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 Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Travel tips, articles, photos, gallery, cities database, population, pics, flags, statistics, free maps online
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This page was last updated on 16 September, 2007| Introduction - Ethiopia: |  | Location - Ethiopia: |  | 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 |  |  |  | Land boundaries | total: 5,328 km border countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km
 |  |  |  | Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) |  |  |  | Maritime claims | none (landlocked) |  |  |  | Climate | tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation |  |  |  | Terrain | high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley |  |  |  | Elevation extremes | lowest point: Denakil Depression -125 m highest point: Ras Dejen 4,620 m
 |  |  |  | Natural resources | small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower |  |  |  | Land use | arable land: 10.01% permanent crops: 0.65%
 other: 89.34% (2005)
 |  |  |  | Irrigated land | 2,900 sq km (2003) |  |  |  | Natural hazards | geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts |  |  |  | Environment current issues | deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management |  |  |  | Environment international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
 |  |  |  | Geography note | landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in Tana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean |  |  |  | People - Ethiopia: |  | Government - Ethiopia: |  | Economy - Ethiopia: |  | Communications - Ethiopia: |  | Transportation - Ethiopia: |  | Military - Ethiopia: |  Source: CIA >>>
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