Page 24 - ISIE Project

TRIP TO ETHIOPIA

quick facts about ethiopia

Ÿ Ethiopia is the second most-populous country in Africa, with a population of
over 106 million, growing by 10% a year. It is second to Nigeria’s population of
over 193 million. (Source: CNN)
Ÿ Ethiopians believe that the Ark of the Covenant, the legendary relic said to
hold the 10 Commandments, is housed in a church in Ethiopia. Only one
specially chosen guardian has access to the Ark, and even he is not allowed
to look at it to confirm it’s actually there. Handy that.
Ÿ Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, is the highest capital city in Africa at
2,355m (7,726ft) above sea level.
Ÿ Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that was never formally colonised,
although Italy twice occupied it: from 1895-96 and 1935-1941.
Ÿ The birthplace of the Rastafarian movement. Thought it was Jamaica? Nope.
While much of the Rastafarian movement did evolve in Jamaica, the spiritual
homeland of it is in actual fact Ethiopia. In Amharic, ‘ras’ is a title similar to
chief, and ‘tafari’ the first name of Emperor Haile Selassie I – essentially the
movement posits Selassie as an incarnation of God. Need further evidence?
Just check out the colours on the Ethiopian flag. Familiar no?
Ÿ You know your morning caffeine shot? You’ve got some Ethiopian goats to
thank for that. As the story goes, a goat herder way back when noticed his
flock’s fondness for a certain bush and decided to give one of the fruits a
nibble himself. His day’s herding was notably more efficient for it – and the
coffee industry took off from there.
Ÿ Several archaeological findings in Ethiopia’s Afar region go quite some way in
suggesting that the country may be where we all started out from. In 1972,
Donald Johanson and Tim D. White discovered Lucy, a 3.2 million year old
hominid skeleton. For years, Lucy was all the rage, embarking on a nine-year
worldwide tour and enjoying widespread fame. Then Ardi, also from the Afar
region but one million years her senior, rocked up and blew her out of the
water. So you arguably also have the Ethiopians to thank for, well… you.