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.

An annotated bibliography facilitates in-depth research

About the AuthorPrefaceAcknowledgments1 GeographyEthiopia as the Roof of AfricaEthiopia's Geophysical MosaicGeologyEthiopia as a Water TowerTemperatureVegetation and Land UseRainfallPopulation Distribution and DensityDrought-Prone ZonesRural Food Shortage and Famine2 HistoryEthiopia: The Mystical Land of AntiquityEthiopia: The Cradle of HumankindOldest Hominid Habitat-Afar, EthiopiaEthiopia as the Cradle of Human CivilizationEthiopian History: Semitist versus Africanist ParadigmEthiopia and the Egyptian PharaohsThe Cushitic Kingdom of DamotThe Rise of AxumAxum at the TwilightThe Restoration of the Solomonian DynastyThe Era of the PrincesThe Reign of Emperor Tewodros, 1855-1868The Reign of Emperor Yohannes IVEmperor Menelik and Ethiopia's Historic Victory at the Battle of AdwaLij Iyasu and the Vacant ThroneThe Haile Selassie Period I: Ras Safari's Regency and Emperorship, 1916-1936Fascist Invasion and the Ethiopian ResistanceThe Haile Selassie Period II: 1941-1974The Status of the Emperor in the ConstitutionJapanization and Ethiopia's New Political StructureThe Nature of the Political System after 1941The Revised Constitution against a Backdrop of a Modernizing FeudalismThe Abortive Coup D'état of 1960The Ethiopian Revolution of 1974The Derg RegimeMengistu's AscentRadical Civilian Parties: White and Red TerrorGuerrilla ChallengeLand to the Tiller and Mass OrganizationsEthiopian Workers' Party and Marxist Political StructureClout of Political CadresThe Rise of the EPLF and TPLFThe End of the Derg and the Beginning of a New Era3 Government and PoliticsRise of the Ruling EPRDFThe Governing TeamEthnic FederalismConstitution and the Federal StructureDemocratization and Contemporary Ethiopian PoliticsThe 2005 and 2010 ElectionsRegional GovernmentsAutonomous Urban Administrative RegionsPolitical PartiesEthiopian Foreign PolicyEthiopia and SomaliaEritrea and Ethiopia: From War to War4 EconomyEconomic OverviewHistorical Background of the Ethiopian EconomyA Sectoral Look at the Ethiopian EconomyAgricultureMiningIndustryTourismLaborFinancePrime Minister Meles Zenawi's Report on the Economy5 SocietyReligion and ThoughtPre-Monotheistic EthiopiaEthiopia and the Greek ConnectionEthiopia and the Judaic ConnectionThe Beta-IsraelChristianity as the Official Religion of the Ethiopian RealmEthiopian Orthodox as the Protector of South Arabian ChristiansTewahedo Christianity during the Zagwe DynastyThe Episode of Prester JohnEthiopian Christianity and the Solomonian DynastyThe Ethiopian Orthodox SectsAutocephalyCatholicism in EthiopiaProtestantismEcumenismEthiopia's Place in the Division between Eastern and Western Churches TodayIslam in EthiopiaThe Rise of Powerful Regional Muslim StatesAhmed Gragn's ConquestsZara Yaqob and Ethiopian Philosophy in HatataSocial Classes and EthnicityFeudal Power StructureClass Structure under FeudalismThe Traditional Political EliteSocial Class and ReformHaile Selassie and the Western-Educated EliteThe New Social Class that Emerged under Haile Selassie's Modernizing FeudalismA Class in EmbryoAdirbaysQuiescent RebelDie-Hard RevolutionariesThe New Class (Post-1991)Ethnicity and LanguageSouthern Peoples and NationalitiesObservable Realities about Ethnicity in EthiopiaWomen and MarriageOrganization of Ethiopian WomenEducationTraditional EducationWestern Education from 1905 to the End of the Derg EraPreprimary and Primary EducationAcademic Secondary SchoolsHigher EducationEducational ResearchEducational Administration and FinanceNonformal EducationWestern Education since the EPRDF Assent to Power in 19916 CultureLanguageLanguage PolicyEthiopic AlphabetMeeting PeopleFamilyHospitality and FoodClothingTimeToursUseful PhrasesEveryday Useful WordsNumbersDays of the WeekFestivalsWords and Phrases in TigrignaWords and Phrases in the Oromo LanguageDays of the Week in Afaan OromoNumbers in Afaan OromoEtiquetteGreetingsGeneral Rules of Ethiopian EtiquetteBusiness Etiquette in EthiopiaLiteratureHistorical LiteratureGe'ez Literature (Religious)Amharic Literature (Secular)Art, Architecture, and CraftEthiopian Crosses and Other ParaphernaliaCrowns of Ethiopian Emperors-AxumMusicFoodTeff-InjeraBerbereNeter QebéDoro WatZilzil AlechaVeggie RecipesCoffee CeremonySports and LeisureCamping in Ethiopia: A Truly Great OutdoorsGreater KuduConventional SportingSoccer in EthiopiaTrack and FieldOther SportsPopular CulturePop MusicDanceTheaterFilm7 Contemporary IssuesDemocratizationEthnicity and Ethnic FederalismReligious ConflictHuman RightsCivil WarTerrorismDrought and Food SecurityPopulation Explosion and Family PlanningGender Issues and Female CircumcisionSex WorkHIV/AIDSTraffickingHealthWaterPrison and Detention Center ConditionsCapital PunishmentUrban Sprawl and Street ChildrenAdoptionGlossaryFacts and FiguresHoliday ChartCountry-Related OrganizationsAnnotated Bibliography of EthiopiaThematic IndexIndex