa.

Menelik died in 1913, and his heir Lij Yasu came to the throne. But the people dethroned Lij Yasu in 1916, accusing him of becoming a Muslim. Zauditu, Menelik’s daughter, then became empress. She governed the country with her cousin, Ras Tafari, who was regent and heir to the throne. Ras Tafari assumed the title of Emperor Haile Selassie I in 1930, after Zauditu’s death.

Haile Selassie, planning to modernize Ethiopia, introduced the country’s first written constitution in 1931. But his reforms were halted when Italy invaded Ethiopia again on October 3, 1935. The Ethiopian army was poorly equipped and not prepared for the invasion. By 1936, the royal family had been driven into exile and it became clear that the capital of Ethiopia could not be defended. Emperor Selassie was persuaded to go into exile.

The Italians occupied Ethiopia until 1941 when Ethiopian and British troops defeated them. Emperor Selassie returned to Ethiopia and helped build new roads and schools and started to modernize Ethiopia’s agriculture.

In the early 1960’s, the Ogaden region of southeastern Ethiopia became a trouble spot. Large numbers of Somali people live there, and the government of Somalia claims ownership of the region. Border fighting flared up between Ethiopia and Somalia in the early 1960’s.

In 1974, Emperor Selassie’s long reign came to an end when he was dethroned in a Marxist revolution. After 1974 Ethiopia had a Marxist military government run by the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), also called the Derg. The Derg was full of internal power struggles until Lieutenant Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam emerged as the head of state.

Under Mengistu, the Derg enlarged the military tenfold. Beginning in 1975 it

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