The Geography of Ethiopia

Where is Ethiopia?

Ethiopia is located in and near the Horn of Africa, on the easternmost part of the continent. 

http://www.nouahsark.com/data/images/infocenter/worldwide/africa/location/ethiopia.png

                                               

Ethiopia is near the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean, yet the country touches neither of these waters. Instead, Ethiopia is bordered by the countries of Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, South Sudan to the southwest, and Sudan to the northwest.

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/ethiopia/etlatlog.htm#page

Major Cities:

Ethiopia has a population of 93,877,025, making it the second most populous country in Africa. The capital city is Addis Ababa (9° 1' N, 38° 44' E). Other major cities include Dolo Odo (4° 11' N, 42° 4' E), Gonder (12° 36' N, 37° 28' E), and Werder (6° 58' N, 45° 20' E) ("Location of Ethiopia", World Atlas, http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/ethiopia/etlatlog.htm#page).

Climate:

The climate in Ethiopia is tropical monsoon. It is typically hot and humid in Ethiopia, though in the central mountains temperatures are cooler. As I am writing this, it is 84 degrees in Dolo Odo, and it is 59 degrees and raining in the capital of Addis Ababa. The wide difference in temperatures is due to the variations in topography.

Key Geographic Features:

Ethiopia is geographically diverse. It is near three major bodies of water (Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Indian Ocean). Within its borders, there are rivers (Blue Nile, Awash, Ganale, Gestro, Shebelle) lakes (Rudolph, Chew, Abaya, Tana, Abbe), mountains (Simiens, Mendebos, Ahmars), highlands, valleys (the Great Rift Valley runs through the center of the country), forests (in the southernmost reaches) and deserts (Danakil, Ogaden). Elevations range from 14,928 feet (Ras Dashen) to -410 feet (Afar Depression) ("Geography of Ethiopia", World Atlas, http://www.worldatlas.com).

Ethiopia is geographically diverse. 
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/lgcolor/etcolor.htm

Impact of the Geography on the country:

The Ethiopian economy is built on agriculture. Agriculture counts for "half of gross domestic product (GDP), 83.9% of exports, and 80% of total employment"  ("Agriculture in Ethiopia", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Ethiopia). The Ethiopian economy has developed in this way as a result of its geography. "Ethiopia has great agricultural potential because of its vast areas of fertile land, diverse climate, generally adequate rainfall, and large labor pool" ("Agriculture in Ethiopia", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Ethiopia). Cotton, flowers, oilseed, sorghum, millet, corn, and pulses are all produced in Ethiopia. However, seasons of drought are not infrequent in Ethiopia, and these have severely harmed the Ethiopians in the past (some 200,000 Ethiopians died during a drought in 1972-74). Along with drought, various diseases have taken the lives of millions of Ethiopians. These include lower respiratory infections, diarrheal Diseases, HIV, and Malaria (http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/ethiopia).

Recently, the Ethiopian government has pushed for increasing tourism in the country, particularly ecotourism. For instance, many tourists have travel to Ethiopia to see the Ethiopian Highlands. 

The Ethiopian Highlands.
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