Official Name: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Location: North East Africa, bordered by Djibouti, Somalia to the east, Eritrea to the North, Sudan to the west and Kenya to the south

Area: 1.14 million sq. km.
Arable land 45%
Irrigable land 3%

Official Language: Amharic.English is also widely spoken in Addis Ababa
Languages: Four language families whichall together constitute about 80 languages.

Religion: Christianity and Islam are predominant

Climate: Temperate in the highlands, Hot in the low lands, Temperature ranges from 10o C to 30o C. Rainfall ranges from 200mm to 2000 mm per year

Time Zone: GMT + 3

Altitude: It ranges from 148 meters below sea level at Dallol, Depression in the east to 4620 meters above sea, level on mt. Ras Dashen in the north.

Currency:
Currency unit: Birr
1 Birr = 100 cents
Currency notes: 1, 5, 10, 50, and 100 Birr
Copper coins: 5, 10, 25, and 50 cents 1USD = 9.45 Birr (May, 2008)
Foreign currency can be exchange at the Airport on arrival, at public and private banks, or licensed hotels.

Population: 77.1 million (2007)
Urban Population: 12.7 million Rural Population 64.4 million
Male: 38.6 million
Female: 38.5 million
Growth Rate: 2.73% per annum
Density: 64.1:1sq km.
Life Expectancy: Male 53 Female 55

Age structure:
0-14:  33%
15-19:  8.1%
20-49: 28.8%
50-59: 3.8%
60 and above: 3.4%

Working Age Population(in million)
Urban: 6.95
Rural: 32.6

Health:
Doctors to population: 1:42,706
Hospital beds to population: 1:5637
HIV/AIDS: Prevalence 2.1%
Persons living with AIDS: 927,394
New HIV Infections: 125,528
AIDS Orphans: 898,350
Infant mortality rate: 77 per 1000

Education:
Literacy Rate: Total population 42.7%
Male: 50.3% Female: 35.1%
Student enrolment:
1-8^th grade: 12,121,943
9-10^th grade: 913, 190