ETHIOPIA
Vacations and Sightseeing
Vacations and Sightseeing
| Basic information | |
| Official language | Amharic |
| Capital | Addis Abeba |
| Area | 1.104.300 km² |
| Population | 119,711,028 (2021) |
| Currency | birr (ETB) |
| Web | .et |
| Code. | ETH |
| Tel. | +251 |
Vacations and Sightseeing
Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa is located near the 3200-metre high Entoto. You can take walks over the wooded hills with fast-flowing streams. From Mount Entoto in the northern part of the city, you get a beautiful panorama of Addis Ababa. The National Museum has a wide range of archaeological and cultural artefacts about Ethiopia. Here you can see Lucy (Dinknesh) the 3.2 million year old most famous skeleton. This discovery has given rise to the theory that Ethiopia is the cradle of mankind. Trinity Cathedral is a beautiful church with baroque European architecture, unique to both Ethiopia and Africa. The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. There are beautiful stained-glass windows with pictures from the Old and New Testament. You can also see the coffin of Emperor Haile Selassie. The Merkato is the largest open-air market in Africa. Here you can buy anything you want.
Lalibela is 642 kilometres from Addis Ababa and is internationally renowned for its rock churches, sometimes called the "Eighth Wonder of the World". These monolithic churches generally date from the 12th century and were built during the reign of King Lalibela. But some date back to the 10th century. There are eleven churches in total. Bete Medhane Alem with the Lalibela Cross is the largest monolithic church in the world.
The graceful city of Gondar was founded by Emperor Fasilidas in 1635. The city was capital of Ethiopia until the kingdom of Emperor Tewodros II, also known as Theodore. It was an important centre of trade with the rich countries south of the Blue Nile, as well as with Sudan to the west, and the Red Sea port of Massawa to the north-east. Gondar is famous for its many medieval castles. The oldest of the castles was built by Fasilidas himself and is still in such excellent condition that it is possible to climb all the way to the roof, you get a breathtaking view of a large part of the city.
The Ethiopian Rift Valley is part of the famous East African Rift Valley and has numerous hot springs, beautiful lakes and a variety of wildlife. There are seven lakes, each with its own character and an exuberant variety of flora and fauna that make the region a beautiful and exotic destination for tourists. Most of the lakes are suitable for swimming and other water sports. Abiata and Shalla lakes are ideal places for birdwatchers. The Rift Valley is a place where many runners train because of the good conditions and the high altitude.
Sources
Elmar Landeninformatie
CIA - World Factbook
BBC - Country Profiles
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