http://visit2ethiopia.com/images/Map%20of%20South%20people.JPG
Country Statistics
Religion: Orthodox 43.5%
Population: 91,195,675
Ethnic Groups: Oromo 34.5%
Fertality Rate: 5.39 children born/woman
Birth Rate: 38.5 births/1,000 population
Death Rate: 9.3 deaths/1,000 population
Population: 91,195,675
Ethnic Groups: Oromo 34.5%
Fertality Rate: 5.39 children born/woman
Birth Rate: 38.5 births/1,000 population
Death Rate: 9.3 deaths/1,000 population
Children Per Woman vs. Infant Mortality
In Ethiopia, the less children per woman decreases the chances of infant mortality.
Total Population vs. Malnutrition
Interesting enough, as the population increases, malnutrition declines This may be because as the years go on, Ethiopia is available to more food and vaccines.
Employment vs. Literacy Rate
From 1994 to 2007, Ethiopia shows that there is a correlation with employment and literacy rates. The greater the percentage of literacy of adults, the higher the employment rate is.
Other Outside Sources: http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Ethiopia.html
This source helps one learn about the country's culture because it explains how the country came to
be, food, economy, use of land, social stratification, political life, gender roles, etc.
http://www.ethiopiantreasures.co.uk/pages/culture.htm
This source is a great tool to learn about Ethiopia's culture because it's a condensed site of what
cultures are important in the Ethiopian society.
This source helps one learn about the country's culture because it explains how the country came to
be, food, economy, use of land, social stratification, political life, gender roles, etc.
http://www.ethiopiantreasures.co.uk/pages/culture.htm
This source is a great tool to learn about Ethiopia's culture because it's a condensed site of what
cultures are important in the Ethiopian society.
Religion in Ethiopia
Religion in Ethiopia is very rich and diverse. They have three widely practice religions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. All four of the religions have their roots in Ethiopia, but Christianity is by far the most practiced religion in Ethiopia. Christianity came to Ethiopia by two Syrian Christians who influenced King Ezana and they converted him to Christianity. After King Ezana made Christianity the religion of his rule, the country began to practice it and it spread throughout the kingdom and became a mainstay religion in Ethiopia. Even though Christianity was popular in Ethiopia, the Jewish people known as Felashas, refused to accept that and continued to practice Judaism. The Jewish religion came to Ethiopia through travelers from Israel who stopped in Ethiopia. Most of the Jewish Ethiopians are concentrated in the Northeast area of the country. The religion of Islam in Ethiopia has its roots by being brought there by followers of the prophet Mohammed. They came to Ethiopia seeking shelter. Askum, the king at the time welcomed them and accepted their religion. They later would settle permanently and would begin to spread the faith around Ethiopia through weekly services and prayers daily. This caused Islamic religion to spread quickly though the country.
These three religions have greatly affected the culture. All three of these religions do not eat pork. So in Ethiopia they don’t eat any pork. That is a major culture influence. Other influences that can be seen are things like fasting. Ethiopian people take this very seriously and they practice it very intensely. All in all I think that all of the three religions use the religion to shape their culture. The culture is affected by all the different religions but what is funny is that all three religions share some similar beliefs on how to be practiced. All of them pray and fast and they all don’t like pork so in reality the only thing that separates these three religions is their “god” and the name they call him.
All three of these religions have specific holy sites in which they turn too. For Christianity they have many. The have Bethlehem, Jerusalem, The River Jordan. All three of these sites have some sort of significance to the religion. For Judaism, the major site that they turn to is the Temple Mount. This temple is believed to be the place where the Earth began and is considered holy to the Jewish faith. Last but not least is Islam. Islam may be one of the largest religions in the world and they have one of the most recognizable holy sites ever. The Grand Mosque and the journey to Mecca are two of the most holy things a Islamic person can do. They make a trip to Mecca in ones lifetime and they view that as being one of the greatest things a person can achieve in their lifetime. In the country of Ethiopia these three religions share many sacred areas. Temples, and shrines to their gods scatter across the country. The main one that I found to be considered the most sacred was the Ark of the Covenant temple. This is of course major because the Ark of the Covenant was believed to hold some of the greatest power in the world. Movies have been made showcasing its divine power. It has become Ethiopia’s most sacred spot due the mystery surrounding it.
