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~96,506,031 as of 2014

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Long, long ago - Hominids, early ancestors of humans, live in what is now eastern Ethiopia. It is one of their earliest known locations

400 B.C. - The Kingdom of Aksum, in northern Ethiopia, is born. It evolves into a rich trading nation by the first century A.D

300 A.D. - Christianity becomes the official religion of the Kingdom of Aksum

1150-1270 - The Zagwe Dynasty rules over the northern highlands. The kings introduce a sense of unity and stability

1300s - The Ethiopian holy book, the Kebra Negast (Glory of the Kings), is published. It describes the legendary Queen of Sheba’s visit to the court of King Solomon in Jerusalem in the 10th century B.C.

1888-1892 - The Kefu Qan (Evil Days), one of Ethiopia’s most severe famines, is triggered by a cattle plague and drought

1896 - Ethiopians defeat Italy in the Battle of Adwa. It is the first time Africans defeat a European power’s attempt to conquer land

1930 - Haile Selassie is crowned emperor. During his reign, slavery is abolished and Ethiopia begins to modernize. Coffee becomes a major crop and export

1936-1941 - Italy occupies Ethiopia. Haile Selassie forms an alliance with Britain. In 1941, Ethiopian and British forces drive Italian forces out of Addis Ababa

1974 - The military pushes Haile Selassie out and ends the monarchy. A harsh socialist state is established

1998-2000 - A border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea costs over 70,000 lives. A peace agreement is eventually reached

2011 - The Ethiopia-Eritrea border remains closed

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Ethiopian Orthodox 43.5%, Muslim 33.9%, Protestant 18.5%, traditional 2.7%, Catholic 0.7%, other 0.6% (2007 est.)

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Oromo 33.8%, Amharic (official national language) 29.3%, Somali 6.2%, Tigrigna 5.9%, Sidamo 4%, Wolaytta 2.2%, Gurage 2%, Afar 1.7%, Hadiyya 1.7%, Gamo 1.5%, Gedeo 1.3%, Opuuo 1.2%, Kafa 1.1%, other 8.1%, English, Arabic

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Oromo 34.4%, Amhara (Amara) 27%, Somali (Somalie) 6.2%, Tigray (Tigrinya) 6.1%, Sidama 4%, Gurage 2.5%, Welaita 2.3%, Hadiya 1.7%, Afar (Affar) 1.7%, Gamo 1.5%, Gedeo 1.3%, Silte 1.3%, Kefficho 1.2%, other 10.5%

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The literacy rate here is 39%, with males on average having a higher literacy rate than women.

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Ethiopia is in east-central Africa, bordered on the west by the Sudan, the east by Somalia and Djibouti, the south by Kenya, and the northeast by Eritrea. It has several high mountains, the highest of which is Ras Dashan at 15,158 ft. The Blue Nile, or Abbai, rises in the northwest and flows in a great semicircle before entering the Sudan. Its chief reservoir, Lake Tana, lies in the northwest.

Tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

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Addis Ababa: Population: ~3 million

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Ethiopia is about 7.5 years behind the United Kingdom. This is because Ethiopia is the only country in the world to have 13 months in a year. Ethiopians also celebrate New Year in September, meaning that they will only be a couple of months into the year 2008, whilst we near the end of 2015.

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Projects Abroad has been running volunteer projects in Ethiopia for over 5 years. Even after all this time we're still discovering new things about this amazing country.

Did you know, for example, that there are areas of Ethiopia covered in snow? No? Well here are 10 other fun facts about Ethiopia that you probably didn't know:

1. Ethiopia is about 7.5 years behind the United Kingdom. This is because Ethiopia is the only country in the world to have 13 months in a year. Ethiopians also celebrate New Year in September, meaning that they are currently only a couple of months into the year 2006, whilst we near the end of 2013.

2. Ethiopians measure time from when the sun rises and count time on the opposite side of the clock. When the sun rises at 6 o'clock it is said to be 12 o'clock - the start of the day in Ethiopia. Confused? Don't worry, you get used to it after a few days!

3. There are over 80 different languages spoken in Ethiopia. The most widely spoken of these are Oromo and Amharic. Luckily for foreign travellers, English and Arabic are also widely spoken.

4. Ethiopian children must learn both their tribal language and the country's official language of Amharic. They must also have a good grasp of English by the time they start secondary school. From the age of 12 onwards, all school lessons are carried out in English.

5. The legendary Ark of the Covenant, the relic said to hold the 10 Commandments, is claimed to be housed in a church in Ethiopia. Only one man, the guardian, is actually allowed to see the ark, so whether or not it is actually there remains a mystery.

6. Ethiopia is one of only two nations in the world never to have been occupied. This is despite the Italians twice trying and failing to take the country. In case you were wondering, Russia is the other country.

7. Ever heard Rastafarians talking about Haile Selassie? He was an Ethiopian Emperor, born in 1892 and is worshipped by followers of the Rastafarian movement. He is not to be confused with legendary distance runner Haile Gebre Selassie!

8. Ethiopia is the only country in Africa with its own alphabet. Actually it uses an abugida, also known as an alpha-syllabary, which consists of 209 symbols and 25 letter variants.

9. The oldest fossil skeleton of a human was discovered in Ethiopia. So too was coffee, making Ethiopia the home of mankind and mankind's favourite wake-up drink.

10. Ethiopian Abebe Bikila was the first African to win gold in the Olympic Games. He finished the marathon in first place after running the whole race barefoot.
Do you know any other fun facts about Ethiopia? Tell us about them using the comments box below.

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Projects Abroad has been running volunteer projects in Ethiopia for over 5 years. Even after all this time we're still discovering new things about this amazing country. Did you know, for example, that there are areas of Ethiopia covered in snow? No? Well here are 10 other fun facts about Ethiopia that you probably didn't know: 1.

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Sof Omar is an extraordinary natural phenomenon of breathtaking beauty. At 15.1 kilometres long, Sof Omar Cave is the longest cave in Ethiopia and the largest system of caves in Africa, through which the Weib River flows.

It is said that Allah revealed the opening to this limestone cave system to Sheikh Sof Omar in the 12th century. The sheikh and his followers used the caves as a mosque, a purpose to which the caves were well suited as they had been eroded into columns, buttresses, domes, vaults, and pillars - a natural architectural marvel still used as a gathering place by local Muslims.

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The legendary Ark of the Covenant, the relic said to hold the 10 Commandments, is claimed to be housed in a church in Ethiopia. Only one man, the guardian, is actually allowed to see the ark, so whether or not it is actually there remains a mystery.

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The oldest fossil skeleton of a human was discovered in Ethiopia. So too was coffee, making Ethiopia the home of mankind and mankind’s favourite wake-up drink.

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At two different locations in the city you are able to feed the Hyenas every single night.  The city of Harar is also extremely interested being the 4th most holy city for Muslims; great museums, food, but not much nightlife.

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Ethiopian birr

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The Blue Nile Falls are one of the greatest falls in Africa. It is located in Ethiopian plateau, passing the Blue Nile River. This waterfall is also known as Tis Issat meaning smoking water, as the continuous dropping of water creates a smoke-like bounce of water droplets. The Blue Nile Falls has an enormous height of 37 to 45 meters or around 150 feet and its width is estimated at about half a mile.