Ethiopia - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Ethiopia. note 1: landlocked -- entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; Ethiopia is, therefore, the most populous landlocked country in the world; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia

note 2: three major crops may have originated in Ethiopia: coffee (almost certainly), grain sorghum, and castor bean. Mother's mean age at first birth is 19.3 years (2019 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 267 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Ethiopia
Location Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
Geographic coordinates 8 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
Natural Resources small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower
Natural Hazards

geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts

volcanism: volcanic activity in the Great Rift Valley; Erta Ale (613 m), which has caused frequent lava flows in recent years, is the country's most active volcano; Dabbahu became active in 2005, forcing evacuations; other historically active volcanoes include Alayta, Dalaffilla, Dallol, Dama Ali, Fentale, Kone, Manda Hararo, and Manda-Inakir

Irrigated Land 1,813 sq km (2020)
Major rivers (by length in km) Blue Nile river source (shared with Sudan [m]) - 1,600 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers Ogaden-Juba Basin, Sudd Basin (Umm Ruwaba Aquifer)
Land Boundaries 5,925 km
Border Countries Djibouti 342 km; Eritrea 1,033 km; Kenya 867 km; Somalia 1,640 km; South Sudan 1,299 km; Sudan 744 km
Coastline 0 km (landlocked)
Climate tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation
Area
Total Area
Land Area 1,096,570 sq km
Water Area 7,730 sq km
comparative Area slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Maritime Claims
Elevations
Highest point Ras Dejen 4,550 m
Lowest point Danakil Depression -125 m
Mean elevation 1,330 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 36.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 15.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 1.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 20% (2018 est.)
Forest 12.2% (2018 est.)
Other 51.5% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Highest density is found in the highlands of the north and middle areas of the country, particularly around the centrally located capital city of Addis Ababa; the far east and southeast are sparsely populated as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Ethiopia, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Oromo 35.8%, Amhara 24.1%, Somali 7.2%, Tigray 5.7%, Sidama 4.1%, Guragie 2.6%, Welaita 2.3%, Afar 2.2%, Silte 1.3%, Kefficho 1.2%, other 13.5% (2022 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 2.37% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 29.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 5.8 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 3.5% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 0.3 beds/1,000 population (2016)
Total fertility rate 3.84 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.89 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 37.7% (2020)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 67.5% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 4.5% of GDP (2019 est.)
Net Migration rate -0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Ethiopian | Ethiopian(s)
Languages
Religions Ethiopian Orthodox 43.8%, Muslim 31.3%, Protestant 22.8%, Catholic 0.7%, traditional 0.6%, other 0.8% (2016 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 38.7% (male 23,092,496/female 22,765,882)
15-64 years 58% (male 34,175,328/female 34,536,238)
65 years and over 3.4% (2024 est.) (male 1,794,269/female 2,186,085)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 75.7
Youth dependency ratio 70.2
Elderly dependency ratio 5.5
Potential support ratio 18.1 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 20.4 years (2024 est.)
Male 20.2 years
Female 20.7 years
Urbanization
Urban population 23.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 4.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 5.461 million ADDIS ABABA (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.82 male(s)/female
Total population 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 32.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 37.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 27.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 67.7 years (2024 est.)
Male 65.4 years
Female 70 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 98.5% of population
Improved: rural rural: 70.2% of population
Improved: total total: 76.4% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 1.5% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 29.8% of population
Unimproved: total total: 23.6% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 52.5% of population
Improved: rural rural: 8.1% of population
Improved: total total: 17.7% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 47.5% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 91.9% of population
Unimproved: total total: 82.3% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases malaria and dengue fever
Water contact diseases schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases rabies
Respiratory diseases meningococcal meningitis
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 1.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 5.1% (2020 est.)
Male 8.8% (2020 est.)
Female 1.3% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 14.1%
Women married by age 18 40.3%
Men married by age 18 5% (2016 est.)
Demographic profile

Ethiopia is a predominantly agricultural country – nearly 80% of the population lives in rural areas – that is in the early stages of demographic transition. Infant, child, and maternal mortality have fallen sharply over the past decade, but the total fertility rate has declined more slowly and the population continues to grow. The rising age of marriage and the increasing proportion of women remaining single have contributed to fertility reduction. While the use of modern contraceptive methods among married women has increased significantly from 6 percent in 2000 to 27 percent in 2012, the overall rate is still quite low.

Ethiopia’s rapid population growth is putting increasing pressure on land resources, expanding environmental degradation, and raising vulnerability to food shortages. With about 40 percent of the population below the age of 15 and a fertility rate of 4 children per woman (and even higher in rural areas), Ethiopia will have to make further progress in meeting its family planning needs if it is to achieve the age structure necessary for reaping a demographic dividend in the coming decades.

Poverty, drought, political repression, and forced government resettlement have driven Ethiopia’s internal and external migration since the 1960s. Before the 1974 revolution, only small numbers of the Ethiopian elite went abroad to study and then returned home, but under the brutal Derg regime thousands fled the country, primarily as refugees. Between 1982 and 1991 there was a new wave of migration to the West for family reunification. Since the defeat of the Derg in 1991, Ethiopians have migrated to escape violence among some of the country’s myriad ethnic groups or to pursue economic opportunities. Internal and international trafficking of women and children for domestic work and prostitution is a growing problem.

All Important Facts about Ethiopia

Want to know more about Ethiopia? Check all different factbooks for Ethiopia below.

Ethiopia is found in Eastern Africa