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Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, South Sudan to the west, and Sudan to the northwest. Ethiopia covers a land area of 1,104,300 square kilometres (426,400 sq mi). As of 2024, it is home to around 132 million inhabitants, making it the 10th-most populous country in the world, the 2nd-most populous in Africa after Nigeria, and the most populated landlocked country on Earth. The national capital and largest city, Addis Ababa, lies several kilometres west of the East African Rift that splits the country into the African and Somali tectonic plates.

Anatomically modern humans emerged from modern-day Ethiopia and set out for the Near East and elsewhere in the Middle Paleolithic period. In 980 BC, the Kingdom of D'mt extended its realm over Eritrea and the northern region of Ethiopia, while the Kingdom of Aksum maintained a unified civilization in the region for 900 years. Christianity was embraced by the kingdom in 330, and Islam arrived by the first Hijra in 615. After the collapse of Aksum in 960, the Zagwe dynasty ruled the north-central parts of Ethiopia until being overthrown by Yekuno Amlak in 1270, inaugurating the Ethiopian Empire and the Solomonic dynasty, claimed descent from the biblical Solomon and Queen of Sheba under their son Menelik I. By the 14th century, the empire had grown in prestige through territorial expansion and fighting against adjacent territories; most notably, the Ethiopian–Adal War (1529–1543) contributed to fragmentation of the empire, which ultimately fell under a decentralization known as Zemene Mesafint in the mid-18th century. Emperor Tewodros II ended Zemene Mesafint at the beginning of his reign in 1855, marking the reunification and modernization of Ethiopia. (Full article...)

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The Battle of Jilib took place on the last day of 2006 during the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia. It was fought when Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) troops and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) militia launched an offensive on the town of Jilib, held by the Islamic Courts Union (ICU).

Following the ICU's withdrawal from Mogadishu, they regrouped in Jilib, Middle Juba and the port city of Kismayo, Lower Jubba. The battle for the town began on 31 December 2006, when ICU forces entrenched around the town attempted defend it in order to delay the advance on Kismayo, one of the last major strongholds of the Islamic Courts. After a day of fighting the town was overrun and the ICU retreated to Kismayo. (Full article...)

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Tirunesh at the 2008 Bislett Games

Tirunesh Dibaba (Oromo: Xirunesh Dibaabaa, Amharic: ጥሩነሽ ዲባባ ቀነኒ; born 1 October 1985) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner athlete who competes in long-distance track events and international road races. She has won three Olympic track gold medals, five World Championship track gold medals, four individual World Cross Country (WCC) adult titles, and one individual WCC junior title. Tirunesh was the 5,000 metres (outdoor track) world record holder until 2020. She is nicknamed the "baby-faced destroyer."

At the 2005 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, Tirunesh became the first woman to win the 5000 m and 10000 m at the same championship. She is the one of two women (the other Sonia O'Sullivan) who won the short and long course World Cross Country title at the same championship (2005 in Saint-Galmier, France). With her 2003 World championship title, she became the youngest World Champion at the age of 18 years and 90 days. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Ethiopia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Declining child mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa and Ethiopia since 1950 (from Ethiopia)
Image 2Cultural performance in Addis Ababa (from Ethiopia)
Image 3A Homo sapiens idaltu hominid skull (from Ethiopia)
Image 4Addis Ababa seen from the air, 2024 (from Ethiopia)
Image 5Relief map of Ethiopia (from Ethiopia)
Image 6Köppen climate classification of Ethiopia (from Ethiopia)
Image 7The Aksumite Steles served as an official maker for the Emperors of Ethiopia during the time of the Aksumite Empire (from Ethiopia)
Image 8Over 5 million residents live in Addis Ababa the epicenter of the nation's economy (from Ethiopia)
Image 9House of Peoples' Representatives is the lower house of the Ethiopian Federal Parliamentary Assembly (from Ethiopia)
Image 10Mengistu Haile Mariam was sentenced to death in absentia for committing crimes during his rule (from Ethiopia)
Image 11The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam constructed between 2011 and 2023 set to be the largest dam in Africa (from Ethiopia)
Image 12Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi (bottom row, fourth from left) in G8 Group meeting in 2007 (from Ethiopia)
Image 13Afewerk Tekle's "The Last Judgment" at St. George's Capel (from Ethiopia)
Image 14Entrance of Addis Ababa University (from Ethiopia)
Image 15Aksumite currency of the Aksumite king Endubis, 227–35, at the British Museum. (from Ethiopia)
Image 16Yared in a piece of 15th century Ethiopian sacred art holding a mequamia (prayer stick) (from Ethiopia)
Image 17Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) training under AMISOM, 2021 (from Ethiopia)
Image 18Abebe Bikila, Ethiopia's first Olympic gold medalist (from Ethiopia)
Image 19Addis Ababa seen at nighttime, the financial epicenter of the country (from Ethiopia)
Image 20Sheger Park is the largest park in the country, hosting hundreds of thousands of visitors a year since its opening (from Ethiopia)
Image 21The Ethiopian New Year or Enkutatash is celebrated with the adey abeba flower symbolising a new beginning, each year across the country (from Ethiopia)
Image 22The Federal Supreme Court is the highest court determining constitutionality of ordeals in the nation (from Ethiopia)
Image 23Map of regions and zones of Ethiopia (from Ethiopia)
Image 24The Addis Ababa Science Museum of Art and Science serves as the country's biggest hub which showcases the country's newest innovations (from Ethiopia)
Image 25A Walia Ibex in Simien Mountains National Park, one of the national symbols of Ethiopia, found only in the north of the country (from Ethiopia)
Image 26Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023 (from Ethiopia)
Image 27Fasil Ghebbi, one of the key castles of the Gondarine period. (from Ethiopia)
Image 28Ethiopian troops sent by the government under the Emperor Haile Selassie I during the Korean War fighting for South Korean independence (from Ethiopia)
Image 29Biete Medhane Alem, built during Zagwe dynasty in the Middle Ages (from Ethiopia)
Image 30The Empire of Axum at its peak in the 6th century. (from Ethiopia)
Image 31This meal consisting of injera and several kinds of wat (stew) is typical of Ethiopian cuisine. (from Ethiopia)
Image 32The Church of Saint George, Lalibela a pilgrimage site for Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church; the site is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela". (from Ethiopia)
Image 33An Ethiopian logistics shipping cargo docked at the Red Sea (from Ethiopia)
Image 34Ethiopian civil conflict: territorial control as of September 2023 (from Ethiopia)
Image 35The Blue Nile falls during winter provides over 86 percent of the Nile river's water coming from melted snow in the Simien mountains below 0. (from Ethiopia)
Image 36The Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation former headquarters in Addis Ababa (from Ethiopia)
Image 37The African Union Headquarters located in Addis Ababa since its conception, Ethiopia is a founding member to the AU (from Ethiopia)
Image 38Development of GDP per capita (from Ethiopia)
Image 39Emperor Haile Selassie I with U.S. President Roosevelt during the end of World War II (from Ethiopia)

