ETHIOPIA IS
A LAND OF GREAT CONTRAST

Ethiopia is a country that is over three
thousand years old, and where the oldest
known human fossils were found. It's a
country where Christians, Moslems, and Jews
live peacefully side by side and inter-marry.

Yet, this ancient civilization is also one of the
poorest countries in the world, where
relentless tribal warfare over the centuries
has robbed it the peace necessary to bring
prosperity.

Lake Tana in Northern Ethiopia, is the source
of the longest river in the world-The Blue Nile
River. It is the life source for Egypt, bringing it
much needed fertile soil and water. Yet, the
northern part of Ethiopia is arid and
drought-inflicted.

The Seimen Mountains are some of the tallest
mountains in the world; right next to the Rift
Valley, which is where the Dalloll Depression
is found--the lowest
point on earth.
ANCIENT LAND

Ethiopia is the ancient land of Christians and
Moslems. It is where one of the first Christian priests
came and founded a Church around 100 AD. It is also
where the first Moslems came and settled, because
the only Christians who accepted them were the
Ethiopian Christians.

It is a land steeped in tradition and culture, thousands
of years in the making, yet one of the most liberal
cultures in the world. It is one of the few places in the
world where women retain the right to keep their last
name when they marry.
THE ICON OF AFRICA

Ethiopia is also the only country in the whole of
Africa that has never been colonized. The Italians
tried for five years during the Second World War,
and were chased out. In fact, it's colors green,
yellow, and red have been adopted by many
African countries when they became free nations.
These colors are known as Freedom Colors.

This is a culture that has its own calendar of
thirteen months of sunshine (yes, we have
thirteen months, and the sun shines every
month). Like all places near the equator, it does
not have winters. Yet, due to its high elevation,
most of Central Ethiopia enjoys temperate climate
that is neither too hot nor too cold.
ABOUT ETHIOPIA