History of Ethiopia | How Old is Ethiopia?

How Old Is Ethiopia?

It is said that the anatomically related humans were originally from Ethiopia, as the climate there was best suited for early human life. With this being said, the Ethiopian Empire was founded in 1270, but the current constitution was drafted in 1995, after the creation of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in 1991. This makes Ethiopia (in its name) as old as 751 years, or as young as 31 years.

The Current State of Ethiopia

Ethiopia convened a National Conference in 1991 to establish its transitional government of a member council. This caused Eritrea to gain its own independence from that country, which is one of the last remaining officially recognized dictatorships in the world. The first election (of multiple parties) took place in 1995, and the EPRDF party won by a landslide. Since its inception, Ethiopia has fallen on extremely hard times. Their regime was tested during the Ethiopian-Eritrean war over a land dispute, which cost both sides an estimated 1 million dollars per day for about two years. This made both countries poorer, yet strengthened the unity of the Ethiopian people and confidence in their government.

Civil relations within Ethiopia were tested again in the third multiparty election of 2005, which was disputed on suspicions of voter fraud. Years later, leader Meles Zenawi died suspiciously in 2012, reportedly being treated for an unspecified illness, which appointed the deputy prime minister to the leadership seat. Currently, the disputed region of Tigray is being fought over between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which have an estimated half a million dead as of March 2022.

Date of Initial Sovereignty
80 BC
Years Since Initial Sovereignty
2104

How old is Ethiopia?

The country of Ethiopia is 2104 years old, founded in the year 80 BC.

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