Long-form name: People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Type: Communist state

Capital: Addis Ababa

Administrative divisions: 14 administrative regions (plural--NA, singular--kifle hager); Arsi, Bale, Eritrea, Gamo Gofa, Gojam, Gonder, Harerge, Ilubabor, Kefa, Shewa, Sidamo, Tigray, Welega, Welo; note--the administrative structure may have changed to 25 administrative regions (astedader akababiwach, singular--astedader akababee) and 5 autonomous regions* (rasgez akababiwach, singular--rasgez akababee); Addis Ababa, Arsi, Aseb*, Asosa, Bale, Borena, Dire Dawa*, East Gojam, East Harerge, Eritrea*, Gambela, Gamo Gofa, Ilubabor, Kefa, Metekel, Nazaret, North Gonder, North Shewa, North Welo, Ogaden*, Omo, Sidamo, South Gonder, South Shewa, South Welo, Tigray*, Welega, West Gojam, West Harerge, West Shewa

Independence: oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world--at least 2,000 years

Constitution: 12 September 1987

Legal system: complex structure with civil, Islamic, common, and customary law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: National Revolution Day, 12 September (1974)

Branches: executive power exercised by president, elected for five-year term by the National Assembly (Shengo); 835-member legislature has nominal powers, elected every five years; Cabinet headed by prime minister, appointed by president; judiciary at higher levels based on Western pattern, at lower levels on traditional pattern

Leader: @m5Chief of State--President MENGISTU Haile-Mariam (Chairman from September 1977 until becoming President on 10 September 1987); Vice President FISSEHA Desta (since 10 September 1987); @m5Head of Government--Prime Minister FIKRE-SELASSIE Wogderess (since 10 September 1987)

Suffrage: all citizens 18 years of age and over

Elections: National Assembly elected in June 1987; President elected in September 1987

Political party and leader: Ethiopian Workers Party (WPE), Mengistu Haile-Mariam, secretary general

Other political or pressure groups: important dissident groups include Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF), Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) in Eritrea; Tigrean People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in Tigray and Welo Provinces; Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF) in the Ogaden region

Member of: AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICO, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Counselor, Charge d'Affaires ad interim GIRMA Amare; Chancery at 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-2281 or 2282; US--Charge d'Affaires Robert G. HOUDEK; Embassy at Entoto Street, Addis Ababa (mailing address is P.O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa); telephone 254-233-4141

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa and the colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors

NOTE: The information regarding Ethiopia on this page is re-published from the 1989 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Ethiopia Government 1989 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Ethiopia Government 1989 should be addressed to the CIA.