Addis Ababa:

The capital was settled in 1886 and christened by Queen Taytu, consort of Menelik ІІ. The Population according to the last official census was over 3 million.

Towns:

The second largest town in Ethiopia is Mekele, Tigray, with a population of 273,601 in 1 July 2012 according to the report released by the Ethiopian Statistical Agency. Adama, Oromia, is the third largest town of 271,562 1 July 2012.

People:

The population of Ethiopia today is estimated to be approximately 77 million. Approximately 26 percent are under the age of 14 and almost half are under 34.

Entry points by air:

Bole International Airport I, Addis Ababa; where as Bahr Dar, Mekelle and Dire Dawa will soon start to serve as entry points.

Domestic Airports: in addition there are 9 airports for domestic flights in Axum, Gondar, Lalibela, Asosa, Arbaminch, Jinka, Jimma and Gode.

Entry points by road:

Metema & Humera- crossing from Sudan

Dewele & Galafi- crossing from Djibouti

Togochale, Teferi Ber, Kebri Beyah, & Dolo Odo- crossing from Somalia

Moyale & Omoratie- crossing from Kenya

NB: There are only entry points and no visa service available. Visa can only be obtained from Ethiopian Embassies abroad.

Communications:

Internet services of Dial up, Broadband, GPRS, CDMA 1X and EVDO (wireless broadband internet service) are available at every part of Addis Ababa and in selected cities of the country.

Driving:

Drivers require a valid International License, which can be obtained by exchanging your local license at the Transport Authority which is located around Addis Ababa National Stadium. Visitors can recover their original licenses a day or so prior to departure. Those with their own vehicles will require a permit from the Ministry of Transport. Driving is on the right.

Health requirements:

All visitors (including infants) are required to get a vaccination against cholera especially a person who has visited or been in transit through a cholera- infected area within six days prior to arrival in Ethiopia. Malaria is endemic in some parts of low land areas. Visitors should begin taking a recommended chloroquine-based prophylactic two weeks before their arrival and continue taking them for six weeks after their departure. In addition, medication for chloroquine-resistant malaria is a wise precaution.

Visa and immigration requirements:

Visa applications may be obtained at Ethiopia’s diplomatic missions. Overseas-Nationals of 33 countries are now allowed to receive their tourist visas on arrival in Ethiopia at the regular charge, including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greek, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Newzealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom and United States. For China including passports issued in Hong Kong (SAR China) and MACAO (SAR China).

Endemic Mammals:

There are 284 species of mammals of which 31 are endemic and 7 are large mammals. Gelada Baboon, Starck’s Hair, Giant Mole Rat, Abyssinian Wolf, Menilik’s Bush Buck, Mountain Nyala, Swaynes Heartbeest, Walia Ibex and Wild Ass are among the others.

Endemic birds:

There are 861 species of Birds of which 17 are endemic to Ethiopia.

Source: Ministry of Culture & Tourism