About Ethiopia

Ethiopia is Africa's oldest independent country and, with the exception of a five-year occupation by Mussolini's Italy, has never been colonised.

But it has become better known for its periodic droughts and famines, and for its long civil war and subsequent border war with Eritrea.

OVERVIEW

In the first part of the 20th century Ethiopia forged strong links with Britain, whose troops helped evict the Italians in 1941 and put Emperor Haile Selassie back on his throne. During the 1960s and early 1970s British influence gave way to that of the US, which in turn was supplanted by the USSR.

Although relatively free from the coups that have plagued other African countries, Ethiopia's turmoil has been no less devastating. Drought, famine, war and ill-conceived policies brought millions to the brink of starvation in the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1974 this helped topple Haile Selassie. His regime was replaced by a self-proclaimed Marxist junta under which thousands of opponents were purged or killed, property was confiscated and defence spending spiralled.

With the overthrow of the junta in 1991, political and economic conditions stabilised somewhat, but not enough to restore investors' confidence, which received a further blow with the war with Eritrea in the late 1990s.

Consequently, Ethiopia remains one of Africa's poorest states, with a very low income per capita and a population that is almost two-thirds illiterate.

FACTS

ETHIOPIA FACTS
Population: 70.7 million (UN, 2003)
Capital: Addis Ababa
Major languages: Amharic, Tigrinya, Orominga
Major religions: Christianity, Islam
Life expectancy: 45 years (men), 46 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Birr = 100 cents
Main exports: Coffee, hides, oilseeds, beeswax, sugarcane
Average annual income: US $100 (World Bank, 2001)
Internet domain: .et
International dialling code: +251

LEADERS

MEDIA

Although the state controls radio and television, the print and broadcast media have seen dramatic changes since Mengistu's demise.

Deregulation has been on the cards for some years but would-be private radio and TV broadcasters still await the green light to apply for licences.

A number of opposition groups beam radio broadcasts to Ethiopia, using hired shortwave transmitters overseas.

The number of privately-owned newspapers has grown, with the weekly Addis Tribune available online. The Walta website also hosts a few pro-government English-language newspapers.

The private press offers quite different reporting to the state-owned newspapers and is often critical of the government.

The relationship between the press and the authorities has sometimes been uneasy and media rights organisations have expressed concern about the jailing of journalists.

The press
Addis Zemen - state-owned daily
Efoyta - privately-owned weekly
Ilete Addis - privately-owned daily
Seifenebelbal - privately-owned weekly
Tobya - privately-owned weekly
Efoyta - privately-owned weekly
Atkurot - privately-owned weekly
Wonchif - privately-owned weekly
Tomar - privately-owned weekly
Mahlet - privately-owned weekly
Addis Tribune - privately-owned English-language weekly

Television
Ethiopian Television (ETV) - state-owned

News agencies
Walta Information Centre (WIC) - privately-owned, pro-government
Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) - state-owned

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