Ethiopia Posters, Prints, Charts, Maps
for the social studies classroom, home schoolers and theme decor for office or studio.

Ethiopia, a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa, is officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, and the tenth-largest by area. It is also the most populous landlocked country in the world.

Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, Djibouti and Somalia to the east, and Kenya to the south. The capital is Addis Ababa.

Europeans in medieval times heard the legend of an enormously rich Christian kingdom in the middle of Africa, lead by a ruler name Prester John. This legend was clearly based on Ethiopia. Not only was it the only Christian empire in mostly Islamic Africa, but its rulers claimed to be descended from King Solomon himself.

Many cultures arose in this part of eastern Africa, dating back to 1000 B.C.E., when trade was established with the city of Saba (Yemen). But most experts agree that the civiliation of Ethiopia started with the rise of the city of Axum in the 4th century C.E. Under King Ezana, Axum became a Christian Kingdom – centuries before most Europeans had ever heard of Chirstianity – and Ethiopia has remained Christian for most of the 1,700 years since then. Illustrated Bibles, prayer books, and religious manuscripts are the most common works of Ethiopian art. Ethiopia has also been a home for Muslims and Jews.

Haile Selassie, Photographic Print

Ethiopia's rulers from the 13th century on claimed to be directly descended from the legendary King Menilek I. Ethiopian legend says that Menilek I was the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Almost every ruler from Yekano Amlek in 1270 through Haile Selassie in 1930 saw himself as a member of this 3,000-year “Solomonic dynasty.” This dynasty includes legendary kings like Zara Yaqob, who reighed by brutal force and terror in the 1400s, and Menilek II, whose army kept Italy from conquering Ethiopia in 1896.

The last ruler in the Solomonic dynasty was Haile Selassie. When he became the emperor of Ethiopia in 1930, he stood up against European colonialsim, even leading troops against the Italian army. Selassie became famous around the world as a symbol of free Africa. He also inspired an entire religion called Rastafarianism. Rastafarians think of Selassie as the messiah. The Solomonic dynasty ended when Selassie was deposed by Communist rebels in 1974. He died in 1977.