General Information About Ethiopia

Ethiopia, the cradle of civilization, is a country with a long and storied history, and the home of unparalleled natural beauty.

Ethiopia is as large as France and Spain combined and has an area of 1,112,000 square metres. The capital, Addis Ababa, is situated at an altitude of 2,400 metres. Agriculture is the backbone of the national economy, and the principal exports from this sector include coffee, oil seeds, pulses, flowers, vegetables, sugar and animal feed. About 90% of the population earn their livelihood from the land. There is also a thriving livestock sector, and exports include cattle and hides and skins.

The population of Ethiopia is estimated at 68 million and over 50% of the population is under age 20 years. The average number of inhabitants per square kilometre is 49. Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic state with a great variety of spoken languages. There are eighty-three languages with 200 dialects. The three main languages are Amharic, Tigrigna and Oromigna. English, French, Italian and Arabic are also spoken, mainly in Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia offers a wide range of tourism opportunities, and all visitors experience first-hand the warm hospitality for which the Ethiopian people are famous.Travelers to Ethiopia have a unique opportunity to experience a rich and diverse array of historical sites. From the towering obelisks of ancient Axum to the staggering rock-hewn churches of Lalibela to the medieval castles at Gondar, Ethiopia does not disappoint.

All across Ethiopia are pristine national parks of unmatched splendor. Travelers who appreciate the rugged beauty of Africa and are looking to add an element of adventure to their trip can tap into Ethiopia's unique opportunities for adventure or ecotourism experiences. For more information about Ethiopia, visit http://www.telecom.net.et, http://www.ethio.com, and http://tour.ethiopianonline.net.

Weather

Ethiopia has two main seasons; the dry season lasts from October through May, and the rainy season starts in late June and ends in September. Temperatures depend on season and altitude.

Electric Supply

Electric supply in Ethiopia is 220-240 volts, 50 cycles AC accessible via 13-amp, two-pin (Italian) socket.

Conference Venue

The conference venue is the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Conference Centre. For more information, visit http://www.uneca.org/uncc/

Local Transport

You will arrive at Bole International Airport, which is located just 5 kilometres from the centre of Addis Ababa. For those who make personal accommodation arrangements, please ensure that you factor in airport shuttle services. For those whose accommodation will be arranged by IPPFAR, the National Toursism Organization (NTO) buses will provide courtesy transport that will pick you from the Airport.

IPPFAR (NTO) hired buses will ferry participants back and forth from the hotel to the conference venue in the mornings and at the end of the daily sessions. There will be no transport during lunch break.

There will be buses after the conference for sight-seeing tour of the city for interested participants. This will be at the participants own cost.

If you would like transportation in Addis Ababa outside of conference and to take you to the airport at the end of the Conference, you can book a taxi NTO by calling + 251-1-15 18 22 or + 251-1-51 84 00, or take the yellow or blue taxis parked outside your hotel.

These taxis will take you to most places in Addis for about Birr 50, and can be hired at a negotiated rate for longer and special destinations, by the hour. It is also standard practice in Addis Ababa to wave down any free blue or yellow taxi and offer the driver a contract for a single journey. Contract taxis can be found at the entrance to ECA and most hotels.

Currency

Ethiopian currency is denominated in Birr and centimes. The bank rate of exchange varies. There is a branch of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in the ECA compound – located near the Security and Safety Services. This Bank is open Monday – Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 12: 30 p.m. and from 2 :00 p.m. to 4 :00 p.m. There are also authorized exchange centre (Forex) in many of the hotels. You can withdraw up to USD 500 equivalent in local currency using your Visa credit card from Dashen Bank at Sheraton Hotel

ICT and Mobile Phone Services

A Cyber Café will be available for participants in the UN Conference Centre. The UN Conference Centre and the ECA Campus are setup to provide Internet connectivity to WiFi enabled laptops and personal computers.

IT training and technical support are available through the ECA Help Desk. Phone: +251 1 44 31 23, Email: ihelpdesk@uneca.org. Technical support for presentations must be arranged in advance.

Participants are encouraged to come to Addis Ababa with their dual band mobile handsets (900/1800 MHZ). Ethiopian Telecommunication Company offers SIM cards with pre-charged airtime. The total package which costs USD 50 includes USD 12 airtime.

Participants coming from the United States of America should note that they can only use triband mobile handsets i.e. 900/1800/1900 MHZ.

Please be advised that Blackberry services are not available in Ethiopia.