1. GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Ethiopia is strategically located in the horn of Africa, at crossroads between Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. It covers an area of approximately 1.14 million square kilometers (445,000 square miles), and borders Djibouti and Somalia to the East and South East, Eritrea to the north, the Sudan to the West and South West, and Kenya to the South.

Geographically, Ethiopia is a country blessed with immense contrasting physical features. It has a topography featuring high and rugged mountains, flat-topped plateaus, deep gorges, incised river valleys, vast rolling plains and low lands. Its altitude ranges from 148 meters below sea level at the Dallol Depression in the Northeast, to the highest peak in the North-West of the country at Mount Ras Dashen, which is 4620 meters above sea level. Surrounding the highlands, which constitute about 56% of the total area of the country, are the extensive low lands with altitudes of less than 1,000 meters.

Ethiopia is also endowed with other fascinating geographical features which include, among other things, the Great Rift Valley that divides the country into western and eastern highlands, and the canyons, gorges and river basins such as the Abbay (Blue Nile), Awash, Baro, Omo, Tekeze, Genale and Wabe Shebele.

Ethiopia has a climate ranging from cold to temperate and from sub-tropical to tropical. Although Ethiopia lies within 15 degrees North of the Equator, owing to the moderating influence of high altitude, much of the country enjoys a temperate and pleasant climate, with an average temperature of 200c (680F) in the high lands. The sparsely populated lowlands typically have sub-tropical and tropical climates. At approximately 850 mm (34 inches), the average annual rainfall for the whole country is considered to be moderate by global standards. In most of the highlands, rainfall occurs in two distinct seasons: The "small rains" during February and March, and the "big rains" from June to September.

Ethiopia has various agro-ecological zones and three main climatic zones:

• � Tropical rainy region, having an altitude of over 2500 meters above sea level;
• � Dry climatic region in the hot low lands streching up to 1500 meters above sea level; and
• � Warm temperate wet region lying between1500-2500 meters above sea level.

2. Population

Ethiopia has a population over 80 million with an annual growth rate of 2.73%, and a population density of 64.1 per sq. km (2007). About 64,438,000 or 84% of the population lives in rural areas. Average life expectancy is 53.42 and 55.42 years for males and females respectively. With regard to working age population, urban workforce constitutes about 6.95 million while rural workforce is 32.6 million (2007). At present, Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa.

Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in the world and its people have an ancient culture and deep-rooted tradition. Its culture and tradition date back to over 3,000 years. In fact, the 3.5 million-year-old skeleton of "Lucy" or Australopithecus at Hadar, in the Afar Region, the 4.4 million-year-old remains of Australopithecus Remides which is considered to be man's anthropoid ancestor, and the earliest hand tools of humans unearthed in the Omo Valley make the country the oldest home of humankind in the world.

The Ethiopian people are ethnically and culturally diverse. Thus, there are about 80 ethnic groups. The Oromo and the Amhara are the dominant ethnic groups, jointly accounting for 60% of the total population.

Amharic is the official working language of the Federal Government. English is the medium of instruction in secondary schools and higher education institutions; and it is also widely used in business transactions, particularly in banking and insurance. Ethiopia's population is predominantly Christian (61.7%). Muslims account for 32.8% and the rest 4.6% are practitioners of traditional religions.

3. Government and Political System

The Ethiopian constitution that underpins the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) has been adopted in 1995. The Constitution provides for a federal system of the State, which is structurally based on the Federal Government and nine autonomous States and the two chartered cities (Addis Ababa and Dire-Dawa).

The FDRE has a parliamentarian form of government with a bicameral parliament, which comprises the House of Peoples' Representatives and the House of the Federation. The House of the Peoples' Representatives is the highest authority of the Federal Government while the House of the Federation represents the interests of the nations, nationalities and various ethnic groups and people's that constitute the nation.

4. Cities and Towns

Addis Ababa, the Federal capital, was founded in 1886, and has a population of about 4 million. It lies in the central plateau at an altitude of 2,400 meters 90 north of the equator. Its average temperature is 160c while its annual rainfall is 1221 millimeters. It is the seat of the African Union (AU), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and more than 90 embassies and consulates. Several other international organizations have their head quarters and branch offices in the capital. It is also the center of commerce and industry. The largest open-air market in Africa, Mercato, is also found in Addis Ababa.

