Ethiopians

Ethiopians

Total population
Regions with significant populations
Ethiopia
Saudi Arabia	750,000 (Ethiopian-born)[1]
United States	460,000[2]
UAE	200,000[3]
Israel	155,300[4]
United Kingdom	90,000[5]
Sudan	73,000 refugees[6]
South Africa	44,891 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Canada	44,065[8]
Kenya	36,889 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Lebanon	30,000[2]
Sweden	23,363[9]
Germany	20,465[10]
Australia	19,349[11][12]
South Sudan	12,786 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Norway	12,380[13]
Djibouti	12,323 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Netherlands	9,451 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
France	8,675 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Italy	6,424 (Ethiopian-born)[14]
Yemen	5,740 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Switzerland	5,211 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Spain	3,713 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Kuwait	3,595 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Greece	2,420 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Finland	2,366 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Denmark	2,136 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Somalia	2,079 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Libya	1,831 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Qatar	1,667 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Egypt	1,457 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Austria	1,276 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
New Zealand	1,187 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Belgium	1,143 (Ethiopian-born)[7]
Uganda	1,070 (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.