In Ethiopia, the government and the religions play off each other. For each religion there is a mandate allowing that religion to be practiced in Ethiopia. It can affect the govt. because there are often religious wars in the country that have to be handled by the government. The government no longer uses one religion as a foothold to base laws off of. That only occurred in the early time of the country when a king would make the religion, the religion of his rule. I do believe though that without government involvement in religion, the religious beliefs of a person go unprotected and they don’t get the freedom to practice it, so the fact the Ethiopia allows this is assuring.
ReferencesGray, M. (n.d.). Sacred sites of ethiopia and the arc of the covenant. Retrieved from http://sacredsites.com/africa/ethiopia/sacred_sites_ethiopia.html
Selamta. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.selamta.net/religion.htm
Teklehaimanot, T. (2002). Ethiopian treasures - religion. Retrieved from http://www.ethiopiantreasures.co.uk/pages/religion.htm
These three religions have greatly affected the culture. All three of these religions do not eat pork. So in Ethiopia they don’t eat any pork. That is a major culture influence. Other influences that can be seen are things like fasting. Ethiopian people take this very seriously and they practice it very intensely. All in all I think that all of the three religions use the religion to shape their culture. The culture is affected by all the different religions but what is funny is that all three religions share some similar beliefs on how to be practiced. All of them pray and fast and they all don’t like pork so in reality the only thing that separates these three religions is their “god” and the name they call him.
All three of these religions have specific holy sites in which they turn too. For Christianity they have many. The have Bethlehem, Jerusalem, The River Jordan. All three of these sites have some sort of significance to the religion. For Judaism, the major site that they turn to is the Temple Mount. This temple is believed to be the place where the Earth began and is considered holy to the Jewish faith. Last but not least is Islam. Islam may be one of the largest religions in the world and they have one of the most recognizable holy sites ever. The Grand Mosque and the journey to Mecca are two of the most holy things a Islamic person can do. They make a trip to Mecca in ones lifetime and they view that as being one of the greatest things a person can achieve in their lifetime. In the country of Ethiopia these three religions share many sacred areas. Temples, and shrines to their gods scatter across the country. The main one that I found to be considered the most sacred was the Ark of the Covenant temple. This is of course major because the Ark of the Covenant was believed to hold some of the greatest power in the world. Movies have been made showcasing its divine power. It has become Ethiopia’s most sacred spot due the mystery surrounding it.
In Ethiopia, the government and the religions play off each other. For each religion there is a mandate allowing that religion to be practiced in Ethiopia. It can affect the govt. because there are often religious wars in the country that have to be handled by the government. The government no longer uses one religion as a foothold to base laws off of. That only occurred in the early time of the country when a king would make the religion, the religion of his rule. I do believe though that without government involvement in religion, the religious beliefs of a person go unprotected and they don’t get the freedom to practice it, so the fact the Ethiopia allows this is assuring.
ReferencesGray, M. (n.d.). Sacred sites of ethiopia and the arc of the covenant. Retrieved from http://sacredsites.com/africa/ethiopia/sacred_sites_ethiopia.html
Selamta. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.selamta.net/religion.htm
Teklehaimanot, T. (2002). Ethiopian treasures - religion. Retrieved from http://www.ethiopiantreasures.co.uk/pages/religion.htm
Cultural Diversity in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, the culture has been able to remain intact throughout a crazy 30-
year period where they change their government style and the attitudes towards
democracy. Fortunately the country has been able to maintain many of its older
cultures. There have been minor changes in terms of how the old practices are
actually carried out. This is because the country has seen many other cultures
come into the country. “To govern this nation of 78 million inhabitants, one of the
most diverse and conflict-prone in the world, the government introduced 'ethnic
federalism' which was constitutionally enshrined in 1995. Ethiopia places a high
priority on issues related to its ethnic groups, one of the many compelling facets
to the country's form of federalism” (Maru). This law of ethnic federalism is really
allowing the cultures to flourish. The ability to protect these cultures has seen the
different cultures stay preserved rather than actually being drove into extinction.
