Ethiopia: The new hotspot of Africa?

Well, this East African nation, locked deep within the Horn of Africa, hosts the ancient ruins of Aksum; the 11th century rock-hewn churches of Lalibela known as the Second Jerusalem; the historic castles of Gondar; and Harar, known as the City of Love. To add to this, we have the Bale Mountains, where it snows, savannah teeming with game, giant waterfalls, lush jungles, Afro-Alpine highlands, deserts cradling salt flats and yellow sulphur — and the mind boggles. [1]

So I present you a short note about Ethiopia:

Full name of the Country: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Capital City: Addis Ababa

Land: Ethiopia covers an area of 1.14 million square kilometers (944,000 square miles).

Climate

There are two major seasons: the dry season prevails from October through May; the wet season runs from June to September.

(Awassa, Ethiopia)

Language

Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic state with a great variety of languages spoken in the country. There are 88 individual languages of Ethiopia, some 77 tongues which are spoken locally.  Amharic and Oromo being the official languages. Moreover, English, Italian, French and Arabic are widely spoken in the spheres of commerce and education.

Religion

Major religions are Christianity and Islam.

Internet

There are numerous internet cafes available in Addis Ababa and in other cities.

Time

Ethiopia is in the GMT +3 hours time zone. Ethiopia follows the Julian calendar.

People

The population is estimated at 96.6 million (2014)

Hotels

All tourist resorts offer a choice of modern hotels. If you want a luxurious hotel, you have an option to pick between Sheraton and Hilton. For the moderate spenders, Ghion hotel is recommended.

Currency

The local currency is Ethiopian Birr (ETB). Visitors may bring an unlimited amount of foreign currency but must be declared on arrival to the customs authorities on the appropriate blue – colored form.

Foreign currency may only be exchanged at authorized banks and hotels and a receipt must be obtained. Also, exchange service is available at the arrivals lounge in Bole International Airport.

I.e. $1 USD is equivalent to $ 21.89 ETB. So if you bring $3,000 USD, you will have $ 65, 670 ETB.

(Ethiopian New Year)

Public Holidays

Sunday is the weekly day of rest.

Public holidays are celebrated according to the Ethiopian (Julian) Calendar which consists of twelve months of thirty days each and a thirteenth month of five days (six days in leap year). The calendar is seven years behind the Western or Gregorian Calendar, with New Year falling in the month of September. The current year is 2008 .

Ethiopia has many attractions for your enjoyment. In addition to visiting ancient landmarks, you can also feed hyenas, experience outstanding hospitality and amazing food.

I hope you enjoyed this informative post as much as I enjoyed writing about it. Also we have discounts on tickets for the upcoming new year. 

Give us a call at (703) 463 7718 for more detail!! Ready to serve you!!

ምን ልታዘዝ !!!

References 

(1) Lal, Neeta. “Why Ethiopia Has Emerged as the New Hotspot of Africa?” The Economic Times. N.p., 03 July 2016. Web. 03 July 2016. And Pictures: courtesy  of google images.

Posted by Ayida Getachew