Ethiopia: Geography

Ethiopia is a large country which holds a dominating position on what is called the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia holds the distinction of being the most populous landlocked country in the world, with 100 million people calling this country home. (1) This country is also quite large with 1,127,127 km².(2) The capital of Ethiopia is centralized in the interior of the country. Addis Ababa has a population of 3,384,569, and is widely known as the "political capital of Africa" because it has become a hub of political, historical, and diplomatic organizations. (3)

     

Ethiopia occupies a major portion of eastern Africa stretching from the longitudes 33rd meridian east and 48th meridian east and the 3rd parallel north and the 15th parallel north.(4) The terrain located within Ethiopia's boarders vary, and because of this allow for many different environments which in turn provide habitats for many different plants and animals. One of the dominant geographical features is the Great Rift Valley which runs from the Southwest corner up to the Northeast area. This formation greatly influences the land around it. In effect it creates a barrier through the center of the country which hinders travel and communication. (5)Another prominent feature is the Ethiopian Highlands, which has a strong impact on the climate of the country. The various environments of Ethiopia have also been used by politicians going back to the 1950's. They began to try to control the politics of the country by moving supporters to better areas and relocating those who resistant to changes in government to distant portions of the country, sometimes by force. "By the end of 1986, about 700,000 people had been resettled." (6)Even though Ethiopia is located quite close to the equator, it maintains a far cooler temperature than other countries because of it's altitude. However in the lower lands there is such a shift in climate that Ethiopia is home to the Danakil Depression with the worlds hottest average temperature at 93.2 degrees fahrenheit. (7)

     

The main river of Ethiopia is The Blue Nile which flows from Lake Tana and becomes a tributary to the Nile River. The Blue Nile is notable for both it's falls which occur just south of the Lake Tana, and the fact that a portion of it's journey occurs through a deep gorge similar in depth to the Grand Canyon of the Southwestern United States. This river has created yet another barrier within the country, which in recent years many have tried to overcome with the repair of bridges and adding new bridges in order to facilitate great ease and safety for travelers. Ethiopia hopes to harness these waters for power in their colossal project at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, set to be the largest dam in Africa. (8) These advances in technology have gone far to reduce the rate of poverty in the immediate vicinity of the advancements. "Deep wells, river diversions, and micro-dams have led to, respectively, 37%, 26%, and 11% reduction in poverty incidences compared to the reference, that is, the rain-fed system." (9) In a country that experiences heavy rainfalls, and water run off because of it's altitude, these improvements can have a profound effect on it's agriculture, and consequently, on it's economy. 

Ethiopia has in recent years experienced a boom in economical productivity and Growth in real GDP. However this has not been enough to raise the per capita GDP from being one of the lowest found anywhere in the world. The economy is based squarely on agricultural exports which account for 41% of the total Gross Domestic Product. (10) This productivity is in spite of the many droughts which inflict the highlands. Although there is a great water reserve in the area, few irrigation systems make use of this natural resource. Still agricultural exports are vital to Ethiopia. It's largest export is coffee.(11) There are also large oil and mineral deposits available beneath the country which have yet to be utilized.(12) Although poverty has fallen in recent years more than half the population still live without access to fresh clean water. Perhaps connected with this lack of clean water is the prevalence of communicable diseases, which are exacerbated by unsanitary conditions and malnutrition. Although the occurrence of AIDS is low compared to other countries at only 1.1%.(13)  

(1) “Ethiopia”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia.

(2) “Geography of Ethiopia”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Ethiopia.

(3) “Addis Ababa”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addis_Ababa.

(4) “Geography of Ethiopia”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Ethiopia.

(5) “Great Rift Valley”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Rift_Valley.

(6) Mikaberidze, Alexander. Atrocities, Massacres, and War Crimes: An Encyclopedia [2

             volumes]. Santa Barbara, US: ABC-CLIO, 2013. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 8 July 2016.

(7) “Ethiopia”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia.

(8)  “Blue Nile”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Nile.

(9) Hagos, F., Jayasinghe, G., Awulachew, S. B., Loulseged, M. and Yilma, A. D. (2012),

            Agricultural water management and poverty in Ethiopia. Agricultural Economics,

            43: 99–111. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-0862.2012.00623.x Web. 8, July 2016.

(10) "Economy of Ethiopia", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Ethiopia.

(11) "Agriculture in Ethiopia", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Ethiopia.

(12)"Economy of Ethiopia", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Ethiopia.

(13)  “Ethiopia”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia.