Climate
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There are four seasons in Ethiopia: winter the dry and moderate temperature season (from January to March); autumn, the wet and hot temperature season (from April to June) ; summer, the rainy and cool temperature season (from July to September ); Spring the dry and cool season ( from October to December )
Topography
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The dominant features of Ethiopia are the highland, the low land and the rift valley regions. The high land covers 56% of the total area with an average elevation ranging from 2000 meters to 3000 meters above sea level. Ras Dashen is the highest peak mountain in the country measuring 4620 meters above sea level. The low lands cover 44% of the total area commonly associated with the border line of the country. Denakil (Afar) Depression, the deepest point on the earth, sink about 116 meter below sea level. The Great Rift Valley that extends from the gulf of Eden to Mozambique crosses the country, with a length of 600 kilometres from northeasterly to southwesterly.
Language
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Amharic with its own alphabets is widely spoken in the country and is the official language. English, Italian and Arabic are widely spoken.
Electric supply
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Ethiopia uses 220 volts 50 cycles AC
Time
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Ethiopia is the GMT +3, hour’s time zone. It roughly follows the Julian calendar, which consists of 12 months of 30 days each and 13th month five or six days.
Health requirements
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Prior to entry, visitors should have a valid health certificate for yellow fever. In the highlands above 1800 meters there is no malaria, where as in the southern regions and Bahir Dar, during the rainy season we recommend repellents and light thin cloths toward off mosquito, and /or anti-malaria prophylaxis. Vaccination against cholera is a must to every person who has visited or transited to cholera infected area within six days prior to Ethiopia.
FAQ about Ethiopia
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Q – Why does the spelling of Ethiopian names vary from document to document?
A – Ethiopia does not use the Western Alphabet. In addition there is no one accepted way to translate the letters and symbols to the Western alphabet. This leads to multiple correct ways of spelling the same word in English.