Ethiopia
Americannoun
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Formerly Abyssinia. a republic in E Africa: formerly a monarchy. 409,266 sq. mi. (1,060,000 sq. km). Present boundaries include Eritrea. Addis Ababa.
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Also called Abyssinia. an ancient region in NE Africa, bordering on Egypt and the Red Sea.
noun
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Selassie was overthrown by a military junta, which proclaimed a communist government and became closely allied with the Soviet Union.
Ethiopia is one of the world's oldest Christian nations, having been converted in the fourth century.
The junta was overthrown in 1991 and the first multiparty elections were held in 1995.
The country was plagued by famine and economic chaos in the 1980s and 1990s.
Of all African nations, it most successfully withstood European attempts at colonization, remaining independent throughout its history, with the exception of a six-year period (1935–1941) during which it was occupied by Italy, which was then governed by fascists (see fascism).
Ethiopia was ruled from 1930 to 1936 and again from 1941 to 1974 by the powerful and charismatic Emperor Haile Selassie I (born Ras Tafari Makonnen). Called the “Lion of Judah,” he claimed direct descent from the biblical King Solomon and Queen of Sheba.
Ethiopia is Black Africa's oldest state, tracing its history back more than two thousand years.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ethiopia will prioritise vehicles transporting essential goods and those in the public transport sector at fuel stations as the country grapples with shortages caused by the Middle East war, authorities said Tuesday.
From Barron's
But unlike neighbouring Ethiopia, long queues have not yet formed at Kenyan petrol stations.
From Barron's
In Ethiopia, authorities have ordered fuel supply companies to prioritise security institutions, major government projects, key industries and the manufacture of essential goods.
From BBC
The drought also affected a vast stretch of land across East Africa, leaving some 26 million people "facing extreme hunger" in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, according to humanitarian organisation Oxfam.
From BBC
This is famously the case in the Meningitis Belt – which stretches across 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Ethiopia.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.