Ornithopia tours
In Ethiopia, one cannot escape the perception of timelines and contrasts. Timelines because there is a feeling of treading back in time and contrasts because apparent differences all around you. Ethiopia is an ancient land. Ancient is not even the word for it because something ancient has an idea of time attached to it. Ethiopia predates history and archeological findings attest that it is the cradle of mankind, the original home of the human species. It is also a land of contrasts. Contrast abounds in its landscape, topography, nature, people, cultures and traditions. Ras Dejen in the north at an altitude of 4,620 m above sea level is the highest point in Ethiopia, while the Dallol Depression in the northeast is more than 116 meters below sea level. Moorlands, plateaux, deep gorges, lowland savannahs, sandy and rocky semi-deserts, thorn scrub and thickets, riparian woods, extensive alkaline and freshwater lakes, moist tropical and evergreen montane forests all combine to give Ethiopia a unique place in the region. The country's position in northeast Africa is believed to be responsible for the diverse set of natural and ethnic resources. The past millions of years have seen Ethiopia as a "melting pot" where continental organisms from various parts of the world intermingled. It is also seen as a "bridge" where different wildlife and human migration from north, east and central Africa and the middle east traversed through. Some have described that coming to Ethiopia is like stepping back in time. The earliest hominid fossils (Selam and Lucy) and the fact that Ethiopia is one of the oldest civilisations on earth bear witness to this truth. Some authorities say that there are 86 languages of which 82 are extant and 4 extinct. Most languages fall into three main families of Semitic, Cushitic and Omotic within the Afro-Asiatic super language family. Another 2 languages within the Nilo-Saharan super group are spoken near the Sudanese border. The bulk of the population is rural and agriculture engages 85% of this population.
Location
Ethiopia is a land locked country positioned in the Horn of Africa. It lies within the tropics between 3° and 18’ north latitude and 33° and 48’ east longitude. It is bounded by Eritrea in the north, Djibouti and Somalia in the east and southeast, Sudan in the west and Kenya in the south. Its total area is estimated to be 1,138,512 square kilometers. The tenth largest country on the continent, Ethiopia is slightly less than twice the size of Texas or somehow equal to the UK and and France put together.
Geography
A first look at Ethiopia’s relief shows that there is an extensive area of high ground and a deep incision that diagonally cuts through the country from the northeast to the southwest. The upraised grounds are the mountain massifs in the northern, central and southeastern parts of the country while the deep and wide incision is part is the Ethiopian section of the Great Rift Valley. One notable feature in Ethiopia is the extent of high ground area as compared to the rest of Africa. Within the region, 50.4% land above 2000 meters and 79.7% of all land above 3000 meters asl is found Ethiopia’s borders. We also note that large rivers with sources in the highlands pass through deep gorges down to the lowlands. Remarkable examples of the work of the elements on the land are found in the escarpments of the Nile system. Ethiopia is known to be the water tower of northeastern Africa. This naming is drawn from the fact that the highlands of Ethiopia are the source of several river basins which feed into major systems that drain in to Sudan, Somalia and Kenya. The country is also a living school of geomorphologic features. From the moorlands of the highest mountains, to table lands of the plateaus to the low rift valley system and river networks betray the action of the millions of years of tectonic activity.
Climate
Climate characteristics in Ethiopia are explained by rainfall distribution, temperature and potential evapo-transpiration (PET). It is generally appreciated that the Intertropical Convervengce Zone (ITCZ) and winds blowing from the Atlantic and Indian Oceans play the greatest role in determining where and when rainfall occurs. Climate is also influenced largely by altitude and climatic phenomena. Some high altitude points like the the Sanetti plateau in Bale Mountains and the Siemen Mountains are covered in snow in some seasons. Mid altitude regions in the highlands (this includes Addis Ababa) have generally a milder climate. Rains occurrence varies from region to region. The highlands generally receive most of their rains from June to September while the lowlands to the south and southeast have bimodal rain patters . Small rains are also evident from end of February to April.
Ecology
Several natural variables are responsible for the present day ecology of the country. This being said, we cannot ignore the human factor which has shaped the natural landscapes we see today. The most important natural factors are believed to be altitude (topography) and vegetation. These two factors have played an important role in producing various kinds of climatic zones as well as being responsible for the unique wildlife we observe today. Birds and several other endemic species in Ethiopia are more often than not localised as a result of their ecological requirements. This is plainly observable in Ethiopia where over millennia the land and its wildlife have become inseparable.
Ancient Traditions
Religious traditions associated with the Orthodox Church and historical sites at Lalibela, Axum and Gondar are also other testimonials to the ancient history of the country. As an example, the traditions of the Orthodox Church are kept alive to this day by colourful processions carried out all over the country.
