Geography of Ethiopia and the

Horn(GeES 1011)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Geography: Definition, Scope and Themes

• This chapter deals with the meaning,

scope, themes, and approaches of
Geography. In addition, it discusses
the location, shape, and size of
Ethiopia and the Horn. It also
introduces the tenets of basic map
reading skills.
 1.1.1. Meaning of Geography

• It is difficult to forward a definition

acceptable to all geographers at all
times and places because of the
dynamic nature of the discipline and the
changes in its scope and method of
study.
• However, the following may be
accepted as a working definition.
 Cont’
• Geography is the scientific study of
the Earth that describes and analyses
spatial and temporal variations of
physical, biological and human
phenomena, and their
interrelationships and dynamism
over the surface of the Earth.
1.1.2. The Scope, Approaches and Themes of Geography

• Geography has now acquired the status

of science that explains the
arrangements of various natural and
cultural features on the Earth surface.
Geography is a holistic and
interdisciplinary field of study
contributing to the understanding of the
changing spatial structures from the past
to the future.
 Cont’
• Thus, the scope of Geography is the
surface of the Earth, which is the
very thin zone that is the interface of
the atmosphere, lithosphere,
hydrosphere and biosphere, which
provides the habitable zone in which
humans are able to live.
 Cont’
• Geography can be approached by considering
two continuums: a human-physical continuum
and a topical regional continuum. The topical
(systematic) fields of Geography view
particular categories of physical or human
phenomena as distributed over the Earth
while regional geography is concerned with
the associations within regions of all or some
of the elements and their interrelationships.
 Cont’
• Geography has five basic themes namely
location, place, human-environment
interaction, movement, and region
• Location
• Location is defined as a particular place or
position. Most studies of geography begin
with the mention of this theme of geography.
Location can be of two types: absolute
location and relative location. In the former
case, the location of a place is defined by its
 Cont’

• place
• Place refers to the physical and human
aspects of a location. This theme of
geography is associated with toponym
(the name of a place), site (the
description of the features of the place),
and situation (the environmental
conditions of the place)..
 Cont’
• Each place in the world has its unique
characteristics expressed in terms of
landforms, hydrology, biogeography,
pedology, characteristics and size of its
human population, and the distinct
human cultures. The concept of “place”
aids geographers to compare and
contrast two places on Earth.
 Cont’
• Human-Environment Interaction
. Humans have always been on ceaseless
interaction with their natural environment.
No other species that has lived on our
planet has a profound effect on the
environment as humans. Humans have
adapted to the environment in ways that
have allowed them to dominate all other
species on Earth.
 Cont’
• Thus, human-environment interaction involves
three distinct aspects, dependency, adaptation,
and modification. Dependency refers to the ways
in which humans are dependent on nature for a
living. Adaptation relates to how humans modify
themselves, their lifestyles and their behavior to
live in a new environment with new challenges.
Modification allowed humans to “conquer” the
world for their comfortable living.
• Movement
• Movement entails to the translocation of
human beings, their goods, and their ideas
from one end of the planet to another. The
physical movement of people allowed the
human race to inhabit all the continents and
islands of the world. Another aspect of
movement is the transport of goods from one
place on the Earth to another.
 Cont’
• The third dimension of movement is the
flow of ideas that allows the unification
of the human civilization and promotes
its growth and prosperity.
• Region
• A region is a geographic area having
distinctive characteristics that
distinguishes itself from adjacent unit(s)
of space.
• It could be a formal region that is
characterized by homogeneity in terms
of a certain phenomenon (soil,
temperature, rainfall, or other cultural
elements like language, religion, and
economy). It can also be a functional or
nodal region characterized by functional
interrelationships in a spatial system
defined by the linkages binding particular
1.2. Location, Shape and Size of Ethiopia and the Horn

