The Ethiopian Empire began with the establishment of the Solomonic dynasty by Yekuno Amlak approximately in 1270 and lasted until 1974. Haile Selassie I was the last emperor of the Ethiopian empire, who ruled Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. In 1974, the Derg, a communist military government, overthrew the Ethiopian monarchy under Haile Selassie I in a coup d’état. In 1991, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, which has been the ruling political coalition since, overthrew Derg.

Ethiopia follows a federal system of governance since 1994. The capital Addis Ababa is the seat of many international organizations, notably the African Union (AU) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).

Ethiopia is the only African country never colonized despite the Italian occupation between 1936 and 1941 during the second colonial attempt. Ethiopia under the rule of Emperor Menelik II, who was Emperor from 1889 until he died in 1913, defeated Italy at the Battle of Adwa (mountains near the town of Adwa, Northern Ethiopia) on March 1, 1896, when Italy came to occupy Ethiopia for the first time. As a result, the country has many treasures of preserved historic churches, monasteries and ancient towers. The victory of Adwa is a national holiday in Ethiopia to commemorate the patriots every year.

Currency

If you are carrying more than 3000 USD equivalent, you need to declare upon arrival at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. You are allowed to import or export a maximum of 200 Ethiopian Birr. The local currency is Ethiopian Birr.

In some of the cities, you can pay by card but you should not rely on a card and it is important to carry some cash. In remote places out of the cities and in small establishments even in Addis Ababa, payment with a card is not possible. ATMs can be found in most cities and towns, so you can withdraw cash in Birr.

Communications

The internet in Ethiopia is intermittent, and internet block out by the government happens sometimes during protests/civil unrest or sometimes due to lack of infrastructure. Most hotels in cities offer internet, which is generally reliable.

Ethiopia has only one state-owned telecom provider, Ethio Telecom. The mobile data coverage is good. You can purchase a SIM card on arrival at Bole airport. They will take your passport details and a photo in the shop. You need to cut your SIM card in the shop depending on your phone’s SIM size. SIM card costs around 50 Birr (~2 USD). There are various mobile data bundles for the internet.

Contact

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Immigration, Nationality and Vital Events Agency

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Tel.: +251 (11) 1553899

E-mail: support@evisa.gov.et

Website: https://www.evisa.gov.et/

Climatic regions in Ethiopia. Figure by Adam Peterson (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The climate in Ethiopia is quite diverse with altitude ranging from tropical savannah in the west to hot and arid desert in the east. The western and northwestern plateau of Ethiopia is manifested by cool or pleasantly warm weather. These areas are characterized by scare rains from November to February and rainy seasons from June to August. Arid regions, mainly southeast of the Ethiopian rift valley, generally have low altitude.

The warm season of these regions is between February and April with an average temperature about 28 oC whereas coldest seasons are June and July with an average temperature of nearly 26 oC. Danakil depression is hot through the year and temperature at Dallol reaches 40 oC with a daily average of about 35 oC.

The temperature in Danakil depression is thought to be tolerable between October and February for tourists. The colourful sceneries of Dallol to black lava lakes of Erta ale makes the journey to Danakil a journey through an entire spectrum of colours and makes you forget the hot weather.