Ethiopia Travel Advice

General information for Ethiopia

Continent: Africa

Geographical location: Eastern Africa, located in the northern hemisphere above the equator

Highest elevation: Ras Dashen Tetata (4620 m above sea level)

Longest river: Blue Nile (length 1783 km) Form of

Government: Parliamentary Federal Republic System of

Government: Parliamentary system

Languages: Amharic

Neighboring countries: Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti,

Capital: Addis Ababa

Area: Approx. 1,104,300 km²

Residents: Approx. 105,350,000 people (2017)

Population density: 95 residents per km²

Religions: Approx. 62% followers of Christianity (43% Ethiopian Orthodox, 18% Protestant), 34% Muslim, 3% traditional African and other religions

Currency: Ethiopian Birr (ETB); 1 EUR is about 32 ETB.

Climate: Hot in low-lying regions, cool in higher regions

Time zone: UTC + 3

Area code: +251

Country code: ETH

Electricity: In Ethiopia, sockets are of type C, F, D, J and L used. The mains voltage is 3 x 220V with a 50Hz change interval. A travel plug adapter is an advantage. An overview of the sockets and plugs used in our travel countries can be found atwikipedia.de.

Check a2zdirectory for old history of Ethiopia and agooddir for modern history of Ethiopia.

Travel climate in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, depending on the altitude, three climate zones can be distinguished. The tropical hot zone, which extends up to 1800 m above sea level, has average daily temperatures of approx. 27 ° C, with the rather low rainfall amounting to less than 500 mm / year. Above 1800 m to around 2500 m altitude there is a moderately warm climate with average temperatures of 22 ° C and annual rainfall of 500 to 1500 mm. The capital Addis Ababa, which is at an altitude of approx. 2400 m, has average midday temperatures between 8 and 24 ° C. Above 2500 m above sea level, the mean daily temperature is only 16 ° C, and the amount of rain rises to 1800 mm of precipitation per year.

The main rainy season is between mid-June and September, only between February and March there is also increased rainfall.

In Ethiopia, extreme weather events such as persistent droughts or storm-related, massive rainfall occur frequently.

Cities and regions in Ethiopia

In 1991, the historic provinces of Ethiopia were dissolved, and the country was divided into new regions or states according to the principle of ethnic federalism according to ethnic criteria. The province of Eritrea left the confederation peacefully in 1993 after a war of independence until 1991. Since 1998 there are nine independent regions and two independent cities (Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa). Six of the regions (Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, Somali, Afar and Harar) are named after the ethnic groups living in them, the remaining three (Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambela and the region of the southern nations, nationalities and peoples) are ethnically mixed and therefore several assigned to native ethnic groups.

The largest cities in Ethiopia are located in the center and in the northern half of the country:

Addis Ababa

The capital of Ethiopia is located in the central highlands at approx. 2400 m above sea level and, with around 3.4 million residents (2016), spreads over an area of over 530 km² at the foot of Mount Entoto. In addition to the political capital, Addis Ababa is also the economic and social center of Ethiopia. Wide boulevards run through the city, multi-storey buildings can be found alongside traditional one or two-storey houses, open squares and forest areas that are mainly overgrown with eucalyptus trees. Due to the high altitude, the climate in Addis Ababa is mild. Addis Ababa has a university founded in 1950 and several research facilities, as well as art and music schools. Ethiopia’s capital is the seat of various African organizations and bodies such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union as well as several consulates, which is why Addis Ababa is unofficially regarded as the capital of Africa. As a cosmopolitan city, Addis Ababa offers a large selection of hotels and accommodations in a wide variety of facilities and price ranges. The cultural highlights of the city are the university, the Menelik mausoleum with the remains of past emperors and martyrs, St. George’s Cathedral with a collection of modern works of art by the famous Ethiopian artist Afewerk Tekle, who also designed the windows of the remarkable Africa Hall, the Trinity Cathedral, the Hager-Fikir-Theater and the Red Terror Martyrs’ Memorial Museum, a memorial for the victims of the Marxist Derg regime. The largest market in Addis Ababa, the Mercato and the fantastic panoramic view from the 3000 m high Entoto over the entire city and the surrounding area are also worth experiencing.

