The high altitude capital city of Addis Ababa, located crossroads like in the very center of Ethiopia. Addis Ababa officially founded in 1887 by Menelik the second and one of the five largest cities in the sub-Saharan region, is not the only African city of comparable stature to have sprung up from nothing little more than a century ago. However, it is unique in that it owes its existence to the unlikely combination of a grand father’s prophecy an empress’s whim and the timely intervention of an Australian tree.
Addis Ababa is Africa’s fourth largest city, with an area of 250sq/km, and is located at an altitude of 2,300m above sea level. It is a vast place with a thriving population of over 2,750,000 people. There is a wide range of visitor attractions, including many museums and educational institutions. It has most recently become known as the ‘spa city of Africa’.
The St. George Church Museum was established in 1982 to preserve and promoteEthiopian Orthodox clergy. It is a small octagonal building that was the site of Emperor Hailie Selassie’s coronation.
The two-storey Ethnological Museum is a great place to learn about the diversity of Ethiopia. It is structured like a story book, depicting the journey of life to death from different perspectives. Similarly, the National Museum offers more insight into the fascinating history of the country. This museum is home to Lucy, who is believed to be over three million years old and one of the oldest skeletons ever discovered.
Entoto Mountain, located to the north of Addis Ababa, offers a panoramic view of the capital. It is the highest part of the city and is historically covered in Eucalyptus trees, which are often referred to as the ‘lungs of Addis Ababa’.
Addis Ababa (meaning new flower) is the capital city of Ethiopia. The site of Addis Ababa was chosen by Empress Taytu Betul and the city was founded in 1886 by her husband, Emperor Menelik II. Addis Ababa is situated at the foot of Mount Entoto an altitude of 7,546 feet (2,300 metres). It is the biggest city in Ethiopia and home to the African Union and its predecessor the OAU. It also has the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
(UNECA) and numerous other continental and international organizations. Addis Ababa is therefore often referred to as “the political capital of Africa” due to its historical, diplomatic and political significance for the continent. Recent DNA evidence suggested origins of modern humans was from south central Ethiopian regions like present-day Addis Ababa. After analysing
the DNA of almost 1,000 people around the world, geneticists and other scientists claimed modern humans spread around the globe from what is now Addis Ababa 100,000 years ago. The city is home to the Ethiopian National Library, the Ethiopian Ethnological Museum (and former Guenete Leul Palace), the Addis Ababa Museum, the Ethiopian Natural History Museum, the Ethiopian Railway Museum and the National Postal Museum. Other notable buildings include St George’s Cathedral (founded in 1896 and also home to a museum), Holy Trinity Cathedral (once the largest Ethiopian Orthodox Cathedral and the location of Sylvia Pankhurst’s tomb) as well as the burial place of Emperor Haile Selassie and the Imperial family, and those who fought the Italians during the war.
