Ethiopia is a landlocked country in northeastern Africa, covering 426,000 square miles. It has a rich history, being one of the earliest inhabited places on Earth, and managed to resist European colonization. It has experienced periods of growth and modernization, as well as communist rule and political violence. Despite lacking a developed tourism infrastructure, it is a beautiful destination for off-the-beaten-path travelers.
Ethiopia is a nation in northeastern Africa. Although landlocked, it is only separated from the Red Sea by a thin strip of land belonging to Eritrea. The country covers 426,000 square miles (1,104,000 square km), making it nearly twice the size of Texas. It borders Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the north-east, Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south and Sudan to the west.
The country is one of the earliest inhabited places on Earth, with the ancestors of modern humans first appearing in archaeological finds there nearly six million years ago. Various kingdoms arose in the area over time, and there is some evidence to suggest that it was the site of a Jewish pre-settlement around 800 BC. Some argue that this was the kingdom of the Queen of Sheba, and that the Ark of the Alliance headed for the country.
During the 1800s, when European powers were taking over much of Africa, Ethiopia managed to keep them at bay. For much of this period it was surrounded by hostile forces: the British controlled Sudan, British Somaliland and British East Africa, the Italians controlled Italian Eritrea and French-controlled Somaliland. The Italians had come to control Eritrea after a treaty signed by then Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia, but attempted to use that treaty to reclaim all of Ethiopia. The Italians finally released their claim after a resounding defeat in 1896, by which time the country’s independence was firmly recognized, making it the only African nation never to have been colonized by a European power.
In 1930, His Imperial Majesty Haile Selessie I (Ras Tafari Makonnen) ascended the throne. Within two years he had expanded the territory of the country by conquering the Kingdom of Jimma. From 1935 to 1941, his rule was interrupted by the Italian occupation of Ethiopia during World War II, during which he lived in exile in England. In 1952, the United Nations declared Eritrea a “federated unit” of Ethiopia, giving the country direct access to the Red Sea. Haile Selessie I led his country through a period of substantial growth and modernization for the next several decades, until he was deposed in the mid-1970s.
A Marxist group, known as the Derg, deposed the emperor. For the next twenty years the country would be under communist rule, although it was not officially communist until the late 1970s. In 1991, a coalition of liberation groups, collectively known as the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) took control of the country, forcing Communist ruler Mengistu into exile – he would eventually be found guilty of genocide in 2006. L ‘Eritrea used the turmoil of revolution to declare independence, which was eventually won after a violent period of conflict.
Since 2001, Ethiopia has been a major US ally in the War on Terror, and the Ethiopian military has been heavily trained by US forces. In response to a radical Islamic group (the Islamic Courts Union) taking control of much of Somalia, Ethiopia has relocated its military to restore order. Ethiopian troops left the country after about two years.
Ethiopia lacks a particularly developed tourism infrastructure, and as such is not a destination for the faint of heart. On the other hand, it is a beautiful country, with a legacy of human settlement that rivals anywhere else on earth. For travelers interested in an off-the-beaten-path destination, it could be the perfect fit. Political violence is still sometimes reported, and it’s always a good idea to check government advisories before travelling. For those interested in traveling to the country, Ethiopian Airlines serves 58 international cities from its hub in Addis Ababa.
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