1) In Ethiopia it is now 2003, we use the Julian calendar with
13 months a year. New Year’s Day is on 11th September and
theye celebrate Christmas on 7th January. Each of 12
months all have 30 days, the balance of 6 or 7 days
depending whether it is a leap year is the 13th month
2) As Ethiopia is near the equator it gets daylight at 6am and
dark by 6pm every day all year. We tell the time as 12 hours
by day and another 12 hours for night. 7am is then 1 o’clock
day, 8pm is 2 o’clock night. Arranging a meeting can be
confusing!
3) The oldest humanoid skeleton dated over 6 million years
ago, is from Ethiopia.
4) Frankincense comes from Ethiopia. One of the three kings
to witness Jesus birth is reputed to have been an Ethiopian,
bringing the Frankincense.
5) There were Jews living in Ethiopia centuries before Christ
and Christianity came to Ethiopia in the third century AD.
The original Ten Commandments or Holy Ark of the
Covenant is reputed to be in Axum, Northern Ethiopia -
where it is closely guarded.
6) Lalibela, deep in the mountains in the centre of Ethiopia
country, has a collection of eleven 13th century
underground rock-hewn churches - reputedly built by many
angels. A World Heritage site often termed the eighth
wonder of the world.
7) Ethiopia was the only African country to defeat an
European power (Italy) in the 1896 “Scramble for Africa” .
Ethiopia is the oldest independent African state & was never
colonised.
Ethiopia is as big as France & Spain together, with an
estimated population of over 80 million - although reputed
to have more livestock.
9) Half of the country is mountainous and over 6,000 feet -
that is twice as high as the highest mountain in the UK, Ben
Nevis. Other parts are actually below sea level.
10) Before Emperor Haile Selassie was crowned, he was
called Duke (Ras) Tafari. This is the source of the name of
the Rastafarians, who revere him as the direct descendant
of King Solomon. “Haile Selassie” means Holy Trinity.
11) The
alphabet used in Ethiopia is derived from Hebrew and
Sabean and is called G’eez. It has nearly 300 letters -
including seven vowels. All spelling is phonetical.
12) The Queen of Sheba journeyed from Ethiopia in the 9th
Century BC to see King Solomon in search of knowledge and
is recorded as saying “Learning is better than treasures
of silver and gold, better than all that has been created
on earth...and afterwards what can be compared to
learning?”
13) The Greeks and Persians called Ethiopians the “Habasha”
meaning the burnt people. An earlier name for Ethiopia was
Abyssinia (said to be derived from Habasha), meaning
land of the burnt people.
14) Coffee, grown on trees, originated in Ethiopia - in the
region of Kaffa.
15) The Blue Nile rises in NW Ethiopia joining the White Nile
(from Uganda) at Khartoum, Sudan and providing over 85%
of all the water in the Nile flowing through Egypt.
Source:http://www.a-cet.org/about_us.php?pageID=16-things-about-ethiopia

woo ... love africa

@op What is the name of the 13th after December? What do you mean by 'cotton grown on trees' #no15. Good one, thanks.

2003,Hmmm... goes to show life can be really what we make of it. With a 13 months a year calendar, I'll actually be older than someone born on same day as I.

educative

An Egyptian Sultan attempted to extort an incredibly large sum of money from the Ethiopian emperors during the Middle Ages. If the Emperor did not pay, the Sultan would destroy the Coptic churches in Egypt. The Emperor said that if one stone was touched on the churches, then the entire nation would cross the sea, and then fight its way to Mecca, and grind the Kabba into dust.

The muslims have a prophecy that Ethiopians will destroy the kaaba.

AbduAllah ibn Amr said I heard the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم say: " Zul-Suwayqatayn from Al-Habasha ( Abyssinia or Ethiopia) will destroy the Ka'ba and steal its treasure and Kiswah (cover). It is as if I could see him now: he is bald-headed and has a distortion in his wrists. He will strike the Ka'ba with his spade and pick-axe." (Musnad Ahmad)

Ibn 'Abbas narrated that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "It is as if I can see him now: he is Black and his legs are widely spaced (bow-legged). He will destroy the Ka'bah stone by stone." (Musnad Ahmad)

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110819054918AA00LMw

http://books.google.com.ng/books?id=mhCN2qo43jkC&pg=PA29&lpg=PA29&dq=ethiopia+threat+to+destroy+the+kaaba&source=bl&ots=yUVt69lmJf&sig=X7U0qESJ661UBf0m1Qb2G

*Civilization started in Ethiopia

Ethiopian here
Op, I want to correct you on your 13th point. Habesha isn't a Greek word and it doesn't mean "burnt face". It's rather Ethiopia which is a Greek word, which means "burnt face".

Habesha has two meanings as far as I know,
1. It means "incense gathers in southern Yemen during Ancient time".
2. It means "mixed people".

And also Abyssinia doesn't mean "land of the burnt face". During 16th century, when Portuguese came to Christian kingdom of Ethiopia, instead of referring them Habesha, they referred them as "Abesha". Abyssinia was driven from Abesha and started to refer the Christian highland kingdom in northern and central Ethiopia. Abyssinians were/are Amharas and Tigrays.

Asek1:
*Civilization started in Ethiopia

Ethiopia history is recognized to be 3000 years, so if we go by this, Ethiopia isn't cradle of civilization. It's recognized that civilization is started in Mesopotamia. At least for now.

There have been some findings by scholars that Ethiopia history isn't only 3000 years, but 10,000 years. In the future if recognition is given for this claim, then Ethiopia will be considered cradle of civilization.

Ethiopia my love.
Cradle of Humanity and soon to be cradle of civilization.