Africa - Ethiopia - Country Information

Ethiopia, the ancient land of Abyssinia, whose history stretches back more than 3,000 years - legend has it that the Queen of Sheba had her capital at Axum in the 10th century BC. It is also a land of rugged mountains and picturesque lakes, including Lake Tana, source of the Blue Nile. Ethiopia was Christian long before Europe, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, with its many traditions, festivals and colourful ceremonies, has been a towering influence on the nation's way of life for centuries. The astonishing 12th century churches at Lalibela, carved out of the living rock, and reputed to have been inspired by a supernatural vision, have been called the "Eighth Wonder of the World".

 

 

 

Key Facts
Full Country Name	Ethiopia
Area	1.09 million sq km
Population	64 million
Capital	Addis Ababa
Time Difference	3 Hours Ahead of GMT
Visa	A Visa is required. For visa application form click here
Currency	Birr
People	Oromo (40%), Amhara and Tigre (32%), Sidamo (9%), Shankella (6%), Somali (6%), Afar (4%), Gurage (2%), other (1%).
Language	Amharic
Dialling Code	00 251
Electricity	220V 50HZ

Visas:

A Visa is required. For visa application form click here

Health risks:

Yellow Fever, Polio, Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Malaria

When to Go:

Northern Ethiopia has two seasons. The dry season lasts from October to May and the wet season from June to September. Lalibela also gets a very short second monsoon in February with the occasional light drizzle during the day and a hard short down pour around 6pm for an hour or so. Daytime temperatures during the dry season are very pleasant (around 18-21°C) with only the need for a jumper or similar in the evenings.