Location: | Eastern Africa, west of Somalia |
| Geographic coordinates: | 8 00 N, 38 00 E |
| Map references: | Africa |
| Area: | total: 1,127,127 sq km
water: 7,444 sq km
land: 1,119,683 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | slightly less than twice the size of Texas |
| Land boundaries: | total: 5,328 km
border countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km |
| Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims: | none (landlocked) |
| Climate: | tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation |
| Terrain: | high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Denakil Depression -125 m
highest point: Ras Dejen 4,620 m |
| Natural resources: | small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower |
| Land use: | arable land: 10.71%
permanent crops: 0.75%
other: 88.54% (2001) |
| Irrigated land: | 1,900 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural hazards: | geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts |
| Environment - current issues: | deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management |
| Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea |
| Geography - note: | landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean
Source: CIA World Factbook
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