Ethiopia, the land of Origins

Global Discovery

Religion and culture is the most influential aspect in the urban and rural areas of Ethiopia.
Urban and city parts are mostly being influenced by the western culture due to globalization. These can be seen in the way people dress, eat, technology, consumer goods and so. Even in the rural areas the construction of asphalt roads to access vehicles and mobile phones has introduced the western culture more than anything. Different cultures and customs like giving birth and other medical and commercial activities has been simplified and modernized due to the introduction of roads.

Christian and Muslim are the main religions practiced in the country. Even Though other cultural religions are being practiced, among these is the Geda system that is practiced by the Oromo people, and Irrecha(Thanksgiving) being the biggest celebration in the system. In rural areas, besides the common religion, most believe in cultural healers and fortune tellers.

Nature:
Ethiopian nature is one of the most diverse. The Dallol Depression being the Lowest in the world and the Simien Mountains being the highest point in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has numbers of National Parks that are home to numbers of endemic animals. First of is the Semien Mountain National Park. The eroded Ethiopian Plateau comprises jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys, and sharp precipices dropping about 1,500m(4,900ft). The decrease of the Walia Ibex, Bushbuck, and Bushpig populations as well as an increase of the human population once prompted the World Heritage Committee to place it on the World Heritage in Danger in 1996, but in late 2017 the park was out of the list by the help of the locals working to preserve the park and prohibiting unlicensed personnel trespass the boundary.

The Great Rift Valley Lakes are the Northernmost of the African Rift valley lakes. The Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes occupy the floor of the rift valley between two highlands. Most of the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes do not have an outlet, and most are alkaline and a home to Pelicans, Flamingoes, crocodile, Hippopotamus, and more.

In Bahir dar Lake Tana, Blue Nile Falls(Tissisat) and Island Monasteries are the main attractions. The blue Nile Falls is located about 30km to the South. Nowadays the amount of water running through the falls is being reduced and regulated due to the construction of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Nevertheless the Blue Nile Falls are still one of the main tourist attractions of Bahir Dar, especially during the rainy seasons when the water level rises and the falls become greater.

Climate:
Regarding climate Ethiopia is gifted with the driest and hottest region of Afar and Dallol Depression as well as the Bale Mountains topped with dry ice throughout the year.

Ethiopia’s climate differs in two seasons: summer and winter. During the summer heavy rainfalls last from mid-June to early September. And the rest of the year is mainly dry, but in some regions like the Afar the climate is the reverse i.e. dry during the summers and rain and cooler weather is expected during winter(December-February) , even though the climate of Afar is very hot in general it is recommended for tourists to travel during winter season.

Ethiopian Coffee
Ethiopia is the birthplace of the world’s third consumed drink, Coffee. Kaldi the shepherd and his goat were the founders of this magical drink(Coffee Arabica). The forest coffee grown with no fertilizer is hand picked and consumed by the local and International consumers.

Source of The Blue Nile
The Blue Nile is the largest river that feeds the Nile(Egypt), the longest and second largest river in the world. The Blue Nile is found in Bahir Dar Northern Ethiopia where the Tana Lake and numbers of Island monasteries are found. A few kilometers away is the Simien Mountains National Park, home of the endemic Gelada Baboon and the Walia Ibex and the highest lodge in Africa the Simien Lodge, an eco-Friendly Lodge.

Omo Valley of Ethiopia
The Lower Omo Valley is a home to a remarkable mix of small, contrasting ethnic groups not only the Burne and the Karo, but also the Glebe, Bodi, Mursi, Surma, Arbore, and the Hammer to name a few. Lifestyle are as various as the tribes themselves. The Burne and the Karo mingle with the pastoral Glebe and the transhumant Hamer. The Mursi and Surma, meanwhile mix basic subsistence cultivation with small-scale cattle-herding lives of harsh simplicity uncluttered by the pressures of the modern world.

Addis Ababa-the Diplomatic City
Addis Ababa, the home of the African Union and ECA, is also the best place in the country to try Ethiopian foods. The city has some wonderful museums and places to stay. The National Museum where Lucy, the 1974 discovery in Afar Region is displayed is one of the main attractions in Addis. The Holy Trinity Cathedral, Holy Trinity Cathedral which is the highest ranking Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Cathedral is also another a must-see. It was built to commemorate Ethiopia’s liberation from Italian occupation and is the second most important place of worship in Ethiopia, after the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum. Mount Entoto, suitable for a panoramic view towards the capital and the largest open air market in africa, Merkato also worth a visit.

source Global Discovery