BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY

GEOGRAPHY OF ETHIOPIA AND THE

HORN
Gashaw Addisie(MA)
CHAPTER ONE
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Geography:
Meaning, Scope and
Themes
Definition of Geography
• It is difficult to get a single
acceptable definition to all
geographers at all times and places:
because of:
• the dynamic nature of the
discipline
• the changes in its scope, long
history and method of study.
Definition of • Geography
Geography is the scientific study of the
Geography
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.
Definition of • Geography- explains the

Geography arrangement of various natural and

cultural features.
• Is a holistic and interdisciplinary
subject.
• The study of the changing spatial
structures from the past to the future.
SCOPE OF GEOGRAPHY
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.
 Spheres of Geography
Biosphere Living things

Atmosphere Mixture of gas

Lithosphere Solid layers

Hydrosphere Water bodies

Antroposphere Human landscape

Approaches of Geography
• Geography can be approached by
considering two continuums: a
human-physical continuum and a
topical regional continuum.
 Topical(systematic) approach
• Studies about the specific topic.
• Views particular categories of physical
or human phenomena as distributed over
the Earth.
Topical- regional • Eg. Soil geography
continuum Regional approach
• Studies about the specific region.
• concerned with the associations within
regions of all or some of the elements
and their interrelationships.
• Eg. African geography
 Human geography
• Focused on the interaction of
human beings with physical
environment
Human-physical • Eg. Economic geography
continuum
Physical geography
• Studies about natural
phenomena of the earth surface
• Eg. Geomorphology
Themes of Geography
• Geography has five basic themes namely
▪location,
▪place,
▪human-environment interaction,
▪movement, and
▪region.
Location
• Location is defined as a particular position of a
place.
• provides a reference to describe where a
particular place is on the earth.
• Location can be described in two ways:
• Absolute location: the location of a place
is defined by its latitude and longitude or
its exact address.
• Eg. Ethiopia is located from 3-15 0 N and 33-
48 0E
• Relative location: describe the location of places
in relation to countries and natural features.
• Eg. Ethiopia is located west of Djibouti
Place
• Place refers to the physical and human aspects of
a location.
• This theme of geography is associated with
toponyms, sites, and situations.
• Toponym: the name of a place
• Site: the description of the features of the place
• Situation: the environmental conditions of the
place
Human-Environment Interaction
• Humans have always been on ceaseless
interaction with their natural environment.
• Thus, human-environment interaction involves
three distinct aspects dependency, adaptation, and
modification.
• Dependency:
• Adaptation:
• Modification:
 The relationship between
human and environment

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 livin
Movement
• Movement is the translocation of human, goods
and services and ideas.
oThe physical movement of people
oThe transport of goods from one place on the
Earth to another
o The flow of ideas that allows the unification of
the human civilization and promotes its growth.
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).
1.2 Location, Shape
and Size of Ethiopia
and the Horn
Location of Ethiopia

Absolute location
• Shows the exact location of places.
• Uses latitude and longitude
Relative location
• Shows the location of places with relation to
others.
 Astronomically, Ethiopia is located between 3˚N
(Moyale) and 15˚ N (Bademe - the northern
most tip of Tigray) latitudes and
33˚ E (Akobo) to 48˚ E (the tip of Ogaden in the
east) longitudes.

Absolute Ethiopia located between 3 degree north to 15

degree north and 33 degree east to 48 degree
location of east.
Ethiopia Ethiopia is landlocked country.
 330 150

00 3 0 30

330 480
00
 BADME

AKOBO
OGADEN

MOYALE
Horn of Africa

• 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,
Relative location of Ethiopia

• Sudan to the west and northwest

• South Sudan to southwest

• Djibouti to the east

• Somalia to the east and southeast

• Eritrea to the north and northeast

Relative location of
Ethiopia
• In relation to water bodies &
land masses Ethiopia is located:
• In the Horn of Africa
• Southwest of the Arabian
Peninsula
• South of Europe
• Northwest of the Indian Ocean
• In the Nile Basin
Relative location of Ethiopia

