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Figures and Travel Tips

GEOGRAPHY
Location: Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
Coordinates: 8 00 N, 38 00 E
Area: total: 1,127,127 sq km
Water : 7,444 sq km
land: 1,119,683 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

POPULATION
Population: 74,777,981
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.7% (male 16,373,718/female 16,280,766) 15-64 years: 53.6% (male 19,999,482/female 20,077,014)65 years and over: 2.7% (male 929,349/female 1,117,652)
Median age: 17.8 years
Growth rate: 2.31%
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.03 years
Male : 47.86 years
female: 50.24 years
Fertility rate: 5.22 children born/woman
Religions: Muslim 35%-40%, Ethiopian Orthodox 40%-50% animist 12%, other 3%-8%
Languages: Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other local languages, English (major foreign language taught in schools)
Literacy: Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 42.7%
Male 50.3%
female: 35.1%

ECONOMY
GDP: $62.88 billion (2005 est.)
GDP growth rate: 8.9%
GDP per capita: $900
GDP composition by sector:
Agriculture: 47.5%
Industry: 9.9%
Services: 42.6%
Inflation rate: 11.6%
Budget: revenues: $2.338 billion
Expenditures: $2.88 billion
Electricity production by source:
Fossil fuel: 1.3%
Hydro: 97.6%
Other: 1.2%
Nuclear: 0%
Industries: food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals Processing, cement Agriculture cereals, pulses,
Coffee, oilseed, sugarcane, potatoes, qat; hides, cattle, sheep, goats
Exports: coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, Oilseeds
Export partners: Japan 66.9%, Djibouti 4.3%, Germany 3.5%
Imports: food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum
Products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles
Import partners: Saudi Arabia 26.2%, US 14.6%, China 8.1%, Italy 5.3%
Currency: birr (ETB)
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 435,000 (2003);
Mobile cellular: 97,800 (2003).
Radio broadcast stations AM 8, FM 5 shortwave 1 (2008).
Television broadcast stations: 1 plus 24 repeaters (2002).
Internet hosts: 9 (2003).
Internet users: 75,000 (2003).
Transportation: Railways: total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad) (2004). Highways: Total: 33,297 km; paved: 3,996 km; unpaved: 29,301 km (2002).
Ports and harbors: Ethiopia is landlocked and has used ports of Assab And Massawa in Eritrea and port of Djibouti.
Airports: 83 (2004 EST.).

TIME & ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
Ethiopia is in the GMT +3 hours time zone.Ethiopia follows the Julian Calander, which consists of Twelve months of 30 days each and a Threeten month of five and Six days. Ethiopia Uses 220volts 50 cycles AC.

CURRENCY
Ethiopia’s unit of currency, the birr, is issued by the National Bank of Ethiopia (8.64 birr equal U.S.$1.00 2004 average). Other banks in the country include the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia and the Agricultural and Industrial Development Bank

CUSTOMS
Duty-free imports are permitted for up to:
A-200 cigarettes
B-1 lit of alcoholic beverages.
C-1/2 lit of perfumes. Visitors may export souvenirs with a value not exceeding E.birr 500.00

VISA AND IMMIGRATION
Visas are required for all visitors, however; nationals of 33 countries are given visa on arrival at Bole international Air Port.

Argentina, Ireland, Portugal, Australia, Israel, Russia, Austria, Italy, South Africa,Belgium, Japan, Spain
Brazil, Kuwait, Sweden, Canada, Luxemburg, Switzerland,China, Mexico, Taiwan, Denmark, New Zealand, United Kingdom, France, Norway, United States, Finland, Netherlands and Germany

ENTRY POINTS
Travelers using rail ways Dewele on the Djibouti border is the only point of entry to Ethiopia and those driving to Ethiopia via surface, Moyale (in Kenya), Humera and Metema (in Sudan), and again Galafi in Djibouti are the available means of entries. All arrivals undergo full customs and immigration checks.

For the major part of travelers accessing via flight, the Bole International Airport is the only terminal available in the Capital Addis Ababa though there are other domestic airports and airstrips serving domestic needs.

DRIVING
Drivers require a valid International Driving License, which can be obtained by exchanging their local license at the Transport and Road Authority office in Addis Ababa. Visitors can recover their original license a day or so prior to departure. Those with their own Vehicle will require a permit from the ministry of Transport and communication. Driving is on the right.

HEALTH REQUIREMENT
Prior to entry ,visitors should be in possession of valid health certificate for yellow fever .vaccination against cholera is also required for any person who has visited or transited a cholera infested area with in six days prior to arrival in Ethiopia.
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