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Online Resources: Ethiopia.org • Ethiopianews.org • Tropos.org • funfacts.org

Did you know that Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa. It has 94.1 million people.

• The animal of Ethiopia is the Lion• 70% of Africa’s mountain ranges are in Ethiopia

• Addis Ababa (the capital) stands 2,400 meters tall; this makes it the tallest city in Africa.

• Ethiopia is the 4th oldest country in the world, founded and colonized in 2560 BCE.

• Unlike most countries, Ethiopia has 13 months on it’s yearly calendar.

• Donkeys and camels were domesticated in Ethiopia, not Egypt as many historically believed.

DID YOU

KNOW?

By Keegan Appleby, William J. Johnston Middle School

GEOGRAPHY CONNECTIONS

Take 5

Ethiopia is using space age satellite technology

to determine future droughts. Satellites are

used to monitor weather patterns and generate

reports that can inform the government about

drought conditions and help them with long

term planning. Historically, Ethiopia has been

affected by long periods of drought, which have

caused devastating famines. Use the Hartford Courant and maps and data provided

to determine which months might be best to plan a tourist vacation to Ethiopia.

Do you think that this type of technology would be useful in the US?

We just arrived here in Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa. Did you know that Ethiopia has a population

of 94.1 million people? The current president of Ethiopia is Mulatu Teshane. Ethiopians speak Amharic, an

African language, but there are many other languages like German, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese that

are also used. The currency in Ethiopia, called the Birr. The people of Ethiopia practice Islam and Christian

religions. Nearly all of Ethiopians are Christian. Some important holidays and festivals that are celebrated

in Ethiopia center on Christian religious

events. These include Genna or Ethiopian

Christmas which is celebrated on January 7th.

Another important festival is called Timket, it’s the Orthodox Ethiopian celebration of the

Epiphany and celebrated on January 19th. For this festival thousands of people travel

to the city of Gondar to swim in holy waters.

In Ethiopia, one can visit many beautiful natural places, like Nechisar National Park with

its unbelievable views. There are the Bale Mountains that exceed great heights, and

the majestic Lake Tana, where you can partake in many activities such as canoeing,

swimming, and fishing. The Blue Nile Falls, located on the Ethiopian plateau, are said to be the one of the greatest falls in all of Africa. The Blue Nile

Falls have a height of a 150 feet and an estimated width of about a half of a mile. Ethiopia also contains the Simiem Mountains National Park where

tourists can go hunting and bird watching.

One can also visit many cities like the ancient kingdom city of Axum, with its tall carved obelisks. There is also the city of Bahir Dar, a top tourist

destination near Lake Tana. Next, there is the resort town of Arba Minch with its two large crocodile filled lakes and you may visit the hot springs

and the Omo and Mago National Parks.

Our visit to Ethiopia has been the trip of a lifetime. There was so much to see and do; from the exciting national parks to its historic cities with

festivals and exceptionable restaurants. I know I will come back again very soon!

Curricular Connections: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY. RI. 5.1-5.10CCSS. ELA-LITERACY. RH.6-8.1-8.7

Common Core Curricular ConnectionsCCSS.ELA-LITERACY. RI. 5.1-5.10 • CCSS. ELA-LITERACY. RH.6-8.1-8.7

Ethiopia: Country View

A Sulfur lake in Eastern Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, Ethopia

This year-long series is presented in collaboration with the Connecticut Geographic Alliance.

NIE ACTIVITY

USING THE NEWS

MAPPING ACTIVITY

http://www.weather-forecast.com/maps/Ethiopia?over=arrows&symbols=none&type=cloud

The website above has statistics about Ethiopia’s weather patterns. It features the average temperature, and it has maps that display the cloud cover, wind speed, rain and a snowfall map. Use maps and data provided to determine which months might the best to plan a tourist vacation to Ethiopia.

LOCATION: Ethiopia is located in Eastern Africa at

9.1450N and 40.4897E. Ethiopia is bordered by Kenya, Sudan, Eritrea,

Somalia, Djibouti, and the Gulf of Aden.

PLACE: Ethiopia sits between the equator and the tropical climate zone. This position

attributes to Ethiopia’s fruit and vegetables.

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION: he people in Ethiopia depend on their climate and a sustainable water source for fresh food.

MOVEMENT: In Ethiopia typical transportation includes cars, the monorail and walking.

REGION: Ethiopians speak Amharic, an African language, but there are many other languages spoken including English. In total there are over 80 languages are spoken in Ethiopia.