Eye On

Ethiopia is a huge country. At 1,127,127 km², it covers an area more than 14 times the size of the UK. It has some beautiful and dramatic scenery too.

The country has a highland plateau that varies in height between 1,800 and 3,000 metres above sea level. The 4,000 km long Great Rift Valley in this part of Africa, divides the highland plateau in half.

On this highland plateau, the land is very fertile and people can grow lots of crops. It is also good for grazing animals on the rich grassland.

� Neil Cooper/Panos Pictures.

In the west, rainfall trickles down the highland slopes and gathers in Lake Tana. This is the source of the Blue Nile, the start of the world's longest river.

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Some of the mountains on the high plateau rise to 4,620 metres. Can you work out how high that is in kilometres?

for the answer

Roll over the mountains to see how this compares to our highest mountains:


	Much of the lowland is almost desert or savannah because less rain falls here. Growing crops in the lowlands is difficult, so people farm sheep instead, like the boy in the picture.

� Liba Taylor/Panos Pictures

� Betty Press/Panos Pictures


	In some areas, collecting water can be difficult, so irrigation canals have to be dug. The man in the picture is checking his canal. Can you think what might happen if he did not look after it carefully?