Addis Ababa

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Category: Uncategorised
Published on Sunday, 02 June 2013 20:11
Written by Super User
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The present capital, Addis Ababa, which means 'new flower' in Amharic, was founded by Emperor Menelik II in 1887. Axum was one of the oldest capitals of Ethiopia next to Yeha until replaced by Lalibela. The country experienced mobile count from the 13th - 17th century.

. . . Addis Ababa - hosts the headquarters of the African Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and also Africa's diplomatic hub with more than 100 embassies . . .

Embraced by many wooded hillsides and gullies cut through with flowing rivers, this huge, sprawling, hospitable city with more than 21,000 hectares in area, is not only the political, economic and social nerve-center of Ethiopia but also the administrative centre for the whole of Africa. Addis Ababa hosts the headquarters of the African Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and also Africa's diplomatic hub with more than 100 embassies.

Currency

‘Birr’ is the national currency of Ethiopia which is minted as 5, 10, 50, and 100 notes. There are also coins minted as 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 cents.

To travel around the country, air or land transportation is adequately available. Ethiopian Airline provides reliable local flights and many travel routes in Africa and the rest of the world. The Land transportation plays great role for major entries from neighboring countries like Djibouti, Kenya, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia.

Food & Drink

Ethiopia, with more than eighty ethnic groups, is endowed with various cultural dishes including the famous ‘Injera’ served with ‘Doro Wott’, spicy chicken stew - a rare delicacy in Ethiopia, and ‘Kitfo’ minced beef prepared with homemade butter, ‘Berbere’ /hot spicy powder/ or ‘Mitmita’ /hot spice made from chilly/.

‘Teji’ (honey wine), ‘Areke’ (local Gin), are also some of the cultural drinks. The traditional genuine Ethiopian coffee ceremony is what Ethiopia offers to the rest of the world too.

Festivals

Meskel is a colorful Christian festival that takes place on September 26th to commemorate the Finding of the true cross.

Gena/Lidet (Christmas) birth of Christ is celebrated on January 7th accompanied by ‘Gena’, a type of traditional sports carried out usually for period of one week.

Timket (Epiphany) commemorating the baptism of Christ is also celebrated on January 19th.