[ee-thee-oh-pee-uh] 
| 1. | Formerly, Abyssinia. a republic in E Africa: formerly a monarchy. 58,732,577; 409,266 sq. mi. (1,060,000 sq. km). Present boundaries include Eritrea. Capital: Addis Ababa. |
| 2. | Also called Abyssinia. an ancient region in NE Africa, bordering on Egypt and the Red Sea. |
E·thi·o·pi·a (ē'thē-ō'pē-ə)  (click for larger image in new window) A country of northeast Africa. A kingdom was established around Aksum in the 1st century A.D. and declined in the 7th century. After a long period of disorder, the area was finally reunited in 1889 by Emperor Menelik II, who greatly expanded Ethiopia by conquest. Italy invaded in 1935 and held the country until 1941. Following the military overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie (ruled 1930-1974), a socialist state was established. The country suffered enormous hardship from war with rebels from the province of Eritrea (which declared independence in 1993) and from famine and drought. Guerrilla forces toppled the government in 1991 and subsequently established a transitional government. Addis Ababa is the capital and the largest city. Population: 76,500,000. |
Country in northeastern Africa bordered by Eritrea to the northeast, Djibouti and Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, and Sudan to the west. Formerly called Abyssinia. Its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa.
Note: Ethiopia is Black Africa's oldest state, tracing its history back more than two thousand years.
Note: Of all African nations, it most successfully withstood European attempts at colonization, remaining independent throughout its history, with the exception of a six-year period (1935–1941) during which it was occupied by Italy, which was then governed by fascists (see fascism).
Note: Ethiopia is one of the world's oldest Christian nations, having been converted in the fourth century.
Note: Ethiopia was ruled from 1930 to 1936 and again from 1941 to 1974 by the powerful and charismatic Emperor Haile Selassie I (born Ras Tafari Makonnen). Called the “Lion of Judah,” he claimed direct descent from the biblical King Solomon and Queen of Sheba.
Note: Selassie was overthrown by a military junta, which proclaimed a communist government and became closely allied with the Soviet Union.
Note: The junta was overthrown in 1991 and the first multiparty elections were held in 1995.
Note: The country was plagued by famine and economic chaos in the 1980s and 1990s.
Ethiopia
country of burnt faces; the Greek word by which the Hebrew Cush is rendered (Gen. 2:13; 2 Kings 19:9; Esther 1:1; Job 28:19; Ps. 68:31; 87:4), a country which lay to the south of Egypt, beginning at Syene on the First Cataract (Ezek. 29:10; 30:6), and extending to beyond the confluence of the White and Blue Nile. It corresponds generally with what is now known as the Soudan (i.e., the land of the blacks). This country was known to the Hebrews, and is described in Isa. 18:1; Zeph. 3:10. They carried on some commercial intercourse with it (Isa. 45:14). Its inhabitants were descendants of Ham (Gen. 10:6; Jer. 13:23; Isa. 18:2, "scattered and peeled," A.V.; but in R.V., "tall and smooth"). Herodotus, the Greek historian, describes them as "the tallest and handsomest of men." They are frequently represented on Egyptian monuments, and they are all of the type of the true negro. As might be expected, the history of this country is interwoven with that of Egypt. Ethiopia is spoken of in prophecy (Ps. 68:31; 87:4; Isa. 45:14; Ezek. 30:4-9; Dan. 11:43; Nah. 3:8-10; Hab. 3:7; Zeph. 2:12).
θiˈoʊ
