Geography of Ethiopia and The Horn: by Taye Demeke (MA)

GEOGRAPHY OF ETHIOPIA
AND THE HORN
By Taye Demeke (MA)
Course Code GeES: 1011

Credit hour: 3
JJU
2012/2019
CHAPTER ONE
1.1. Geography: Definition, Scope and Themes
1. Meaning of Geography:
-is the scientific study of the Earth that describes &
analyses spatial & temporal variations of physical,
biological and human phenomena, & their
interrelationships & dynamism over the surface of the
Earth.
2.The Scope, Approaches and Themes of Geography
 explains the arrangements of various natural & cultural
features.
 So is a holistic & interdisciplinary field of study.
 Thus, the scope of Geography is the surface of the Earth, that
includes the zone of:
 atmosphere,
 lithosphere,
 hydrosphere & - biosphere
Approaches of Geography
 Geography can be approached by considering two
continuums:
 A human-physical continuum &
 A topical-regional continuum.
Themes of Geography
 Geography has five basic themes namely
 Location: a particular place or position.
- There are two types:
A. Absolute location it defines the location of a place by its
latitude and longitude.
B. Relative location it defines the location of a place in
relation to landmass & water bodies.
 Place: refers to the physical and human aspects of a location.
- this theme of geography is associated with toponym , site (the
description of the features of the place), & situation (the
environmental conditions of the place).
 Human-Environment Interaction: involves three distinct
spects.
- Dependency refers to the ways in which humans are
dependent on nature for a living.
- Adaptation relates to how humans modify themselves, their
lifestyles & their behavior to live in a new environment with
new challenges.
- Modification allowed humans to conquer the world for their
comfortable living.
 Movement entails to the translocation of human beings, their
goods, & their ideas from one end of the planet to another.
Region is a geographic area having
distinctive characteristics that
distinguishes itself from adjacent unit of
space.
- have homogeneity in terms of a certain
phenomenon soil, temperature, rainfall,
or in cultural elements like language,
religion & economy.
Location, Shape and Size of Ethiopia and the Horn
- The Horn of Africa is a narrow tip that protrudes
into the northern Indian Ocean, separating it from
the Gulf of Aden.
 It is home to the countries of
- Djibouti, Eritrea,
- Ethiopia, & Somalia
-there cultures have been linked throughout their
long history.
Location of Ethiopia
1.Astronomical location/ absolute or mathematical location:
-b/n 3ºN - 15ºN (Moyale - Bademe) latitudes &
33ºE - 48ºE (Akobo - the tip of Ogaden/Bohe ) longitudes
 The East -West -distance 15º (tropical climate )
North-South distance 12º(difference of 1hr. )
- 3 hours-time zone is used in the country.
2.Relative location expresses the location of places with
reference to other countries (vicinal), landmasses or water
bodies. .
Vicinal location In relation to water bodies & land masse
s
-
-Sudan to the west and
northwest - In the Horn of Africa
- South Sudan to southwest - Southwest of the Arabian Peninsula
- Djibouti to the east - South of Europe
- Somalia to the east and - Northwest of the Indian Ocean
southeast
- Eritrea to the north and
- Kenya to the south
The implications of the location of Ethiopia are described as
follows:
a)Climate the fact that Ethiopia is located b/n 3º-15º La.
implies that the country has a tropical climate, though
modified by its altitude.
b) Socio-cultural: the linguistic & other cultural
relationships, which Ethiopia shares with its neighbours,
reflect the influence of location.
c) Political: the political history of Ethiopia has been
considerably influenced by:
- Geopolitical considerations of superpowers.
- Adjacency to the Red Sea (a global trade route).
- The Middle East geopolitical paradigms.
Size of Ethiopia
 Ethiopia’s total area is approximately
 1,106,000 square kilometers
 It is the 8th largest in Africa & 25th in the World.
It extends about 1,639 kilometers East-West,
1,577 kilometers North-South.
Advantages and disadvantages of Ethiopia‟s large size
Advantages Disadvantages
-Possess diverse agro ecological - Demands greater capital to

zones, construct infrastructural facilities
- Variety of natural resources, -Requires large army to protect its
-Own extensive arable land,
- Have larger population size, territory
-Difficult for effective
-Home for diverse cultures, administration ,
- Greater depth in defense -Difficult for socio-economic
external invasion. integration.
The shape of Ethiopia and its Implication
 Countries of the World have different kinds of shape that can be
divided into five main categories:
1. Compact shape countries: the distance from the geographic
centre of the state to any of the borders does not vary greatly.
2. Fragmented shape countries: they are divided from their
other parts by either water, land or other countries.
3. Elongated shape countries: they are geographically long &
relatively narrow like Chile.
4. Perforated shape countries: a country that completely
surrounds another country Eg. Republic of South Africa.
5. Protrude shape countries: have one portion that is much more
elongated than the rest of the country Eg. Myanmar and Eritrea.
 There are four most commonly used measures of
compactness/ indices of compactness
1. The ratio of area of country to its boundary length, A/B
ratio.
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..
3. The ratio of the area of the country to the circumference of
the smallest inscribing circle, --Area-Circumference ratio.
4. The ratio of the actual area of a country to the smallest
possible inscribing circle,
- Area-Area (A/A‟) ratio.
Basic Skills of Map Reading
What is a Map?
 A map is a two-dimensional scaled representation of part or whole
of the Earth surface on a flat body.
 It is also understanding of the scale, signs and symbols, &
clearly interpreting the information that the map provides.
Importance of maps
 Provide the basis for making geographical details of regions
represented,
 Tools for making spatial analysis of geographical facts of area.
 Useful for giving location of geographical features.
 Used on various disciplines.
 Uses as storage of the geographical data of areas.
 Potentially used to asses’ reliable measurements of the
geographical features.
Types of Map
There are many types of maps according to their purpose and
functions.
1. Topographic depict one or more natural & cultural features
of an area. They could be small, medium or large scale
depending on the size of the area represented.
2. Special purpose/statistical maps: these are maps, which
show distribution of different aspects such as temperature,
rainfall, settlement, vegetation etc.
Marginal Information of Maps / Elements of Maps
 Enables the interpretation of the geographical information
represented on amp. This includes:
i. Title: is the heading of map which tells what the map is about.
ii. Key/legend: the list of all convectional symbols and signs shwn.
iii. Scale: enable to interpret the distance on the map & the actual
ground distance. It can be expressed as,
- Representative Fraction, Statements/verbal scale, &
linear /Graphic scale.
iv. North arrow: used to know the other important directions of the
mapped area like east, west, & south.
v. Margin: is the frame of the map. It is important for showing the
end of the mapped area.
Vi. Date of compilation: enables map users to realize whether the
map is updated or outdated.
Basic Principles of Map Reading
 In developing map reading abilities the two basic skills are:
 ideas about the symbol & also the real World (landscapes),
&
 knowledge of directions.
 Maps are covered in a series of lines that make up a grid.
They help to give an accurate description of a location. The
description is known as a grid reference.
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GEOGRAPHY OF ETHIOPIA

AND THE HORN

By Taye Demeke (MA)

Course Code GeES: 1011

-Possess diverse agro ecological - Demands greater capital to

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