Ask most Americans about Ethiopia and they will have little to offer. Yet Ethiopia is one of the oldest independent nations in Africa and one of the oldest in the world. Hominid bones dating back 4.4 million years make Ethiopia one of the earliest known locations of human ancestors.

This book is the most complete, accessible, and up-to-date resource for Ethiopian geography, history, politics, economics, society, culture, and education, with coverage from ancient times to the present.

Ethiopia is a comprehensive treatment of this ancient country's history coupled with an exploration of the nation today. Arranged by broad topics, the book provides an overview of Ethiopia's physical and human geography, its history, its system of government, and the present economic situation.

But the book also presents a picture of contemporary society and culture and of the Ethiopian people. It also discusses art, music, and cinema; class; gender; ethnicity; and education, as well as the language, food, and etiquette of the country. Readers will learn such fascinating details as the fact that coffee was first domesticated in Ethiopia more than 10,000 years ago and that modern Ethiopia comprises 77 different ethnic groups with their own distinct languages.

Features • Sidebars provide brief encapsulations of topics relevant to Ethiopian history, society, and culture • Figures and tables summarize statistics quoted in the text, offering up-to-date data on the economy of the country and other aspects of Ethiopian life • A reference section provides extensive information such as addresses, telephone numbers, and websites of major institutions and businesses and economic, cultural, educational, exchange, government, and tourist bureaus • An annotated bibliography facilitates in-depth research

Highlights • Illuminates the many facets of the politics and culture of an ancient country that has a unique place in the history of the world • Includes details about Ethiopia's contemporary culture, music, cinema, and more that are unavailable in specialized books on the country • Offers empirical data based on facts and figures culled from Ethiopia's National Statistical Agency