55 Facts About Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a rugged, landlocked country in the Horn of Africa divided by the Great Rift Valley.

It's a place of ancient culture, with archaeological finds dating back more than 3 million years.

Lalibela, with its rock-cut Christian churches from the 12th and 13th centuries, is one of its most important sites.

Aksum is the ruins of an ancient city with obelisks, tombs, castles, and the church of Our Lady Mary of Zion.

Ethiopia appears to have been home to some of the world's oldest people, if not the earliest hominid populations. More than 1.8 million years ago, Homo erectus most likely evolved in this region and left Africa to populate Eurasia.

Several archaeological discoveries in Ethiopia's Afar region have bolstered claims that the country is the origin of humanity as we know it.

Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that was never formally colonised, a fact that locals are very proud of and will never tyre of telling visitors.

Ethiopia fought against the so-called Scramble for Africa and is one of the few countries that was never colonised, despite the fact that the Italians briefly occupied it for about five years.

The Scramble for Africa, also known as the Partition of Africa or the Conquest of Africa, was the invasion, occupation, division, and colonisation of African territory by European powers between 1881 and 1914, during the New Imperialism period.

Ethiopia was also the first African country to become a member of the League of Nations. The League of Nations, abbreviated as LON, was founded in 1920 as the first global intergovernmental organisation whose primary mission was to maintain world peace.

To maintain its independence, Ethiopia had to defeat two Italian attempts to colonise the country.

The First Italo-Ethiopian War took place between 1895 and 1896, following the Italian claim that the Treaty of Wuchale had turned Ethiopia into an Italian protectorate. In a full-fledged war, Italian troops from Italian Eritrea were initially successful until Ethiopian troops counterattacked, besieged, and forced the Italian fort of Mekele to surrender.

Many locals now boast that they "just waited until the Italians built them some railways and nice buildings before deciding to kick them out."

Because Ethiopia was able to defeat a European power, some other African countries, such as Ghana, have adopted their own flags with the same colours as Ethiopia (green, red, and yellow).

Ethiopian rulers, including emperors and queens, have a long history.

Ethiopian Queen Zewditu was the first globally recognised female African head of state, reigning as empress of Ethiopia from 1916 to 1930. Ethiopia also had a Jewish queen for a short time, Queen Gudit (Judith), who ruled parts of the country in the 10th century. She is remembered for, ironically, burning down many churches.

Candace, pronounced "kan-dah-ke," was the name given to ancient Ethiopian queens.

All of Ethiopia's emperors prior to 1974 claimed to be descended from King Solomon of the Bible and Makeda (the Ethiopian Queen of Sheba). Ethiopia's last emperor was Haile Selassie I.

Ethiopia is widely regarded as the African continent's diplomatic capital.

Ethiopia also has the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa. Aksum, Fasil Ghebbi, Harar, Konso Cultural Landscape, Lower Valley of the Awash, Lower Valley of the Omo, Rock-Hewn Churches, Simien National Park, and Tiya are among the nine sites.

Ethiopia has the second largest population in Africa, accounting for nearly 1.5% of the global population.

Ethiopians have one of the world's lowest life expectancies.

Ethiopia has the highest number of orphans in the world. Ethiopia has the most orphans in the world, with over 145 million, more than any other country. Almost a quarter of these parents have died as a result of the AIDS epidemic.

Ethiopia was once considered one of the poorest countries in the world, but has shown remarkable growth in recent years.

Addis Abeba is Africa's highest capital city, rising 2,450 metres above sea level.

The people of the country speak more than 200 dialects.

Ethiopia's national language is Amharic, but different tribes speak a total of 82 languages.

The Abyssinian lion is Ethiopia's national animal.

According to experts, less than 1000 Abyssinian lions can still be found in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia was Africa's first country to own and operate a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The country is mentioned in the Bible and the Quran, as well as Homer's Odyssey and a number of other ancient books.

Ethiopia is home to one of the world's oldest forms of Christianity.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, also known as Tewahedo, is one of the world's oldest forms of Christianity and originated in Egypt, where Egyptians belonged to the Coptic Church.

Ethiopia is home to some of the oldest Christian relics. Aksum, a city in northern Ethiopia, is famous for its tall, carved obelisks, which are relics of the ancient Aksum Kingdom. Its centuries-old St. Mary of Zion Christian church and pilgrimage site is thought to be the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the ten commandments given to Moses by God. The Ark is said to be kept in the nearby Chapel of the Tablet.

Ancient laws forbid even female animals from entering some holy places in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is the spiritual home of the Rastafarian movement.

Ethiopia was the first country to officially recognise Islam as a religion. Ethiopia has favoured Islam's spread and presence in the country since Muhammad's time (571 to 632).

In the 1960 Rome Olympics, Ethiopian Abebe Bikila won Africa's first Olympic gold medal.

Menelik II of Ethiopia was the first African to drive a car.

Ethiopian Asegedech Assefa was the first African woman to fly an aeroplane.

Aster Tolossa, an Ethiopian captain, was the first female pilot to shoot down an enemy fighter jet in combat.

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, an Ethiopian entrepreneur, founded the first African consumer brand to open its own standalone retail store in the United States.

The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Ethiopia's Prime Minister.

The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was written in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has its own calendar and alphabet that is not compatible with the Gregorian calendar. The Ethiopian calendar is divided into 13 months.

Lip discs and scars are considered attractive in some parts of Ethiopia.

The so-called "fighters' salute" is used by traditional Ethiopians to greet one another.

An Ethiopian man may be able to find a wife through stick fighting.

In Ethiopia, jumping a bull separates the men from the boys.

Cattle ownership confers high social status.

Ethiopians are among the world's leanest people.

Coffee is synonymous with Ethiopia. Coffee was probably discovered by the goat herder Kaldi in the Kaffa region of Ethiopia, and the word "coffee" came from there.

Ethiopia is the source of the world's longest river. Lake Tana in Ethiopia feeds the Blue Nile River, which in turn feeds the White Nile River, forming the Great Nile River, the world's longest river.

Dallol, a lava lake 116 metres below sea level in Ethiopia's Danakil Depression, is the lowest point on Earth. It is also one of the world's few lava lakes and the hottest place on the planet.

Ethiopia is home to more than 70% of Africa's mountains, earning the country the moniker "the Roof of Africa."