Thursday, March 28, 2013

All about Ethiopia


Ethiopia Facts:

Official name: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Size: about twice the size of Texas

Capital: Addis Ababa

Climate: Moderate in highlands; hot and dry in lowlands

Languages: Amharic, Arabic, English, Oromigna, Tirigna, others

Currency: Birr ($1 USD = 18.50 Br as of March 28, 2013)

Products: Coffee, cereals, sugarcane, oilseeds, honey

 
Ethiopia Facts for Children:

School:

  • Because much of Ethiopia is rural, kids who attend school may have to walk several miles each way.
  • Unlike in most African nations, school in Ethiopia is free. However, many kids work to help support their families. Less than half are still enrolled by grade 5.

Play:

  • Gebeta, a game of strategy, has been popular for hundreds of years. It is played using seeds or pebbles and a board with rows of cups.
  • Many kids learn the lively and irresistible eskista dance, which is performed almost entirely with the shoulders. Soccer is the most popular sport.

Family:

  • Most families live in rural areas. It is common for an extended family to live in a cluster of houses and farm together.
  • Traditionally, parents and children do not share a last name. Most kids take their father’s first name as their last name.

Favorite foods:

  • Injera, a pancake-like bread that is used to scoop up spicy dishes such as doro wat (chicken stew) and mesir wat (lentil stew).

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