Gonder

In the mountainous region of Amhara, at an altitude of 2133 meters above sea level, on an area of almost 300 km², Ethiopia’s second largest city with around 350,000 residents is located. Founded by Emperor Fasilides, Gondar was the capital of Ethiopia from 1636 to 1855 and has numerous palaces, castles and churches. The nearby fortified town of Fasil Ghebbi with numerous magnificent buildings of the various emperors of the former Abessia is worth seeing. In front of the gates of Gonder there is also the former bath of the emperor Fasilides, one of the scenes of the Timkat ceremonies, during which, among other things, the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan is remembered. Also worth seeing is the Debre-Berhane-Selassie Church, whose walls and ceilings are completely frescoed, which have become a popular motif on Ethiopian art objects.

Mek’ele

With 340,000 residents (2015), the rapidly growing capital of the Tigray region in the far north is the third largest city in Ethiopia. In addition to a university, Mek’ele is the seat of the Ethiopian vehicle manufacturer Mesfin.

Adama

The capital of the administrative region Oromia, with almost 340 million residents, is the same size as Mek’ele. The city formerly known as Nazret was created during the construction of the railway line from Addis Ababa to Djibouti in 1917 and is now a center for processing agricultural and livestock products from the area.

Bahir Dar

The capital of the Ethiopian province of Amhara on Lake Tana has a population of around 300,000 (2016) and has an airport, a university and around 20 Christian Orthodox monasteries. Near Bahir Dar is one of the palaces of Haile Selassie, the last Abyssinian emperor, and the Tisissat waterfall of the Blue Nile.

Dire Dawa

The city of Dire Dawa, which was also created during the construction of the Addis Ababa – Djibouti railway line, has the status of an independent city, as does the capital Addis Ababa, due to disputes over its assignment as capital to either the Somali or Oromia region. Dire Dawa, which has grown to almost 300,000 residents, is the second most important economic conurbation in Ethiopia after the metropolitan area of the capital Addis Ababa, not least because of its relative proximity to the international ports of Djibouti and Berbera in Somaliland and also has an airport.

Holidays with a fixed date in Ethiopia

Jan 7th Christmas

Jan 20th Epiphany

March 2nd Victory Day at the Battle of Adua

May 1st Labor Day

May 5th Patriots Day

May 28th End of the Derg regime

Sept 11th. Ethiopian New Year

Sept 27 Meskel

Medical information for Ethiopia

For legal reasons, we as a tour operator are not allowed to communicate any binding medical information and therefore refer to the information provided by the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Robert Koch Institute and the German Society for Tropical Medicine and International Health

Travel advice for Ethiopia

You can obtain current travel and safety advice, information on entering and leaving the country, as well as special criminal information and recommendations for your stay in Ethiopia from the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Mission abroad in Ethiopia

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Addis Ababa. Administrative

District / consular district: Ethiopia. The representation supports the Embassy of Djibouti (Djibouti) in legal and consular matters.

Place: Addis Abeba

Street address: Yeka Kifle Ketema (Kobena), Woreda 03, Addis Abeba

Postal address: Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, PO Box 660, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia

Telephone: + 251-11-123 5139/40/41 / 42, mobile phone number (only if the landline network fails!): 0904-032 715, for emergencies + 251-911-204 020, 0911-204 020

Fax: 0049-30-1817 67204

E-Mail: Contact form

Website: http: // www.addis-abeba.diplo.de

Official languages in the host country: Amharic, for Djibouti: French

Embassy of the Democratic Federal Republic of Ethiopia in Berlin

(There are other general and honorary consulates in Hamburg, Bremen, Frankfurt, Munich and Stuttgart)

Location: Berlin

Street address: Boothstraße 20A

Postal address: Boothstraße 20A, 12207 Berlin

Telephone: 030 77 20 60

Fax: 030 772 06 26

E-Mail: [email protected]