Over the past 30 years, the country has gone through different government types so
its truly amazing to see that the one thing that has stayed the same is the respect of
the many cultures that make up Ethiopia.
The government has played an integral role in protecting the many cultures
of Ethiopia. Along with ethnic federalism, they have interacted with the tribes and
communities. “The government passed a Constitution that also grants self-
government to all ethno-linguistic communities, including, if they so desire, the right
to form a regional state or even to secede and form an independent country.”(Maru).
This is something that you don’t often see. Instead of passing laws to restrict the
communities and essentially make the communities become extinct. They are
actually looking to revitalize these cultures because for Ethiopia tourism has
become a major industry in which they can profit off of. Their biggest cash flow
comes from farming and other than that tourism is one thing that fulfills the rest of
their needs as a country. In fact, “Many people visit Ethiopia - or hope to do so one
day - because of the remarkable manner in which ancient historical traditions have
been preserved.” The remarkable preservation of these lands has allowed for the
country of Ethiopia to develop into a global hotspot for tourists and historians.
Overall the country of Ethiopia is a great example of how these diverse
communities can actually partner with the government and learn to preserve their
heritage. The world is growing rapidly and these little cultures that hold a lot of
significance are actually ceasing to exist because they simply do not have the power.
Power is what is causing these cultures to disseminate.
year period where they change their government style and the attitudes towards
democracy. Fortunately the country has been able to maintain many of its older
cultures. There have been minor changes in terms of how the old practices are
actually carried out. This is because the country has seen many other cultures
come into the country. “To govern this nation of 78 million inhabitants, one of the
most diverse and conflict-prone in the world, the government introduced 'ethnic
federalism' which was constitutionally enshrined in 1995. Ethiopia places a high
priority on issues related to its ethnic groups, one of the many compelling facets
to the country's form of federalism” (Maru). This law of ethnic federalism is really
allowing the cultures to flourish. The ability to protect these cultures has seen the
different cultures stay preserved rather than actually being drove into extinction.
Over the past 30 years, the country has gone through different government types so
its truly amazing to see that the one thing that has stayed the same is the respect of
the many cultures that make up Ethiopia.
The government has played an integral role in protecting the many cultures
of Ethiopia. Along with ethnic federalism, they have interacted with the tribes and
communities. “The government passed a Constitution that also grants self-
government to all ethno-linguistic communities, including, if they so desire, the right
to form a regional state or even to secede and form an independent country.”(Maru).
This is something that you don’t often see. Instead of passing laws to restrict the
communities and essentially make the communities become extinct. They are
actually looking to revitalize these cultures because for Ethiopia tourism has
become a major industry in which they can profit off of. Their biggest cash flow
comes from farming and other than that tourism is one thing that fulfills the rest of
their needs as a country. In fact, “Many people visit Ethiopia - or hope to do so one
day - because of the remarkable manner in which ancient historical traditions have
been preserved.” The remarkable preservation of these lands has allowed for the
country of Ethiopia to develop into a global hotspot for tourists and historians.
Overall the country of Ethiopia is a great example of how these diverse
communities can actually partner with the government and learn to preserve their
heritage. The world is growing rapidly and these little cultures that hold a lot of
significance are actually ceasing to exist because they simply do not have the power.
Power is what is causing these cultures to disseminate.
Food in Ethiopia
The first thing you need to know about Ethiopian food is that it is an extremely "hands-on” experience. You might not find that to be the politest way of having your meals but the range of tastes that your palette is exposed to is stunning enough to be something of a revelation.
- Ethiopian dishes are mainly very spicy and can be found all throughout Ethiopia. Onions, tomatoes, garlic ginger, and chili powder are used daily in Ethiopian cuisine.
- Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christians do not eat meat and diary products (i.e. egg, butter, milk, and cheese) on Wednesdays and Fridays except the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost, the Fast of the Prophets, the fast of Nineveh, Lent, the Fast of the Apostles and the fast of the Holy Virgin Mary. According to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church belief, the faithful must abstain from eating meat and diary products to attain forgiveness of sins committed during the year, and undergo a rigorous schedule of prayers and atonement.