ETHIOPIA:- is located in Horn of Africa and is bordered by Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Sudan.  The country has a high central plateau that varies from 1, 800 to 3,000 meters (6,000 ft.-10,000 ft.) above sea level, with some mountains reaching 4,620 meters (15, 158 ft.).  Elevation is generally highest just before the point of descent to the Great Rift Valley, which splits the plateau diagonally.  A number of rivers cross the plateau--notably the Blue Nile flowing from Lake Tana.  The plateau gradually slopes to the lowlands of Ethiopia's neighbors to the west and the Somali-inhabited plains to the southeast. Geography- Area 1.1 million sq. km (472,000 sq. mi.); about the size of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico combined. Cities: Capital--Addis Ababa (pop. 3 million, 2010 est.).  Country Population; 88,013,491 million,  2010 est. Government type: Federal republic.  Constitution; Ratified 1994.  The climate is temperate on the plateau and hot in the lowlands.  At Addis Ababa, which ranges from 2,200 to 2,600 meters (7,000 ft. -8,500 ft), maximum temperature is 26º C (80º F) and minimum 4º C (40º F). The weather is usually sunny and dry with the short (belg) rains occurring February-April and the big (meher) rains beginning in mid-June and ending in mid-September.  People:- Ethiopian's population is highly diverse.  Most of its people speak a Semitic or Cushitic language.  The Oromo, Amhara, and Tigreans make up more than two-thirds of the population, but there are more than 77 different ethnic groups with their own distinct languages within Ethiopia.  Some of these have as few  as 10,000 members.  In general, most of the Christians live in the highlands, while Muslims and adherents of traditional African religions tend to inhabit lowland regions.  English is the most widely spoken foreign language and is taught in all secondary schools.  Amharic is the official language and was the language of primary school instruction but has been replaced in many areas by local languages such as Oromifa and Tigrinya.  History:- Hominid bones discovered in eastern Ethiopia dating back 4.4 million years make Ethiopia one of the earliest known locations of human ancestors.  Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world.  The old Testament of the Bible records the Queen of Sheba's visit to Jerusalem.  According to legend, Menelik I, the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, founded the Ethiopian Empire.  Christianity came to Ethiopia on 1st Century short after Christ Birth.  The Portugese established contact with Ethiopia in 1493.

History tells Ethiopia was once called “a bread basket”. Has been devastated by years of war and which continues to suffer from persistent droughts and the massive spread of HIV/AIDS and Malaria, other diseases, leaving millions of children orphaned.  The numbers are growing by million in less than a year, there are over 6 million, 2010 est orphans in Ethiopia.