Travel to the border areas of Tigray and Afar, parts of Gambella and Awash, Metahara/Awash National Park and east of Harar to the Gode line, is not recommended. For further advice visitors should contact their local government travel advice department.

Ethiopia is situated in northeast Africa, bordered by Eritrea, Sudan, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti. The central area is a vast highland region of volcanic rock forming a watered, temperate zone surrounded by hot, arid, inhospitable desert. Places of interest in the capital, Addis Ababa, include St George’s Cathedral, the Menelik Mausoleum and the large market. Aksum, in the north, was the ancient royal capital of the earliest Ethiopian kingdom. It is renowned for multi-storeyed ancient carved granite obelisks and for the church which claims to house the Lost Ark of the Covenant. Also in the north, the Blue Nile Waterfalls are spectacular. National parks include the Simien National Park (in the northern mountains) and the Bale Mountains National Park, on high southern moorland country, which has its own unique flora and fauna. Ethiopian food is based on dishes called we’t (meat, chicken or vegetables, cooked in a hot pepper sauce). Local red and dry white wines are worth trying. Talla (Ethiopian beer) has a unique taste.

Northeast Africa.

GMT + 3.

1,133,380 sq km (437,600 sq miles).

74.2 million (UN, 2005).

65.5 per sq km.

Addis Ababa. Population: 2.4 million (1994 Census).

Ethiopia is situated in northeast Africa, bordered by Eritrea, Sudan, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti. It is about twice the size of France. The central area is a vast highland region of volcanic rock forming a watered, temperate zone surrounded by hot, arid, inhospitable desert. The Great Rift Valley, which starts in Palestine, runs down the Red Sea and diagonally southwest through Ethiopia, Kenya and Malawi. The escarpments on either side of the country are steepest in the north where the terrain is very rugged. To the south, the landscape is generally flatter and more suited to agriculture.

Federal Republic. Head of State: President Woldegiorgis Girma since 2001. Head of Government: Prime Minister Meles Zenawi since 1995. With the exception of a five-year occupation by Mussolini's Italy, Ethiopia is the only African country never to have been colonised by Europeans. Recent history: The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) of incumbent Premier Meles Zenawi won bitterly contested elections in May 2005, his third five-year mandate as Prime Minister, despite a sharp increase in public support for opposition parties. A large number of electoral complaints were made and the EPRDF and the main opposition both claimed victory as the initial results were announced. Around 36 people were killed and hundreds were arrested in protests sparked by opposition allegations of electoral fraud by the ruling party. The final results, announced in September 2005, gave the EPRDF and its affiliates control of the 547-seat Parliament.

Amharic is the official language, although about 80 other native tongues are spoken including Aromo and Tigrinya. English is widely used and some Arabic, Italian and French is spoken.

Ethiopian Orthodox (Tewahido) and Coptic Church, mainly in the north, 40 per cent; Islam, mainly in the east and south, 40 per cent. There are also significant Evangelical, Protestant and Roman Catholic communities.

220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Casual wear is suitable for most places, but Ethiopians tend to be fairly formal and conservative in their dress. Private informal entertaining is very common. Most religious houses are not open to women. Photography: In the smaller towns the locals may expect a small payment in return for being photographed. Video photography in famous tourist attractions occasionally carries a small charge. Photography may be prohibited in airports and near military camps.