Joy Ethiopia tour and Travel

Ethiopia , located in the heart of the Horn of Africa, is the tenth largest African country by land area and the third largest African nation in terms of population. Ethiopia borders Eritrea to the north, Djibouti and Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south and Sudan to the west.

A land of contrasts, the scenery in Ethiopia changes constantly from one region to another, creating a microcosm of an entire continent in a nation the size of France and Spain combined. The scenery changes from hot, dry areas to rolling hills and fertile highlands, to savanna and mountainous regions where it sometimes even snows.

	The contrasting land is largely due to the volcanic activity that shaped the area some forty million years ago when the Ethiopian land mass was shaken by a massive upheaval. This opened deep faults in the bedrock and its overlying sedimentary layers, through which white-hot basaltic lava slowly spread over a large expanse of the land. Later, erosion produced some of the sharp contrasts that travelers visiting Ethiopia can see today. Ethiopia 's dramatic geographic contours, which were formed over one million years ago, have been hailed by some as probably the most spectacular in the world. The most sensational geographical feature is the East African Rift Valley, which runs from north to south, cleaving the country into three distinct regions: the western highlands, the eastern highlands, and the Rift Valley lowlands. The central highlands stand at altitudes from 7,800-12,000 feet, rising to Ras Dashen at 15,100 feet, the highest peak in the Simien Mountains. Deep gorges surround the high plateaus, dipping far below sea level. From the highlands of Gojjam Province in Amhara, the Blue Nile River crashes over the Tississat Falls, where it begins its 1,000 mile journey to join the White Nile in Sudan. The eastern highlands run along the Rift Valley escarpment, sloping steeply to the east and widening and descending into the Danakil Depression at 380 feet below sea level.

	Ethnicity

	There are more than 78 ethnic groups in Ethiopia, with 69% of them found in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' State. Highest population percentages (1994 census): Oromo, 32%; Amhara, 30%; Tigray, 6%; Somali, 6%; Guragie, 4%; Sidama, 3%; Wolaita, 2%; Afar, 2%; Hadiya, 2%; and Gamo, 1%.

	Religion

	The religions in Ethiopia are predominantly Ethiopian Orthodox (or Monophysite Christianity) and Islam. Other religions that are also practiced include Judaism and Animism. The Animist faith is found mainly in southern regions of Ethiopia. Further south in Somali and surrounding areas, Islam is practiced. Christianity is more common in the northern and central parts of Ethiopia, where Judaism and Islam can be found as well.

	Clothing

	As diverse as their own backgrounds are the traditional costumes of each region. While European dress is worn in the major urban centers, the traditional shemma is seen frequently on both men and women in the highlands. The shemma is a white cotton dress with a border of bright colors. The pastoral peoples of the lowlands wear mainly leather clothing with bead or shell ornamentation or brightly colored garments. Fine-featured Hararies wear colorful, tight trousers and gauzy veils. Among the Oromos the young girls wear their hair in two buns behind their ears. In addition, their foreheads are encircled with wreaths of silver, leaves or flowers.



	Traditions

	People usually greet each other by bowing heads. A greeting in Ethiopia can be a long and lively process- the longer the greeting, the closer the friends. Another custom is to kiss the cheek of your friend three times when you greet them. The coffee ceremony is a sacred tradition in Ethiopia, where the beverage originated and is an integral part of the Ethiopian lifestyle. Performing the ceremony is almost a requirement when you have a visitor at any time of the day. The special coffee ceremony can take up to a few hours. The beans are roasted by hand and then ground in a special way. The coffee is prepared in a special pot and poured into a special cup. Of course, food is prepared with the coffee, practically making a full meal of the affair. In most parts of Ethiopia, the coffee ceremony takes place three times per day-- in the morning, at noon, and in the evening.

	Food

	Injera, a flat, sourdough pancake made of the indigenous grain called t'ef, is the country staple. The injera is typically served with either meat or vegetable sauces. To eat it, you tear off a bit of injera and use it to pick up pieces of meat or to mop up the sauce. T'ef is a nutritional miracle food. It contains 2-3 times the iron of wheat or barley. The calcium, potassium and other essential minerals are also many times what would be found in an equal amount of other grains. T'ef has 14% protein, 3% fat and 81% complex carbohydrates. T'ef is the only grain to have symbiotic yeast. Like grapes, the yeast is on the grain, so no yeast is added in the preparation of injera. T'ef is milled into flour and made into a batter. The batter is allowed to sit so the yeast can become active. When the batter is ready, it is poured on a large, flat oven and allowed to cook. This process is much harder than it sounds. I t has taken years (literally centuries) of practice for Ethiopians to perfect this injera. Berbere, the blend of spices that gives Ethiopian food its characteristic taste, can be quite hot. A popular food called wot is a hot spicy pepper sauce, which is eaten with basic ingredients like vegetables, meat and chicken. Kotcho, another popular food, is a pancake made of "ensete" stem and root. The meat that Ethiopians eat is beef (either cooked, dry or raw). Mutton is eaten in the high altitudes, while camel and goat are eaten in the lower altitudes. They eat cooked and dried fish in the coastal regions. A traditional Ethiopian meal involves a gathering of people, who eat together from one large circular plate. The guests will have the choice morsels of meat placed in front of them, which they wait to eat last after filling up on injera and sauce. You eat with your right hand, and you should wash your hands ahead of time. Typically, a jug of water and a bar of soap are brought to you for that purpose. Along with the traditional Ethiopian meal, one would normally drink either t'ej, a type of honey wine, or a local beer called t'ella. Ethiopia produces its own wines: Dukam and Gouder are dry reds; Crystal is a dry white; and Axumite is a sweet red.