Addis Ababa has much to offer to international visitors. It has magnificent museums, monuments, and cultural heritages. The major attracting museums include the National Museum, Addis Ababa Museum, Ba'ata Museum, Entoto Museum, St. George Cathedral Museum, Ethnographic Museum and the Museum of Zoological Natural History. Some of the monuments are Emperor Menelik's Monument, Abune Petros Monument, Victory monument, Martyr's monument and Ethio-Cuba Friendship Memorial monument, etc. There are also palaces, churches and mosques worth visiting.

Manufacturing plants for steel products; leather and leather products, textiles and garments, cement, tires, blankets, and food and beverages factories and plants are among the industrial establishments located in and around Addis Ababa.

Addis Ababa has now become a location for huge real estate developments both for residential, office and commercial purposes and also for a big road network expansion.

Pic Ethiopia's other important centers of trade and industries are: Awassa, Dire Dawa, Debrebirhan, Gonder, Dessie, Nazareth, Jimma, Harrar, Bahir Dar, Mekelle, Debre Markos and Nekemte. All these towns are connected to Addis Ababa by Asphalt roads, and some of them have good infrastructure facilities, such as, first class hotels and airports.

5. Currency and Wroking hours

The monetary unit of Ethiopian currency is the "Birr" with an average exchange rate of 9.5 against the dollar and 14.7=1EUR (for randomly selected days in June), subject to weekly revisions. The exchange rate of the Birr continued to be determined in the daily inter-bank market with the National Bank of Ethiopia intervening in the market as necessary. During the past three years ending in 2007, the exchange rate has stayed in more or less stable situation with only a slight depreciation. Copper coins are circulated in values of 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 cents. Currency notes are printed in denominations of Birr 1, 5, 10, 50, and 100. Foreign currency can be exchanged at the Airport on arrival, at the public and private banks, or licensed hotels.

6. Calander and Working hours

In the West the use of the Julian calendar was replaced by the Europeans calendar some 400 years ago, but Ethiopia still uses the Julian calendar which divides the year into 12 months of 30 days each, and the remaining five or six days) constituting the short and 13th month of "Pagume." The Ethiopian New Year commences on September 11th, and on the 12th (every leap year).

Ethiopia is in the GMT + 3 time zone. The government office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. from Monday through Thursday. Working hours on Friday are 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Private and public businesses are often open on Saturdays as well.

7. Ethiopian Millennium-African Millennium

Ethiopia, having its own ancient calendar and clock, celebrates its new year every year on the 11th September and every four years, on the 12th September, because of the leap year. Exceptionally this year, Ethiopia has celebrated it's second millennium on the 12th September 2007, 7 years after the rest of the world. And this explains the difference in the counting of days and years. The calendars of the entire world are based on the work of old Egyptian astronomers who discovered - as early as three to four thousand years BC - which the solar or sidereal year lasted slightly less than 365 � days. However, it was left to the astronomers of the Alexandrian school to incorporate this knowledge into some sort of calendar; and it was these astronomers who also came up with the idea of a leap year. Subsequently, the Romans under Julius Caesar borrowed their reformed calendar from the Alexandrian science and adopted it to the western world. Then the Copts inherited this science as a right one in order to build their own calendar. In due course, the Copts handed this calendar, together with their method of computing the date of Easter, on to the Orthodox Church in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian year, therefore, has something in common with the western year, having been derived from the same source. The Ethiopian calendar retains the old Egyptian system whereby the year was divided into twelve months of thirty days each plus one additional month of five days (six days in leap years). Ethiopian dates fall 7- 8 years behind western dates and have done so since early Christian times. This discrepancy in dates and years has emanated from differences between the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Churches as to their different perceptions as to the date of the creation of the world.

Each Ethiopian year is dedicated to one of the four Evangelists according to the cycle: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The year of St. Luke is Leap Year, and therefore always has six days in the thirteenth month of the Ethiopian calendar.

During the special African Millennium celebrations on September 12, 2007, Ethiopia has reflected into its past in a unique way. It is true, there were times when Ethiopia's prominence reached its climax on several occasions; times when Ethiopia inspired the world as one of the pioneers of early civilization, not to mention its reputation as the cradle of mankind (Extracted from ezinearticle.com).

Celebration of Ethiopian Millennium was also designated as the African Millennium because it is accepted by African countries and African Union as their own. It is also recognized by the United Nations.

The Ethiopian government has organized an office with the responsibility of leading and coordinating National Millennium celebrations. On the eve of September 12, 2007, the country celebrated its millennium colorfully. Several events have been performed before and after September 12, 2007 and this has continued throughout the year.