Description
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country in the northeastern part of Africa, known as the Horn of Africa. With over 109 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the second-most populous nation on the African continent with a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometres (420,000 sq mi). Its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa, which lies a few miles west of the East African Rift that splits the country into the Nubian and Somali tectonic plates.
The national flag of Ethiopia was adopted on 31 October 1912. The three traditional colours of green, yellow and red date back to Iyasu V (reigned 1913–1916). The current flag and emblem were adopted after the defeat of Ethiopia’s Marxist regimes headed by Mengistu Haile Mariam (in total, in power from 1974 to 1991). The emblem is intended to represent both the diversity and unity of the country. Blue represents peace, the star is said to represent diversity and unity, and the sun’s rays symbolise prosperity. The green represents the land, yellow stands for peace and hope, and red is symbolic of strength.