The population of Ethiopia. Population and population density of Ethiopia. Community Activities Ethiopia

The population of Ethiopia is heterogeneous in its ethnic and religious composition and is of great interest to anthropologists and ethnologists. The historical destiny of this region of the African continent was very difficult. For hundreds of years, an amazing conglomerate of representatives of local tribes and alien conquerors, migrants and nomads has emerged in the country. The population of Ethiopia strikingly combines religious groups, which all over the world give the impression of irreconcilable opponents: Christianity, Islam, Judaism and traditional cults.

Statistical data

Ethiopia is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa (77 people per square kilometer). At the same time, 75% of the population is concentrated in the northern and central regions of the country.

• The population of Ethiopia is growing rapidly: as of 2014 it was already over 90, and 10 years before, in 2004 - only 67 million people. In the north of the continent, more people live only in Egypt.
• Representatives of more than 80 ethnic groups live on the territory of the country, some of them consist of several isolated tribes. The Oromo and Amhara peoples predominate in numbers.

• The largest and most populous cities of Ethiopia are the capital of Addis Ababa, as well as Dire Dawa, Harer. The density of the Ethiopian population has always been heterogeneous. Cities are very densely populated, and rural residents make up a small percentage.

Population of Ethiopia: ethnic picture

Among the many ethnic groups living in Ethiopia, the most numerous and influential ethnic groups stand out. This is predominant in the country, Amhara and Oromo, as well as several other groups.

Amhara. About one-third of Ethiopian citizens belong to this ethnos. The area of residence is the north and the center of the country, the upland areas of the Gonder, Shoah and Gojam regions. It was thanks to the language and culture of Amhara that the Ethiopian nation was formed. Today, amhars are also a large part of the urban population.

Unique race

Amhara belong to a unique Ethiopian race - a transitional type between the Negroid and the Europoid races. Formation of the ethnos began, according to historical sources, around the XIII century. The predominant majority of Amhara are Christian monophysites belonging to the local Ethiopian Orthodox Church. However, among them you can meet believers of other Christian movements and even Muslims.

In general, the occupation of the population of Ethiopia, in particular Amhara, is based on cultivated land and cattle breeding. Irrigated gardens and gardens grow different types of local and imported from other continents cereals, vegetables and fruits. People of Amhar breed large and small cattle, poultry, and are engaged in beekeeping. Folk handicrafts developed in such areas as blacksmithing, pottery, weaving, making leather and bone products, wickerwork, jewelry. Nowadays, especially in big cities, the population of Ethiopia is employed the same as millions of people around the world: they work in the manufacturing or in the service sector.

Ancient Oromo tribe

Oromo (obsolete name - galla). This ethnic group is the second largest, but it is much less homogeneous than Amhara. Different tribes and nationalities in the composition of Oromo differ not only in traditions but in the faith of the majority of members, in the nature of the organization of political, economic and social life

Oromo belong to the Kushite speaking population of Ethiopia. Once they were nomads, and their area of habitation was located in the plains southeastern regions of the country. In the 16th century, Oromo raided the raids on Amhar settlements, displacing the indigenous population further north. At that time Oromo were pagans, professing traditional ethnic beliefs. After the invasion of Ethiopia, many of them converted to Islam, the smaller part converted to Christianity. Partly to the change of religion of the former nomads stimulated the prospects for a more stable social status and the receipt of state posts. To this day among Oromo there are many adherents of pre-Christian cults.

Today, Oromo is predominant in the population of the eastern part of the Ethiopian Highlands. In the south of this area there are quite large cattle-breeding communities, which still adhere to the traditional way of life. They profess an archaic cult, deifying the earth and the sky, consider as their ancestor the legendary Oromo, whose name also served as the name of the ethnos. The traditional Oromo society is divided into castes, depending on the occupation, gender and age of the group member.

Somalia

This people was formerly the population of the united Somalia, now it is divided into two large sub-ethnic groups:

• Somalais,
• Sub (live in the southern regions of the country).

All Somali belong to the kushite-speaking group. Historically, their area of residence is the arid eastern and southeastern outskirts of Ethiopia (Ogaden and others). Ethically, Somalia is closer to the border communities of Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia proper than to Amhara and Oromo.

Other ethnoses

Agau. Once a significant ethnic community that lived in the Ethiopian Highlands. By the present time the agar is almost completely assimilated Amhara. The own language of the agau belonged to the Cushit group.

To date, the agaou, who have preserved their ethnic identity, live north of Lake Tana. Among the agaou there are two predominant religious denominations - Jews (a kind of Falash) and a kemet. The latter is found only in the territory of Ethiopia and is a complex syncretic religion: here there are elements of traditional pagan cults, Christianity and Judaism. In addition, the cult practice of the kemet remains a mystery to outsiders, and it is impossible to turn to a kemet for someone who was not born a bearer of this faith.

Gurage. The large ethnic groups of Ethiopia also include the seven-lingual Gurage peoples traditionally employed in agriculture.

Tigray. A group of people very close to Amhara, the descendants of the Axumite civilization. They live in the northeast of the Ethiopian Highlands.

This is the general outline of the population of Ethiopia. A diverse conglomerate of ethnic groups, religions and races is a distinctive feature of this North African country. The economic activities of the Ethiopian population are diverse. And on the composition of the population, it is one of the most heterogeneous in the ethnically related countries.