• In relation to water bodies & land masses Ethiopia is

located:
• In the Horn of Africa
• Southwest of the Arabian Peninsula
• South of Europe
• Northwest of the Indian Ocean
• In the Nile Basin
Ethiopia is located in:📌

Northern Hemisphere East and Horn of Africa

23.5
Degree N

00

23.5
Degree S

Tropical Zone
00
 South of Europe and
Mediterranean sea

Southwest of Arabic
peninsula and Red sea

Northwest of Indian
Ethiopia is located📌 ocean
Ethiopia is located:📌
South of Eritrea

East and SE of Sudan

Republic
West of Djibouti

East and NE of South West and NW of

Sudan Somalia

North of Kenya
The implications of the location of Ethiopia

• Climate: The fact that Ethiopia is located between 3˚ N and 15˚

N (between the Equator and Tropic of Cancer) implies that the
country has a tropical climate, though modified by its altitude.
• Socio-cultural: Ethiopia is one of the earliest recipients of the
major world religions, languages and other cultural
relationships, which Ethiopia shares with its neighbours, reflect
the influence of location.
….. continued

• 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 paradigms.
 Ethiopia with a total area of
approximately 1,106,000 square km.
The 8th largest country in Africa and
25th in the World.
It extends about 1,639 km East-
West, and 1,577 km N-S.
Size of
Ethiopia About 0.7% of the country is covered
by water bodies.
 1,577 km
North-
South.

1,639 km
East-West,
Advantages of Ethiopia’s large size
Possess diverse agro ecological zones

Variety of natural resources

Own extensive arable land

Have larger population size

Home for diverse cultures

Greater depth in defense external invasion

Disadvantages of Ethiopia’s large size

Demands greater capital to construct infrastructural facilities

Requires large army to protect its territory

Difficult for effective administration

Difficult for socio-economic integration

 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.

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.
Types of shape Protrude shape countries:

• Countries that have one portion that is much more elongated than the
rest of the country like Myanmar and Eritrea.
C OM PACT S H A PE
F R AGMENTED S H A PE
 Chile

E L ONGATED S H APE- CHILE

 South Africa

P E RFORATED S H A PE
 Eritrea

P R OTRUDE S H A PE
1.3. Basic Skills of
Map Reading
 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.
Cont'd

• Map reading encompasses a systematic

identification of natural features and
manmade features.
• Map for Geographers as primary tools for
displaying and analyzing spatial distributions,
patterns and relations.
Importance of Map
• Provide the basis for making geographical details
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
• Maps are used on various disciplines
Cont'd

• Map makes storage of the geographical data of

areas represented.
• Maps are potentially used to asses’ reliable
measurements of the geographical features.
• The measurements can be of area , size, distance
etc.
Marginal information on Map
• Marginal information help us to read and interpr
et the
geographical information of an area represented.
This includes:
• Title: the heading of the given map which tell
s what the map is all about.
• Key (legend): the list of all convectional symb
ols and signs shown on the map with their
interpretation.
Cont'd
• Scale: the ratio between the distance on the m
ap and the actual ground distance. It can be
expressed as representative fraction,
statements/verbal scale and linear (graphic)
scale.
• North arrow: It is indicated with the north
direction on a map.
Margin: Is the frame of the map. the end of th
e mapped area.
Types of Map
• According to purpose, maps can be classified in to
two:
• Topographical Maps: shows one or more
natural and cultural features of an area.
• Special purpose/topical/statistical maps: These
are maps which show distribution of different
aspects such as temperature, rainfall,
settlement, vegetation, etc.
T OP OGRAPHICAL M A PS
T H E MATIC M A PS
Principle of map reading
• Map readers must have:
• Ideas about the symbols that represent the
real world
• Knowledge about the direction (how to read)
• Knowledge about location (how to read grid
reference)
End of Chapter 1