# Ethiopia

Pronunciation: say "ee-thee-OH-pee-uh" US /ˌi.θiˈoʊ.pi.ə/, UK /ˌiː.θiˈəʊ.pɪ.ə/

## Proper noun

1. A country in East Africa, in the region known as the Horn of Africa.
   - Simple: A country located in the eastern part of Africa.
   - _Ethiopia shares borders with Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, and Eritrea._
   - _The highlands of Ethiopia rise sharply above the surrounding lowlands._
2. The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the country's official form since 1987.
   - Simple: The current official name of the East African country, used since 1987.
   - _Ethiopia's constitution grants each region the right to manage local affairs._
   - _Federal ministries in Ethiopia coordinate policy across the regional states._
3. The Ethiopian Empire, which lasted from around 1270 to 1974 and was also known as Abyssinia.
   - Simple: The empire ruled by emperors in East Africa from about 1270 to 1974, also called Abyssinia.
   - _Emperor Menelik II expanded Ethiopia's borders during the late nineteenth century._
   - _Ethiopia remained one of the few African states never fully colonized._
4. Italian Ethiopia, the colonial territory under Italian rule from 1936 to 1941.
   - Simple: The country while it was occupied and ruled by Italy, from 1936 to 1941.
   - _Italian forces ruled Ethiopia until Allied and Ethiopian troops liberated it in 1941._
   - _Mussolini proclaimed Ethiopia part of a new Italian empire in 1936._
5. The Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia, the Marxist military regime that ruled from 1974 to 1987, known as the Derg.
   - Simple: The country under military socialist rule from 1974 to 1987, known as the Derg.
   - _Ethiopia aligned with the Soviet bloc after the military seized power in 1974._
   - _The Derg nationalized industry and land throughout Ethiopia._
6. In historical usage, sub-Saharan Africa, especially the regions south of Egypt and lying along and east of the Nile.
   - Simple: In old usage, the lands of Africa south of Egypt, along and east of the Nile River.
   - _Herodotus described Ethiopia as lying at the southern edge of the known world._
   - _The peoples of Ethiopia were said to dwell along the upper reaches of the Nile._

## Origin

This comes from Latin Aethiopia, from Ancient Greek Αἰθιοπία (Aithiopía), from Αἰθίοψ (Aithíops), which is of Proto-Hellenic origin. It replaced the native Old English name Siġelhearwena land, literally "land of the sun worshippers".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ethiopia (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).