AIESEC help guide for Ethiopia. AFRICA IN ME TEAM

1. EAST AFRICA: ETHIOPIA
Capital:
Largest city:
Languages:
Demonym:
Currency:
Calling code:
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Amharic
Ethiopian
Ethiopian Birr (ETB)
+251
The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is a country located in the
Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, South
Sudan, and Kenya. With over 93,000,000 inhabitants, Ethiopia is the
most populous landlocked country in the world, and the second-most
populated nation on the African continent.
Ethiopia is a nation that should be proud of its age. Previously known
as Abyssinia, Ethiopia has cultural traditions going back as far as
3,000 years, and humankind there goes back much, much longer:
Lucy, the world’s earliest hominid, was found in Ethiopia and dates
back 3.5 million years. As the second-most populous nation in Africa
after Nigeria, Ethiopia is approximately double the size of Texas. Best
known for its Olympic-caliber athletes and phenomenal cuisine,
Ethiopia is one of the fastest-growing African nations, independent of
oil energy, and in 2007, the country had the 11th-fastest-growing
economy worldwide.
Blue Nile Falls
Church of Saint Georges in Lalibela
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2. EAST AFRICA: ETHIOPIA
Bordered by Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, and Djibouti, Ethiopia
has people, culture, and cuisine that combine for an
unforgettable travel experience. Indeed, the country has no
fewer than eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites within its
borders.
Like Morocco, Ethiopia has exported its cuisine to the rest of the
world with great success, and for good reason: it is outstanding.
Injera, the staple bread, is a flat, spongy pancake made of teff,
a grain grown on the highlands of Ethiopia.
Located in Gondar, this site of Fasil Ghebbi is nicknamed
Africa’s Camelot. Home to a 17th-century castle, the city was
the residence of the Ethiopian emperor Fasilides and his
successors. The city is surrounded by a 2953 feet (900-meter)
wall and contains palaces, churches, and monasteries that
feature Hindu and Arab influences. In this city you will have to
remind yourself you are in Africa and not on an island in North
Wales.
One of the most impressive sites in Ethiopia is the city of
Lalibela, home to 11 huge rock-hewn churches, all carved out
of mountainsides. Mind- boggling feats of masonry, the
churches are connected through a maze of tunnels and
underground passageways.
The natural beauties of Semien Mountains are breathtaking,
owing to thousands of years of erosion on the highland plateau.
The jagged peaks rise and plunge dramatically, providing an
astonishing backdrop for the nearby national park’s collection of
native birds, plants, and mammals. Just outside of the city of
Bahir Dar are the picturesque Blue Nile Falls (or Tis Abay, in
Amharic). It is important to remind a tour in Addis Ababa the
fourth-largest city in Africa and home to a variety of cultural
institutions, Ethiopian Archaeology sites and the prehistoric
town of Tiya and the Danakil depressions.