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| Background: | Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule, with the exception of the 1936-41 Italian occupation during World War II. In 1974 a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A two and a half year border war with Eritrea ended with a peace treaty on 12 December 2000. Final demarcation of the boundary is currently on hold due to Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender sensitive territory. |
| Location: | Eastern Africa, west of Somalia |
| Geographic coordinates: | 8 00 N, 38 00 E |
| Map references: | Africa |
| Area: | total: 1,127,127 sq km land: 1,119,683 sq km water: 7,444 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | slightly less than twice the size of Texas |
| Population: | 73,053,286 (July 2005 est.) |
| Capital: | Addis Ababa |
Source: The CIA World Factbook
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