• The Horn of Africa, a region of eastern

Africa, is a narrow tip that protrudes into
the northern Indian Ocean, separating it
from the Gulf of Aden. It is the
easternmost extension of African land
defined as the region that is home to the
countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia,
and Somalia, whose cultures have been
linked throughout their long history.
 Cont’
• Although the countries of the region
share many common features, there is
also great diversity among them,
rendering each country unique in many
respects. In terms of size, Ethiopia is
the largest of all the Horn of African
countries, while Djibouti is the
smallest.
 Cont’
• The Horn contains such diverse areas as
the highlands of the Ethiopian Plateau,
the Ogaden desert, and the Eritrean and
Somali coasts. Its coasts are washed by
the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the
Indian Ocean, and it has long been in
contact with the Arabian Peninsula and
southwestern Asia.
 1.2.1. Location of Ethiopia

• The location of a country or a place on a

map or a globe is expressed in two
different ways. These are astronomical
and relative locations (Figure 1.1).
• Astronomical location, also known as
absolute or mathematical location, states
location of places using the lines of
latitudes and longitudes.
 Cont’
• Astronomically, Ethiopia is a landlocked
country located between 3oN (Moyale)
and 15oN (Bademe - the northernmost
tip of Tigray) latitudes and 33oE (Akobo)
to 48oE (the tip of Ogaden in the east)
longitudes. The east west distance (150)
is longer than the north-south distance
(120). The latitudinal and longitudinal
extensions are important in two ways.
 Cont’
• First, as a result of its latitudinal
extension the country experiences
tropical climate and secondly due to its
longitudinal extension there is a
difference of one hour between the most
easterly and most westerly points of the
country. It is only for convenience that
the 3 hours-time zone is used in all parts
of the country
 Cont’
• Relative location expresses the
location of countries or places with
reference to the location of other
countries (vicinal), landmasses or
water bodies. The relative location of
Ethiopia is indicated in Table 1.1.
 Cont’
Vicinal location In relation to water bodies & land
masses
Sudan to the west and northwest In the Horn of Africa

South Sudan to southwest In the Horn of Africa

Djibouti to the east South of Europe

Somalia to the east and southeast Northwest of the Indian Ocean

Eritrea to the north and northeast In the Nile Basin

In the Nile Basin

The implications of the location of Ethiopia

• a.Climate: The fact that Ethiopia is located

between 30N and 150N (between the
Equator and Tropic of Cancer) implies that
the country has a tropical climate, though
modified by its altitude. The location of
Ethiopia relative to the Indian Ocean, the
Atlantic Ocean and the African and Asian
landmass has also various bearings on the
climate of Ethiopia.
 Cont’
• b.Socio-cultural: Ethiopia is one of the
earliest recipients of the major world
religions namely Christianity, Islam and
Judaism due to its proximity to the Middle
East, which was the origin of these religions.
The linguistic and other cultural
relationships, which Ethiopia shares with its
neighbours, reflect the influence of location.
 Cont’
• C.Political: The political history of
Ethiopia has been considerably
influenced by:
• Geopolitical considerations of
superpowers.
• Adjacency to the Red Sea (a major global
trade route).
• The Middle East geopolitical paradigmsAs
a result, Ethiopia has been exposed for
 1.2.2. Size of Ethiopia

• Ethiopia with a total area of

approximately 1,106,000 square
kilometers is the 8th largest country in
Africa and 25th in the World. It extends
about 1,639 kilometers East-West, and
1,577 kilometers North-South. About
0.7% of the country is covered by water
bodies.
 Cont’
• The size of Ethiopia also affects both
the natural and human environment
of the country. The advantages and
disadvantages of the size of Ethiopia
are indicated in Table 1.2.
 Cont’
Advantages Disadvantages
Possess diverse agro ecological Demands greater capital to
zones construct infrastructural
facilities
Variety of natural resources Requires large army to protect
its territory
Own extensive arable land Difficult for effective
administration
Have larger population size Difficult for socio-economic
integration
Home for diverse cultures
Greater depth in defense
external invasion
1.2.3. The shape of Ethiopia and its Implication

