Country of the Week:

Ethiopia is a landlocked nation in the “.”

Ethiopia is located in an area known as the Horn of Africa. The Horn of Africa — named because it is shaped like an animal horn — also includes the country of , and the eastern parts of Eritrea and .

Part of the world’s longest river begins in Ethiopia. The Blue Nile, one of the branches of the Nile River, begins at Lake Tana, the country’s biggest lake. Ethiopia has the largest water reserves in Africa. This resource is sometimes called “white oil.”

Ethiopians take great pride in their coffee, because the coffee bean was first cultivated in their country. Today the coffee bean is Ethiopia’s main export. Many languages are spoken in Ethiopia, but the official language is . Most are Christians, and the second most common religion in Ethiopia is Islam.

The capital city of Ethiopia is . More than 4 million people live in this city, out of a total population of about 86 million people. But most of the population lives in the countryside, working as farmers. Most Ethiopians are very poor, especially in rural areas. Many Ethiopians cannot even afford to send their children to school.

Hailemariam Desalegn is the nation’s prime minister. He took over in the summer of 2012, when former leader died suddenly. Although Ethiopoia is a democracy, the government keeps power by restricting freedoms.

Ethiopia is one of the world’s oldest civilizations.

Ethiopia is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and is mentioned in the Bible. It is also where some of the earliest traces of human fossils have been found. Its history goes back more than 2,000 years. Ethiopia was one of the first Christian nations on Earth, and many of its churches were built centuries ago.

At one time, Ethiopia’s capital was a city called Gonder. Gonder was a trading center, and trade routes stretched from Ethiopia all across the Middle East and Asia. Unlike most other African countries, Ethiopia was never a European colony.

Ethiopia’s rulers claimed an unbroken line from the Jewish King Solomon in the Bible. These rulers were called the Solomonic Dynasty. The last of these rulers, , ruled as emperor for almost 44 years. He became famous around the world for standing up to and other larger nations. But he was forced out of power in 1974.

Today, Ethiopia is one of the main political and cultural centers in Africa. Its music and art are famous around the world. The country is also famous for its distance runners. Runners such as Tirunesh Dibaba, , , and Kenenisa Bikele have been among the world’s best. Tirunesh Dibaba is the current World and Olymic 10,000 meters champion.