The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency (ebook reader 8 inch .txt) 📕

1, others 6, undeclared 2 note: some seats still remain vacant as detained opposition MPs did not take their seats

Judicial branch:

Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of the Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; for other federal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People's Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council)

Political parties and leaders:

Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP; Benishangul Gumuz People's
Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for
Unity and Democratic Party or CUDP [AYELE Chamisso] (awarded to
AYELE by the National Electoral Board on 11 January 2008, but AYELE
has virtually no support among former CUD MPs, other CUD MPs must
now be affiliated with their original CUD-precursor parties);
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES
Zenawi] (an alliance of Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM,
Oromo People's Democratic Organization or OPDO, the South Ethiopian
People's Democratic Front or SEPDF, and Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation
Front or TPLF); Gurage Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM;
Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement or OFDM [BULCHA Demeksa]; Omoro
People's Congress or OPC [IMERERA Gudina]; Somali People's
Democratic Party or SPDP; United Ethiopian Democratic Forces or UEDF
[BEYENE Petros]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front or EPPF; Ogaden National
Liberation Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN,
UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ASSEFA chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200 FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Donald Y. YAMAMOTO embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa telephone: [251] 11-517-40-00 FAX: [251] 11-517-40-01

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors

Economy
Ethiopia

Economy - overview:

Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, accounting for almost half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian economy with exports of some $350 million in 2006, but historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplement income. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought have buffeted the economy, in particular coffee production. In November 2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in December 2005 the IMF voted to forgive Ethiopia's debt to the body. Under Ethiopia's constitution, the state owns all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral for loans. Drought struck again late in 2002, leading to a 3.3% decline in GDP in 2003. Normal weather patterns helped agricultural and GDP growth recover during 2004-07.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$56.05 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$19.43 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

11.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 47% industry: 13.2% services: 39.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

27.27 million (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 80% industry: 8% services: 12% (1985)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

38.7% (FY05/06 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.9% highest 10%: 25.5% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

30 (2000)

Investment (gross fixed):

25.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $3.231 billion expenditures: $3.785 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

8 July - 7 July

Public debt:

44.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

17.2% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7% (31 December 2006)

Stock of money:

$3.651 billion (31 December 2006)

Stock of quasi money:

$3.258 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$6.694 billion (31 December 2006)

Agriculture - products:

cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, qat, cut flowers; hides, cattle, sheep, goats; fish

Industries:

food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, chemicals, metals processing, cement

Industrial production growth rate:

11% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

3.268 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

2.941 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 1.3% hydro: 97.6% nuclear: 0% other: 1.2% (2001)

Oil - production:

7.334 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

30,450 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

29,820 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

428,000 bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

24.92 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$826.8 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.288 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds

Exports - partners:

Germany 8.2%, Saudi Arabia 7%, US 6.9%, Djibouti 6.6%, China 6.5%,
Italy 6.5%, Japan 5.9%, Netherlands 4.8% (2007)

Imports:

$5.165 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles

Imports - partners:

Saudi Arabia 17%, China 15.9%, India 7.8%, Italy 5.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.6 billion (FY05/06)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.294 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$2.621 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

birr (ETB)

Currency code:

ETB

Exchange rates:

birr (ETB) per US dollar - 8.96 (2007), 8.69 (2006), 8.68 (2005), 8.6356 (2004), 8.5997 (2003) note: since 24 October 2001, exchange rates are determined on a daily basis via interbank transactions regulated by the Central Bank

Communications
Ethiopia

Telephones - main lines in use:

880,100 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.208 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate telephone system; the number of fixed lines and mobile telephones is increasing from a very small base; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is only about 2 per 100 persons domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; 2 domestic satellites provide the national trunk service international: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 8, FM 0, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

15.2 million (2002)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (plus 24 repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:

682,000 (2002)

Internet country code:

.et

Internet hosts:

128 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

291,000 (2007)

Transportation
Ethiopia

Airports:

84 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 15 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 69 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 21 (2007)

Railways:

total: 699 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad) narrow gauge: 699 km 1.000-m gauge note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but remains largely inoperable (2006)

Roadways:

total: 36,469 km paved: 6,980 km unpaved: 29,489 km (2004)

Merchant marine:

total: 9 by type: cargo 8, roll on/roll off 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Ethiopia is landlocked and uses ports of Djibouti in Djibouti and
Berbera in Somalia

Military
Ethiopia

Military branches:

Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, Ethiopian Air Force (ETAF) (2008) note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the secession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in Eritrean possession

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; theoretically, no compulsory military service, but the military can conduct call-ups when necessary and compliance is compulsory (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 17,666,967 females age 16-49: 17,530,211 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 10,060,775 females age 16-49: 9,854,710 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 887,061 female: 896,048 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues
Ethiopia

Disputes - international:

Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002 Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), which has monitored the 25-km-wide Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000, is extended for six months in 2007 despite Eritrean restrictions on its operations and reduced force of 17,000; the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; civil unrest in eastern Sudan has hampered efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 66,980 (Sudan); 16,576 (Somalia); 13,078 (Eritrea) IDPs: 200,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000, ethnic clashes in Gambela, and ongoing Ethiopian military counterinsurgency in Somali region; most IDPs are in Tigray and Gambela Provinces) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and destined for Europe, as well as cocaine destined for markets in southern Africa; cultivates qat (khat) for local use and regional export, principally to Djibouti and Somalia (legal in all three countries); the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money laundering center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@European Union

Introduction
European Union

Preliminary statement:

The evolution of the European Union (EU) from a regional economic agreement among six neighboring states in 1951 to today's supranational organization of 27 countries across the European continent stands as an unprecedented phenomenon in the annals of history. Dynastic unions for territorial consolidation were long the norm in Europe. On a few occasions even country-level unions were arranged - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Austro-Hungarian Empire were examples - but for such a large number of nation-states to cede some of their sovereignty to an overarching entity is truly unique. Although the EU is not a federation in the strict sense, it is far more than a free-trade association such as ASEAN, NAFTA, or Mercosur, and it has many of the attributes associated with independent nations: its own flag, anthem, founding date, and currency, as well as an incipient common foreign and security policy in its dealings with other nations. In the future, many of these nation-like characteristics are likely to be expanded. Thus, inclusion of basic intelligence on the EU has been deemed appropriate as a new, separate entity in The World Factbook. However, because of the EU's special status, this description is placed after the regular country entries.

Background:

Following the two devastating World Wars