Ethiopia lies in Eastern Africa, part of Africa. The long form of the name is Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The capital is Addis Ababa.
Some 132.1 million people call it home, placing it 10th of 250 by population — between Russia above it and Mexico below. Within Eastern Africa alone it is the 1st largest of 20 and the 1st most populous.
Its territory runs to 1,104,300 km², which ranks it 28th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Colombia and just ahead of Bolivia. That makes it a fraction smaller than Colombia.
How Ethiopia sits on the globe
Plotted on a globe it falls at 8.0° north, 38.0° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 891 km from the equator, in what geographers would call the equatorial belt.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Venezuela, Ivory Coast and Ghana — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
It borders 6 neighbours: Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. The largest of them by area is Sudan, while the most populous is Kenya. Together those neighbours hold about 142.5 million people.
It has no sea coast of its own. That is true of 45 of the 250 entries here, and it means every shipment in or out has to cross someone else's border first. One of its neighbours, South Sudan, is landlocked too. You can see the full picture on the landlocked countries page.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Population and languages of Ethiopia
Density comes out at around 120 people per square kilometre, which makes it more crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
Officially it is monolingual: Amharic. No other entry in this dataset lists Amharic, so on this list it stands alone.
The demonym is Ethiopian, so residents are Ethiopians.
Inside Africa it places 2nd of 59 by population, and it accounts for 27% of everyone living in Eastern Africa.
Currency and codes
The currency is the Ethiopian birr (Br, ETB). That currency appears nowhere else on this list.
Addis Ababa is the city to remember for this country.
Its internet country code is .et. Calls from overseas start with +251. In ISO terms it is et in two letters and ETH in three.
As a sovereign state it is among the 193 UN members listed here. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Ethiopia shares borders with 6 countries:
Fun facts about Ethiopia
- It is landlocked, one of 45 entries here with no coastline of its own.
- In land area it is a fraction smaller than Colombia.
- Venezuela and Ivory Coast sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
- Its capital city is Addis Ababa.
- Ranked by land area, Ethiopia is 28th out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
- It is 10th of 250 by population, with about 132.1 million residents.
Ethiopia — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Ethiopia?
- The capital of Ethiopia is Addis Ababa.
- What is the population of Ethiopia?
- Ethiopia has a population of about 132.1 million, which makes it the 10th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Russia sits just above it and Mexico just below.
- What language is spoken in Ethiopia?
- The official language of Ethiopia is Amharic. No other entry on this list gives it official status.
- What currency does Ethiopia use?
- Ethiopia uses the Ethiopian birr, written Br (currency code ETB). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- Where is Ethiopia located?
- Ethiopia is in Eastern Africa, part of Africa. Its reference coordinates are 8.0° north and 38.0° east, roughly 891 km from the equator in equatorial latitudes.
- Which countries border Ethiopia?
- Ethiopia borders 6 countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Sudan is the largest of them by area.
- Is Ethiopia a country?
- Yes. Ethiopia is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- Is Ethiopia landlocked?
- Yes. Ethiopia has no sea coast, which makes it one of 45 landlocked entries in this dataset. Everything it imports or exports by sea has to cross a neighbour's territory first, and that transit dependency is a well-documented drag on trade costs.
- How big is Ethiopia?
- Ethiopia covers 1,104,300 km², ranking 28th of 250 by land area. That makes it a fraction smaller than Colombia.
