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Portal:Ethiopia

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Introduction

Quick facts Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopiaየኢትዮጵያ ፌደራላዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ (Amharic), ISO 3166 code ...
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
የኢትዮጵያ ፌደራላዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ (Amharic)
Anthem: 
[ወደፊት ገስግሺ ፣ ውድ እናት ኢትዮጵያ] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |bold= (help)
(English: "March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia")
Location of Ethiopia
ISO 3166 codeET
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Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE), is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the southeast, Kenya to the south, South Sudan to the west, and Sudan to the northwest. Ethiopia covers a land area of 1,104,300 km2 (426,400 sq mi). As of 2026, it has around 138 million inhabitants, making it the 10th-most populous country in the world and 2nd most populous country in Africa. The national capital and largest city, Addis Ababa, lies several kilometres west of the East African Rift that splits the country into the African and Somali tectonic plates.

Anatomically modern humans emerged in what is now Ethiopia. In 980 BC, the Kingdom of D'mt extended its realm over Eritrea and the northern region of Ethiopia, while the Kingdom of Aksum maintained a unified civilisation in the region for 900 years. Christianity arrived to the kingdom in 330 AD, while Islam gained influence during the first Hijra in 615. After the collapse of Aksum in 960, the Zagwe dynasty ruled the north-central parts of Ethiopia. The Shewan usurper, Yekuno Amlak, overthrew the dynasty in 1270 at the Battle of Ansata, inaugurating the Ethiopian Empire and the Solomonic dynasty – asserting its lineage through Aksumite legitimacy by the biblical Solomon and Queen of Sheba, and Menelik I was the first emperor. Under Emperor Amda Seyon I (r. 1314–1344), the empire grew in prestige through territorial expansion against neighbouring Muslim territories. Later, the Ethiopian–Adal War (1529–1543) weakened the empire and opened the way for the Oromo expansion. The growing influence of the Oromo at the Gondarine court ultimately contributed to the fragmentation known as Zemene Mesafint, beginning in 1769. Emperor Tewodros II ended the Zemene Mesafint at the beginning of his reign in 1855, marking the reunification and modernisation of Ethiopia. (Full article...)

Learn more about Ethiopia, its history, and its culture
A map of the geographic distribution of the different subgroups of the Gurage

The Soddo or Kistane (Gurage: ክስታኔ; endonym: Aymellel, Gordena) are a subgroup of the Gurage who inhabit the south-central part of Ethiopia, considered the northern geographic and linguistic subset of the Gurage and speak the Soddo Gurage language or Kistanigna (ክስታንኛ). They primarily inhabit the Soddo (woreda) in the Gurage Zone, but large amounts also live in various parts of Ethiopia, particularly in Addis Abeba, Nazret, Butajira, and Dire Dawa. They are related to the Sebat Bet Gurage and other Gurage sub-groups, however, in contrast to the Sebat Bet Gurage and Silte, they are exclusively and almost entirely Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christians. The Soddo Gurage are known for and pride themselves on their Orthodox Christian identity, which they have historically practiced since ancient times, and from which their name Kistane (lit. Christian) derives its name, as it is the traditional and preferred name by locals for the people, although Soddo is still popularly used.

The Soddo or Kistane Gurage are related to their fellow Gurages. Geographically, they almost entirely border the Oromo to the North, West, and East. To the south, they border the Dobi-Gogot to the south, the Meskan and Mareqo to the southeast, and to a small degree with the Wolane or Gedebano to the southwest. They historically shared considerable geographic and linguistic polity with the Gafat, now an extinct group, and once encompassed territory that stretched widely to Gojjam and Kingdom of Damot in the west before the incursions of the Oromo migrations. (Full article...)

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Ethiopia

Africa • Countries • Eritrea • African military history task force

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  • ... that Ethiopian migrants have to stay in Malawi's overcrowded Maula Prison until they can fund their own deportation?
  • ... that Eritrea's abortion law was based on Ethiopia's, which was based on Switzerland's, which was based on France's?
  • ... that a volcano in Ethiopia had its first recorded explosive eruption in 2025?

In the news

Wikinews Ethiopia

24 September 2026 – Ethiopian civil conflict
2026 Ethiopian offensive
Fano fighters launch several attacks in the Amhara Region. Shootouts with the Ethiopian National Defense Force are ongoing, causing several casualties, while a colonel is captured. (Daily News Egypt)
23 September 2026 – Ethiopian civil conflict
2026 Ethiopian offensive
The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) seizes several airports in Tigray, while clashes are ongoing in the nearby regions of Afar and Amhara. The TPLF says that it has started a "defensive war" against the federal government of Ethiopia. (Reuters)
22 September 2026 – Ethiopian civil conflict
2026 Ethiopian offensive
The Ethiopian National Defense Force launches 21 airstrikes in Alamata, Tigray Region, killing 14 civilians and wounding 22 more. Two empty schools are also hit. (BBC News)

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