Ethiopians

Ethiopians
Total population
Regions with significant populations
 Ethiopia
 Saudi Arabia750,000 (Ethiopian-born)[1]
 United States460,000[2]
 UAE200,000[3]
 Israel155,300[4]
 United Kingdom90,000[5]
 Sudan73,000 refugees[6]
 South Africa44,891 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Canada44,065[8]
 Kenya36,889 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Lebanon30,000[2]
 Sweden23,363[9]
 Germany20,465[10]
 Australia19,349[11][12]
 South Sudan12,786 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Norway12,380[13]
 Djibouti12,323 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Netherlands9,451 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 France8,675 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Italy6,424 (Ethiopian-born)[14]
 Yemen5,740 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
  Switzerland5,211 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Spain3,713 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Kuwait3,595 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Greece2,420 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Finland2,366 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Denmark2,136 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Somalia2,079 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Libya1,831 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Qatar1,667 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Egypt1,457 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Austria1,276 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 New Zealand1,187 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Belgium1,143 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
 Uganda1,070 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Languages
Amharic, Oromo, Somali, Tigrinya, Wolaytta, Gurage, Sidamo and other Languages of Ethiopia
Religion
Christian 60.9% - Predominantly Oriental Orthodox (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church), Muslim 35.6%, Traditional 2.6%. Jewish 1%[15]
Related ethnic groups
Eritreans, Djiboutians, Somalis, other Horn Africans, and other Afro-Asiatic and Nilo-Saharan populations.

Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of the Horn of Africa.

The first documented use of the name "Ethiopia" from Greek name Αἰθίοψ, Aithíops was in the 4th century during the reign of Aksumite king Ezana. There were three ethnolinguistic groups in the Kingdom of Aksum; Semitic, Cushitic, and Nilo-Saharan (ancestors of the modern-day Kunama and Nara). The Kingdom of Aksum remained a geopolitically influential entity until the pillage of its capital — also named Axum — in the 10th century by Queen Gudit. Nevertheless, the core Aksumite civilization was preserved and continued into the successive Zagwe dynasty. By this time, new ethnic groups emerged – the Tigrayans and Amharas. During the Solomonic period, the latter established major political and cultural influence in the Horn of Africa. In the Late Middle Ages, Muslim states were established, including the Sultanate of Ifat, and its successor the Adal Sultanate. Discontent with territory and religious dominance led to intense war between the Ethiopian Empire, the Christian state, (consisting of the Amhara, Tigrayan, Soddo Gurage, and Agaw ethnic groups) and the Muslim state Adal Sultanate (consisting of Semitic speaking Harari formally known as the Harla people, and the Argobba). During the 1600s, there were large-scale migrations of the Oromo from the south into the highlands and also alongside the Somali into Adal or what was known as "Hararghe" (land of the Hararis).

A period of stability and peace continued through the Gondarine period in 16th and 17th century, but Ethiopia was divided into de facto autonomous regions in the mid-18th century. During this time, Ethiopia was nominally ruled by an Emperor who functioned as a puppet monarch of various regional lords and noblemen. This era was known as the Zemene Mesafint or "Era of the Princes". Emperor Tewodros II managed to unify the decentralized Ethiopian Empire in 1855 and inaugurated a process of modernization that continued into successive regimes, resurrecting the empire as a regional power.

In the late 19th-century during the reign of Menelik II, against the backdrop of the Scramble for Africa, the notion of Ethiopian national integrity was strengthened by Italian efforts at colonization. The Italian invasion engendered a formidable national resistance, culminating in the Battle of Adwa in 1896 which resulted in a major Ethiopian victory against the Italians. The resulting Treaty of Addis Ababa ended the Italo-Ethiopian War, and along with the nation's contemporaneous territorial expansion, largely established the modern-day boundaries of Ethiopia.

Present-day Ethiopia has a diverse population with many different languages and ethnic groups. Ethiopians speak Afro-Asiatic languages (Semitic, Cushitic, and Omotic) and Nilo-Saharan languages. The Oromo, Amhara, Somali and Tigrayans make up more than three-quarters (75%) of the population, but there are more than 80 different ethnic groups within Ethiopia. Some of these have as few as 10,000 members.

  1. ^ "Experiences of Ethiopian Returnees in Saudi Arabia" (PDF). Mixed Migration Centre. 1 April 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Terrazas was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Abdulkader, Binsal (3 April 2022). "Ethnically rich Ethiopia wants to learn from UAE's unity: Parliament speaker". Emirates News Agency. Emirates News Agency (WAM). Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  4. ^ Israel Central Bureau of Statistics: The Ethiopian Community in Israel
  5. ^ "Members of Ethiopian Diaspora Gather at British Home of Former Emperor". Voice of America. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  6. ^ "DREF OPERATION: Ethiopia - Population Movement from Sudan". adore.ifrc.org. 2023-05-08.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Trends in International Migrant Stock: Migrants by Destination and Origin (United Nations database, POP/DB/MIG/Stock/Rev.2015)" (XLS). United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Ethnic origin population". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Population statistics".
  10. ^ https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Migration-Integration/Publikationen/Downloads-Migration/auslaend-bevoelkerung-2010200207004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile [bare URL PDF]
  11. ^ ABS 2006a, Country of Birth
  12. ^ "Ancestry - Australia - Community profile". ABS. 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, 1 January 2021". Statistics Norway (in Norwegian).
  14. ^ "Etiopi in Italia". tuttitalia.it. 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  15. ^ Berhanu Abegaz, "Ethiopia: A Model Nation of Minorities" (accessed 6 April 2006)