ABOUT ETHIOPIA

LAND

Ethiopia, as large as France and Spain combined, has an area of 1,235,000 square kilometers. About 65 per cent of the land is arable, with 15 per cent presently cultivated.

CLIMATE

There are two seasons: the dry season prevails from October through May; the wet season runs from June to September.

TOPOGRAPHY

Ethiopia has an elevated central plateau varying in height between 2,000 and 3,000 meters. In the north and centre of the country there are some 25 mountains whose peaks rise over 4,000 metres. The most famous Ethiopian river is the Blue Nile (or Abbay), which runs a distance of 1,450 kilometres from the source in Lake Tana, to join the White Nile at Khartoum.

TRANSPORT

Roads: there are some 4,100 kilometres of asphalt roads with a further 19,000 kilometres of gravel and dry-weather roads. Railway:A 778-kilometre long railway line links Addis Ababa with Djibouti, and carries both freight and passengers. Air:Ethiopian Airlines has an extensive domestic network flying to 43 airfields and an additional 21 landing strips.

ECONOMY
About 90 per cent of the population earn their living from the land, mainly as subsistence farmers. Agriculture is the backbone of the national economy and the principal exports from this sector are coffee, oil seeds, pulses, flowers, vegetables, sugar and foodstuffs for animals. There is also a thriving livestock sector, exporting cattle on the hoof and hides and skins.

LANGUAGE
Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic state with a great variety of languages spoken in the country, of which there are 83 with 200 dialects. The main three languages are Amharic, Tigrigna and Oromigna. English is also widely spoken.

ELECTRIC SUPPLY
Ethiopia uses 220 volts 50 cycles AC

NEWSPAPERS
There are several foreign-language newspapers published in Ethiopia including the daily Ethiopian Herald, printed in English.

TIME
Ethiopia is in the GMT+3 hours time zone. Ethiopia follows the Julian calendar, which consists of twelve months of 30 days each and a thirteenth month of five or six days.

PEOPLE
The population is estimated at 55 million, over 50 per cent of whom are under 20 years old. The average number of inhabittants per square kilometer is 49.

HOTELS
Addis Ababa has hotels that cater for all pockets, from the luxurious Sheraton and Hilton hotels to the tourist-class hotels such as the Ghion, the Ethiopia and the Wabi Shebelle. All tourist resorts offer a choice of modern hotels.

VISA AND IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS
Visa applications may be obtained at Ethiopia's diplomatic missions overseas. However, nationals of 33 countries are now allowed to receive their tourist visas on arrival in Ethiopia at the regular charge. The list includes Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom and United States.

CURRENCY
The local currency is the Ethiopian Birr, made up of 100 cents. Visitors may import and unlimited amount of foreign currency, providing declaration of such currency (on the appropriate blue-coloured form) is made to customs on arrival. Foreign currency may only be changed at authorized banks and hotels. The currency declaration form must be attained as this will be required by customs on departure. Visitors, however, will be able to change back any excess Ethiopian Birr to foreign currency at the airport before departure. If you do have Ethiopian Birr to cash at the airport, you must, in addition to the currency declaration form, bring with you all the receipts for exchange transaction.

CUSTOMS
Duty-free imports are permitted for up to : a) 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 1/2 lb of tobacco b)1 litre of alcoholic beverages c)1/2 litre, or two bottles, of perfumes. Visitors may export souvenirs with a value not exceeding E.Birr 500, although some articles (such as animal skin and antiques) require an export permit.

TAXIS
The taxis are luxury Mercedes limousines. They are stationed outside all the major hotels and at the airport. They have fixed rates and a receipt is given for the fare.

HEALTH REQUIREMENTS
Prior to entry, visitors should be in possession of a valid health certificate for yellow fever. Vaccination against cholera is also required for any person who has visited or transited a cholera-infected area within six days prior to arrival in Ethiopia.