Background Information on Ethiopia
Background Information on Ethiopia Ethiopia has many diverse topographical, climatic, linguistic, and religious features. Geographically, Ethiopia is located within the hot zone. Its southern tip is only 30 degrees north of the equator. However, due to its high altitude, the country has a predominantly moderate climate with an average temperature in its vast central highland plateaus no more than 20°C (68°F). The Great East African Rift Valley traverses the central highland plateau into the north-west and south-east highlands. The majority of the population lives in scattered villages in the highlands as farmers and pastoralists. The three popular indigenous foodstuff plants, teff (Eragrostis teff), nug (Guizotia abyssinica), and enset (Edulis edule) have been cultivated since at least the 5th millennium BC (Pankhurst, 2005, p. 13).The highlands are surrounded by lowlands, the largest part of which lies on the south-eastern side adjacent to Somalia. The Ethiopian Rift Valley