Addis Ababa (sometimes spelled
Addis Abeba, the spelling used by the official Ethiopian Mapping Authority;
Amharic,
Addis Abeba "new flower,"
IPA [ad?i?s aß?ßa];
Oromo Finfinne) is the
capital city of
Ethiopia and the
African Union and its predecessor, the
OAU. It is also the largest city in Ethiopia. With a Population of 3,627,934 as of 2007, Addis Ababa is the world's largest city that is in a landlocked country. As a
chartered city (
ras gez astedader), Addis Ababa has the status of both a city and a state. It is often called the the capital of Africa or the "African Capital" due to its historical, diplomatic and political significance for the continent.
[1] The city is populated by people from different regions of Ethiopia. The country has as many as 80 nationalities speaking 80 languages and religious communities including Christian, Muslim, and Jewish. Addis Ababa is a grassland biome. The city is located at
9.03° N 38.74° E.
[2] From its lowest point, around
Bole International Airport, at 2,326&_160;metres (7,630&_160;ft) above
sea level in the southern periphery, the city rises to over 3,000&_160;metres (9,800&_160;ft) in the
Entoto Mountains to the north.
The site was chosen by Empress Taytu Betul and the city was founded in 1886 by her husband, Emperor Menelik II, and now has a population of around four million, and an eight per cent annual growth rate.
The city lies at the foot of Mount Entoto, and is home to Addis Ababa University.
Addis Ababa(Finfinnee) was founded by the Ethiopian emperor Menelik II. The name of the city was taken from Other parts of the city were called hora Finfinnee ("hot springs") in Oromo. Menelik, as initially a King of the Shewa province, had found Mount Entoto a useful base for military operations in the south of his realm, and in 1879 visited the reputed ruins of a medieval town, and an unfinished rock church that showed proof of an Ethiopian presence in the area prior to the campaigns of Ahmad Gragn. His interest in the area grew when his wife Taytu began work on a church on Entoto, and Menelik endowed a second church in the area. However the immediate area did not encourage the founding of a town due to the lack of firewood and water, so settlement actually began in the valley south of the mountain in 1886. Initially, Taytu built a house for herself near the "Filwoha" hot mineral springs, where she and members of the Showan Royal Court liked to take mineral baths. Other nobility and their staffs and households settled the vicinity, and Menelik expanded his wife's house to become the Imperial Palace which remains the seat of government in Addis Ababa today. The name changed to Addis Ababa and became Ethiopia's capital when Menelik II became Emperor of Ethiopia. The town grew by leaps and bounds. One of Emperor Menelik's contributions that is still visible today is the planting of numerous eucalyptus trees along the city streets.
