Gelada Baboon
The gelada is found only in the highlands of Ethiopia, where it grazes on grass like a tiny, fur-covered cow — making it the only primate in the world that lives almost entirely on grass.
Flag of Ethiopia
Field Report
Ethiopia is a large country in the Horn of Africa — the part that sticks out on the eastern side of the continent — and it is one of the oldest nations in the world, with a history stretching back thousands of years. It sits on a high plateau surrounded by hot lowlands, which means its capital city, Addis Ababa, is actually one of the highest capital cities on Earth. More than 120 million people live there, belonging to dozens of different people groups, many of whom have never had a chance to hear the good news about Jesus.
From the Field Notebook
Gelada Baboon
The gelada is found only in the highlands of Ethiopia, where it grazes on grass like a tiny, fur-covered cow — making it the only primate in the world that lives almost entirely on grass.
Ethiopian Wolf
The Ethiopian wolf is the rarest wild dog on Earth, with fewer than 500 left, and it hunts rodents alone in the high mountain meadows called the Afroalpine.
Walia Ibex
The Walia ibex is a sure-footed wild goat that leaps along sheer cliff faces in the Simien Mountains, using its curved horns to balance on ledges barely wider than a hand.
Injera
Injera is a spongy, slightly sour flatbread made from a grain called teff, and it serves as both the plate and the utensil — you tear pieces off and use them to scoop up stews and vegetables.
Doro Wat
Doro wat is a rich, deep-red chicken stew slow-cooked with berbere spice and a hard-boiled egg, and it is the dish most Ethiopian families make for special celebrations.
Bunna (Coffee)
Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, and drinking bunna is a full ceremony — beans are roasted, ground, and brewed fresh while guests sit together, which can last over an hour.
Ethiopia is one of only two countries in Africa never permanently colonized by a European power, and it famously defeated an Italian invasion at the Battle of Adwa in 1896 — a victory that became a symbol of African independence.
Ethiopia runs on its own calendar, which has 13 months and is about seven to eight years behind the calendar most of the world uses, so Ethiopians celebrated the year 2000 in what the rest of the world called 2007.
The source of the Blue Nile — one of the longest rivers on Earth — begins at Lake Tana in the highlands of Ethiopia before flowing north into Sudan and Egypt.
Ethiopia has more than 80 different languages spoken within its borders, because it is home to dozens of distinct people groups, each with their own culture and history.
Fossils of one of the oldest human ancestors ever discovered, a female nicknamed 'Lucy,' were found in Ethiopia in 1974 and are estimated to be over three million years old.
Daily Life
67
Years life expectancy
60%
Can read and write
85%
Kids go to school
Missions Field Report
Ethiopia is home to 120 distinct people groups — 32 of them haven’t yet heard about Jesus.
About half of Ethiopia's people follow Christianity (58.2%). Evangelical Christians make up about 17.9% of the population.
What People Believe
Unreached People Groups
These are communities of people who haven’t had the chance to hear about Jesus yet. They need missionaries — and they need kids like you to pray for them.
Somali
8,579,000 people
Amhara, Wollo
6,951,000 people
Oromo, Jima
4,295,000 people
Oromo, Bale
2,459,000 people
Afar
2,307,000 people
Prayer Journal
Tick each one as you pray. God hears every word.