• Countries of the World have different kinds of

shape that can be divided into five main
categories: compact, fragmented, elongated,
perforated, and protruded. These shapes have
implications on defense, administration and
economic integration within a country.
Whether some kind of shape is advantageous
to a country or not, however, depends on
many other factors.
 Cont’
• Compact shape countries: The distance
from the geographic centre of the state
to any of the borders does not vary
greatly. It is easier for defence,
socioeconomic and cultural integration.
• Fragmented shape countries: They are
divided from their other parts by either
water, land or other countries
 Cont’
• Elongated shape countries: They are
geographically long and relatively narrow like
Chile.
• Perforated shape countries: A country that
completely surrounds another country like the
Republic of South Africa.
• Protrude shape countries: Countries that have
one portion that is much more elongated than
the rest of the country like Myanmar and Eritrea.
 Cont’
• There are various ways of measuring shape of
countries. These measures are known as the
indices of compactness. These indices
measure the deviation of the shape of a
country from a circular shape, which is the
most compact shape. Since there is no
country with absolutely circular shape, those
approximating a circular shape are said to be
more compact.
 Cont’
• There are four most commonly used measures
of compactness. These are:
• 1.The ratio of area of country to its boundary
length: Area-Boundary ratio. The higher the
A/B ratio, the greater the degree of
compactness.
 Cont’
• 2.The ratio of boundary length of a
country to the circumference of a circle
having the same area as the country
itself: Boundary-Circumference ratio. It
measures how far the boundary of a
country approximates the circumference
of a circle of its own size. Therefore, the
nearer the ratio to 1 the more compact
the country
 Cont’
• 3. The ratio of the area of the country to the
circumference of the smallest inscribing
circle: Area-Circumference ratio. It compares
the area of the country with the
circumference of a circle that passes
touching the extreme points on the
boundary of the country. The higher the A/C
ratio, the greater the degree of
compactness.
 Cont’
• 4.The ratio of the actual area of a country
to the smallest possible inscribing circle:
Area-Area (A/A’) ratio. The area of the
inscribing circle is the area of the
smallest possible circle whose
circumference passes through the
extreme points on the boundary. Half-
length of the longest distance between
two extreme points gives radius of the
 What is a Map?

• A map is a two-dimensional scaled

representation of part or whole of
the Earth surface on a flat body such
as piece of paper, black board, wood
or cloth.
• Map reading encompasses a
systematic identification of natural
features and manmade features.
 Importance of maps

• Provide the basis for making geographical details

of regions represented i.e. the geographical facts
of an area such as relief, drainage, settlement etc.
• Maps are powerful tools for making spatial
analysis of geographical facts of areas
represented.
• Maps are useful for giving location of
geographical features by varied methods of grid
reference, place naming etc.
 Cont’
• Maps are used on various disciplines like
land use planning, military science,
aviation, tourism, marine science,
population studies, epidemiology,
geology, economics, history, archaeology,
agriculture etc.
• Map makes storage of the geographical
data of areas represented.
• Maps are potentially used to asses’
 Types of Map

• There are many types of maps

according to their purpose and
functions. For the purpose of this
course, topographical and statistical
maps are considered.
 Cont’
• i.Topographical maps: Topographic maps
depict one or more natural and cultural
features of an area. They could be small,
medium or large scale depending on the
size of the area represented. Contents of
topographical maps depend on purpose of a
map, scale of a map, date of compilation,
and nature of the land represented.
 Cont’
• ii.Special purpose/statistical maps:
These are maps, which show
distribution of different aspects such
as temperature, rainfall, settlement,
vegetation etc.
Marginal Information on Maps (Elements of Maps)

• Marginal information is shown on a map

to enable the reading and interpretation
of the geographical information of an
area represented. This includes:
• a. Title:
• b. Key (legend): It is the list of all
convectional symbols and signs shown on
the map with their interpretation.
 Cont’
• iii. Scale: It is the ratio between the
distance on the map and the actual
ground distance
• iv.North arrow: It is indicated with the
north direction on a map
• v. Margin: Is the frame of the map.
• vi. Date of compilation: It is a date of map
publication.
 Basic Principles of Map Reading

