TOPOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Ethiopia has an elevated plateau ranging in height between 2,000 to 3000 meters. In the north and southeast parts of the country, there are high mountains whose peaks rise to above 4,300 M. one of the biggest lakes which is the source of the famous Nile river is also found in the northern part of the country. Ethiopia also has two major favorable seasons Wet and Dry seasons. The wet season runs from June to September and the dry prevails from October through May.
ECONOMY
Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic state with a great variety of languages spoken in the country, of which there are 83 with 200 dialects. Amharic is the working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia while Oromigna, Tigrigna, and Guragina are widely spoken. Moreover, English, Italian, French, and Arabic are widely spoken in the spheres of commerce and education.
RELIGION
Major religions in the country are Christianity and Islam but there are also some Catholic and Protestants.
INTERNET, TELEPHONE, AND FAX SERVICE
Internet domain or country code suffix .et Numerous internet cafes are available in Addis Ababa and in other cities. They all give Fax and telephone calling services. The country Dialling Code is +251.
POWER SUPPLY
Ethiopia uses 220 volts and 50 cycles AC.
POPULATIONS
The population is estimated at 83.1 million (UN 2007)
TIME ZONE
Ethiopia is in the GMT + 3 hours time zone. Ethiopia follows the Julian calendar
MAIN PRODUCT EXPORTS
Ethiopian main exports are based on agricultural products as such as Coffee, hides, oil seeds, beeswax, meat, sugarcane, and flowers.
BANKING HOURS
Banking hours are usually from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm from Monday to Saturday and from 8:00 am. Closing times may be an hour longer in some private banks. Most banks work through lunchtime; however foreign exchange services are closed during lunch hours (12:00 noon – 1:00 pm)
COURIERS AND MONEY TRANSFER SERVICES
Money transfers can be made through Western Union and Money Gram. Both have representative branches in Addis Ababa and also make their services available from private and national banks. Four courier service providers DHL, FedEx, UPS, TNT, and EMS have offices in Addis Ababa
CLOTHING
In general, between seasons clothes are appropriate. At higher altitudes, woolen clothes or a coat are needed in the evenings. Travelers should take rain coat or other rainwear, particularly when visiting the country during the period from February to October. It is usually possible to have clothes laundered at or near hotels within a short period of time (frequently services are offered 24 hours a day).