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Selected pictures

Image 1

The black-headed lapwing (Vanellus tectus tectus) is a resident breeder located across sub-Saharan Africa, living in locations ranging from Senegal to Ethiopia.

Photo credit: Charles J. Sharp
Image 2

The plains zebra (Equus quagga, subspecies Grant's zebra pictured) is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra. It ranges from the south of Ethiopia through East Africa to as far south as Angola and eastern South Africa. The plains zebra is mid-sized, smaller on average than the other two zebra species, and thick-bodied with relatively short legs. Adults of both sexes can stand from 1.1 to 1.47 m (3.6 to 4.8 ft) high at the shoulder, are 2 to 2.5 m (6.6 to 8.2 ft) long (excluding the tail), and weigh 175 to 387 kg (386 to 853 lb), with males slightly heavier than females.

Photo credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim
Image 3

The black-chested snake eagle (Circaetus pectoralis) is a large African bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It resembles other snake eagles and was formerly considered conspecific with the short-toed and Beaudouin's snake eagles, to which it is closely related. As well as feeding on snakes, which may be swallowed while still alive, it feeds on lizards, small mammals, frogs and insects. It typically perches in an elevated position ready to swoop silently to capture its prey, before returning to its perch to eat.

Photo credit: Charles J. Sharp
Image 4

Haile Selassie I was Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. The heir to a dynasty that traced its origins to the 13th century, and from there by tradition back to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, he is a defining figure in both Ethiopian and African history. Selassie is revered as the religious symbol for God incarnate among the Rastafari movement, whose name comes from Ras (literally "Head," an Ethiopian title equivalent to Duke), and Tafari Makonnen, Selassie's pre-coronation name.

Photo credit: American Colony, Jerusalem
Image 5

Saint George (died 23 April 303) was a soldier of Cappadocian Greek origin. A member of Roman emperor Diocletian's Praetorian Guard, he was sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith. He is immortalised in the legend of Saint George and the Dragon and his feast day is celebrated on 23 April. Saint George is claimed as their patron saint by England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Catalonia and several other nation states, as well as by various cities, universities, professions and organisations.

Painting credit: Carlo Crivelli

Did you know - load new batch

... that Quintin Johnstone advocated giving control of an American-governed law school to native Ethiopians?
... that the government of Ethiopia's SNNP Region supported local governments calling for a referendum to secede from the region?
... that Aguil Chut-Deng took 22 child refugees from South Sudan to Ethiopia during civil war so that they could attend school?
... that Liberian paramount chief Tamba Taylor worked as a tailor and claimed to have sewn clothes for Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie and Ghanaian president Kwame Nkrumah?

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In the news

8 March 2025 – Somali Civil War: Al Shabaab seizes the town of Cadale and some villages including Bushra Sheekh, Ceel Xarar and Xaruur, around 70 km (43 mi) of Mogadishu. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud asks Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for help. Ethiopia sends ten thousand ENDF troops near the Ethiopia–Somalia border. (Idil News)
27 February 2025 – Somali Civil War: Somali capital city Mogadishu enters a security lockdown after several mortars were fired toward Aden Adde International Airport during a visit from Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. (Anadolu Agency)
27 February 2025 –: Villa Somalia security guards open fire on civilians at Lido Beach in Mogadishu while attempting to clear the beach ahead of a visit from Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, killing a teenage boy and wounding several others. (Idil News) (HBN)
26 February 2025 – Somali Civil War: The Somalian government and the African Union finalize the troop distribution for the new peacekeeping mission AUSSOM, resolving prior disputes with Ethiopia and later Burundi. The mission will deploy 11,900 personnel, including soldiers, police, and civilian staff. Under the agreement, Uganda will contribute 4,500 troops, followed by Ethiopia with 2,500, Djibouti with 1,520, Kenya with 1,410, and Egypt with 1,091. (VOA)