Ethiopia

I

Introduction

Ethiopia, formerly Abyssinia, now the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, republic in eastern Africa, bordered on the north-east by Eritrea and Djibouti, on the east and south-east by Somalia, on the south-west by Kenya, and on the west and north-west by Sudan. The area of the country is 1,133,380 sq km (437,600 sq mi). The capital of Ethiopia is Addis Ababa.

II

Land and Resources

The heart of Ethiopia is a high tableland, known as the Ethiopian Plateau, covering more than half the total area of the country. The plateau is split diagonally from north-east to south-west by the Rift Valley. The average elevation of the plateau is about 1,675 m (5,500 ft). Its north-eastern edges are marked by steep escarpments, which drop some 1,220 m (4,000 ft) or more to the sunbaked coastal plain and the Danakil Desert. Along its western edge, the plateau descends more gently to the deserts of Sudan. Along its southern and south-western limits, the plateau drops towards Lake Turkana (or Lake Rudolf) in neighbouring Kenya. The secession of Eritrea in 1993 left Ethiopia without a coastline.

A

Soils

The highlands of Ethiopia are made up of folded and fractured crystalline rocks capped by sedimentary limestone and sandstone, and by thick layers of volcanic lava. The torrential rains of the main rainy season cause severe erosion, especially in areas where all natural vegetation has been cleared. The rains also leach the highland soils of much fertility, particularly soils overlying crystalline rocks. The volcanic soils are less readily leached and are therefore more fertile.

B

Rivers and Lakes

In the north the plateau is cut by many rivers and deep valleys, some of which are 610 m (2,000 ft) below the level of the plateau and capped by mountains, the highest of which is Ras Dashen (4,620 m/15,157 ft). Lake Tana, where the Blue Nile rises, also lies in the northern area.