• In developing map reading abilities and

skills, certain basic principles must be
applied by the map-reader to translate
map symbols into landscape images.
Map Readers must have ideas about the
symbol and also the real World
(landscapes). Every map symbol must be
visualized by the reader to read a map.
 Cont’
• The first symbols introduced should be those,
which refer to landscape features of which the
reader already has some images. Map symbols
should be introduced as needed.
• Secondly, knowledge of directions is an
important principle in reading maps. One of
the basic functions of maps is to help us to
orient ourselves and to locate places on the
earth. Unless a reader knows the basic
directions, he or she may not use a map
 Cont’
• Before locating features using a map,
north (the north arrow) should be
determined and the readers should have
practice in finding this direction. Next
they should learn to read direction on a
specific map and the location of the
features shown on the map in relation to
one another.
 Cont’
• Maps are covered in a series of lines that
make up a grid. The lines have numbers
accompanying them that allow you to
accurately pinpoint your location on a map.
Once you have located where you are, the
grid system makes it simple to give an
accurate description of your location. This
description, which will be a series of numbers,
is known as a grid reference.
 CHAPTER TWO
THE GEOLOGY OF ETHIOPIA AND THE HORN

• 2.1. Introduction
• Geology is an Earth science that studies the
evolution of the earth, the materials of which
it is made of, and the processes acting upon
them. Much of Geology is concerned with
events that took place in the remote past
when no one was around to witness them
and with features which are far beneath the
earth’s surface where no one can see them.
 Cont’
• A great deal of geological understanding
must, therefore, be obtained by
inference, using clues from what can be
seen and what can be measured. There
are many such clues not only the rocks
and landforms which can be observed
and studied at the Earth’s surface,
 Cont’
• but also those provided by indirect
methods such as geophysics (e.g.
studying earthquake waves which can
penetrate deep beneath the Earth’s
surface), geochemistry (analysis of the
detailed composition of rocks which can
give clues as to their origin) and
geochronology (methods for finding the
ages of rocks, usually from the
 Cont’
• The earth’s continents were once bunched
up together in to a single huge continent
called Pangaea. The large super continent
was then split into Gondwanaland where
Africa is a part and Laurasia; and later into
smaller fragments over the last million
years. These then drifted apart to form the
present arrangement of continents.
 Cont’
• Australian Climatologist Alfred
Wegener proposed the hypothesis
that the continents were once
assembled together as a
supercontinent, called the
Continental drift Theory.
 Cont’
• Wegener’s principal observations were:
• Fit of the continents: The opposing coastlines
of continents often fit together.
• Match of mountain belts, rock types: If the
continents are reassembled as Pangaea,
mountains in West Africa, North America,
Greenland, and Western Europe match up.
 Cont’
• Distribution of fossils: The distribution of
plants and animal fossils on separate
continents forms definite linked patterns
if the continents are reassembled.
• Paleoclimates: rocks formed 200 million
years ago in India, Australia, South
America, and southern Africa all exhibited
evidence of continental glaciations.
2.2. The Geologic Processes: Endogenic and Exogenic Forces

• Geology studies of how Earth's

materials, structures, processes and
organisms have changed over time.
These processes are divided into two
major groups: internal and external
processes.
 Cont’
• internal processes (endogenic)
include volcanic activity and all the
tectonic processes (folding, faulting,
orogenesis (mountain building), and
epeirogenesis (slow rising and
sinking of the landmass). These
processes result in building of
structural and volcanic features like
 Cont’
• The external (exogenic) processes
are geomorphic processes. They
include weathering, mass transfer,
erosion and deposition. They act
upon the volcanic and structural
landforms by modifying, roughening
and lowering them down.
• The landmass of Ethiopia, as
2.3. The Geological Time Scale and Age Dating Techniques

• The geological history is divided in to

Eras. Each Era is divided into periods.
The Eras are given names that
indicate the kind of life that existed
in them. For instance, the Paleozoic
Era (ancient life) is the age of
invertebrates, the Mesozoic Era (the
middle life) is the age of reptiles
 Cont’
• These geological time divisions basically
differ from each other in such characteristics
as the relative position of land and sea, the
kind of climate and most important the kind
of animal and plant life that developed and
existed during that Era or period. Geological
time is difficult to measure precisely.
•
 Cont’
• The Earth is believed to have been
formed approximately 4.6 billion
years ago and the earliest forms of
life were thought to have originated
approximately 3.5 billion years ago.
The first major boundary is defined
by what was believed at the time to
be the first appearance of life on