Ethiopia is a large, multi-ethnic country located in the eastern part of Africa. It covers 437,600 square miles of land, as much as California, Oregon, Missouri and Idaho combined. Ethiopia's population in 2004 is estimated at approximately 68 million and includes about seventy different ethnic groups. The largest group is the Oromo. They live mainly in the central and southwestern parts of the country and constitute about 40 percent of the national population. The Amhara and Tigre ethnic groups are found in the central and northern highland regions of Ethiopia, and together make up 32 percent of the country's population. Minority ethnic groups such as the Anywaa, popularly called Anuak (less than 1%), Afar (4%), Somali (6%) and Gumuz (6%) make up the remaining 28 percent of the national population. Amharinya, the language of the Amhara ethnic group, is the official language of the country.

Ethiopia is one of only two African...