EAST AFRICA: ETHIOPIA Capital: Addis Ababa Largest city: Addis Ababa Languages: Amharic Demonym: Ethiopian Currency: Ethiopian Birr (ETB) Calling code: +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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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.