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About VSO
Ethiopia - 10th Anniversary

Where we do it > Ethiopia - 5 facts

1) Addis Ababa is the highest capital city in Africa at 2,400 metres.

2) Legend has it that the Ark of the Covenant is guarded by the Atang – Keeper of the Ark – in an isolated monastery in Aksum, near Lake Tana.

3) Amharic is the official language of Ethiopia, while English, French and Italian are all widely spoken. In total, over 80 languages with 200 dialects are spoken across the country, including Ge’ez – the only indigenous written language in all of Africa.

4) ‘Lucy’ the skeleton of a 3.2 million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis was discovered in the Afar valley in Ethiopia in 1974. She is one of the earliest human ancestors and just over one metre tall.

5) Ethiopia’s national dish is called wat. It is a hot and spicy stew accompanied by injera (traditional spongy pancake made of teff flour and water). Teff is unique to the country and grows on the Ethiopian highlands.


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