Addis Ababa University

College of Natural and Computational Science

Freshman Course

Course Title:
Geography of Ethiopia and the Horn

by:

Belete Ejigu (PhD)

Assistant Professor of Urban Planning and Development

January 2021
1
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
 Objectives

• At the end of this chapter, the learners will be able to:

- Comprehend the meaning and scope of Geography.
- Explain the themes of Geography.
- Clarify the implications of location, shape and size of
Ethiopia and the Horn on the physical environment,
socioeconomic and political aspects.
- Acquire basic skills of map reading.
 Geography: Definition, Scope and Themes
 Meaning of Geography:
• Geography is the scientific study of the 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.
The Scope, Approaches and Themes of Geography
 Scope:
• The scope of Geography is the surface of the Earth,
which is the very thin zone that is the interface (boundary)
of the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and
biosphere, which provides the habitable zone in which
humans are able to live.
 Approach:
• Geography can be approached by considering two continuums:
- a human-physical continuum and
- a topical-regional continuum
 Cont’d…
• The topical (systematic) fields of Geography view
particular categories of physical or human phenomena
as distributed over the Earth.
• Regional geography is concerned with the associations
within regions of all or some of the elements and their
interrelationships.
 Cont’d…
 Themes:
• Geography has five basic themes/idea namely:
- location,
- place,
- human-environment interaction,
- movement, and
- region.
 Location
• Location Is defined as a particular place or
position
- Location can be of two types:
i. Absolute location and
ii. Relative location.
i. Absolute/Astronomical Location : the location of a place is
defined by its latitude and longitude or its exact address.
ii. Relative/Vicinal : the location of a place with reference to
the other countries, landmasses (such as mountains, roads)
or water bodies (such as oceans, seas, rivers, lakes), etc
 Place

• Place refers to the physical and human aspects of a location.

• Place is associated with:
- Toponym (the name of a place),
- Site (the description of the features of the place), and
- Situation (the environmental conditions of the place).
• Each place in the world has its unique characteristics expressed in
terms of:
- landforms,
- hydrology,
- biogeography,
- pedology,
- characteristics and size of its human population, and
- the distinct human cultures.
• The concept of “place” support geographers to compare and contrast
two places on Earth.
 Human-Environment Interaction

• Humans have always been on ceaseless interaction with

their natural environment.
• Human-environment interaction involves three distinct
aspects/features/characteristics:
1. Dependency,
2. Adaptation, and
3. Modification.
1. Dependency refers to the ways in which humans are
dependent on nature for a living.
2. Adaptation relates to how humans modify themselves,
their lifestyles and their behavior to live in a new
environment with new challenges.
3. Modification allowed humans to “conquer”/overcome the
 Movement

• Movement requires to the translocation of human beings,

their goods, and their ideas from one place to another.
That is,
- Translocation of human beings (physical movement of people),
- Transport of their goods, and
- Flow of their ideas that allows the unification of the human
civilization and promotes its growth and prosperity
 Region

• A region is a geographic area having distinctive/unique

characteristics that distinguishes itself from adjacent
unit(s) of space.
• It could be:
1. Formal region: it is characterized by homogeneity in
terms of a certain phenomenon (soil, temperature,
rainfall, or other cultural elements like language,
religion, and economy).
2. Functional or nodal region: it is characterized by
functional interrelationships in a spatial system defined
by the linkages binding particular phenomena.
Location, Shape and Size
of
Ethiopia and the Horn
-
 The Horn of Africa
• The Horn of Africa, a region of eastern Africa, is a
narrow tip that projects 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, Somalia, Kenya, Sudan and South
Sudan.
• These countries share common features since they have
cultural link through long time history and also have
great diversity due to their unique characteristics.
• In terms of size, Ethiopia is the largest of all the Horn of
African countries, while Djibouti is the smallest.
 Cont’d…
• The Horn contains such diverse areas as the highlands of
the Ethiopian Plateau, the Ogaden desert, and the
Eritrean and Somali coasts. Its coasts are washed by the
Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean, and it
has long been in contact with the Arabian Peninsula and
Southwestern Asia.
 Location of Ethiopia
• The location of a country or a place on a map or a globe is
expressed in two different ways. These are:
1. Astronomical location and
2. Relative location.
1. Astronomical location/absolute or mathematical location states
location of places using the lines of latitudes and longitudes.
• Astronomically, Ethiopia is a landlocked country located
between 3oN and 15oN latitudes and 33oE to 48oE longitudes.
- 3oN (Moyale)
- 15oN (Bademe - the northernmost tip of Tigray) and
- 33oE (Akobo)
- 48oE (the tip of Ogaden in the east)
• The east west distance (150) which is longer than the north-
south distance (120).
 Cont’d…
• The latitudinal and longitudinal extensions are important
in two ways.
- First, as a result of its latitudinal extension the country
experiences tropical climate and
- Secondly due to its longitudinal extension there is a
difference of one hour between the most easterly and
most westerly points of the country. It is only for
convenience that the 3 hours-time zone is used in all
parts of the country.
2. Relative location expresses the location of countries or
places with reference to the location of other countries
(vicinal), landmasses or water bodies.
Globe
Relative Location of Ethiopia
 Cont’d…
The Relative Location of Ethiopia:
 Implications of the Location
• The implications of the location of Ethiopia are
described as follows:
A. Climate: the country has a tropical climate, though
modified by its altitude.
-The location of Ethiopia relative to the Indian Ocean, the
Atlantic Ocean and the African and Asian landmass has
also various bearings on the climate of Ethiopia.
B. Socio-cultural: Ethiopia is one of the earliest recipients
of the major world religions namely Christianity, Islam
and Judaism due to its proximity to the Middle East,
which was the origin of these religions. The linguistic and
other cultural relationships, which Ethiopia shares with its
neighbors, reflect the influence of location.
 Cont’d…
C. 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.
• As a result, Ethiopia has been exposed for external
invasions in a number of times; though the country
resisted foreign intervention and remains free of
external domination.
 Size of Ethiopia

• Ethiopia with a total area of approximately 1,106,000

square kilometers is the 8th largest country in Africa and
25th in the World.
• It extends about 1,639 kilometers East-West, and 1,577
kilometers North-South.
• About 0.7% of the country is covered by water bodies.
• The size of Ethiopia also affects both the natural and
human environment of the country.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Ethiopia’s Large Size
 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,
2. Fragmented,
3. Elongated,
4. Perforated, and
5. Protruded.
• Shapes have implications on defense, administration and
economic integration within a country.
 Categories of Shape of a Country
1. 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 defense, socioeconomic and cultural integration.

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 and relatively narrow like Chile.

4. Perforated shape countries:

- A country that completely surrounds another country like the Republic of South Africa.

5. Protrude shape countries:

- Countries that have one portion that is much more elongated than the rest of the country

like Myanmar and Eritrea.

 Indices of Compactness
• There are various ways of measuring shape of countries.
These measures are known as the indices of compactness.
• Indices measure the deviation of the shape of a country
from a circular shape.
• There are four most commonly used measures of
compactness. These are:
1. Area - Boundary Ratio
2. Boundary - Circumference Ratio
3. Area - Circumference Ratio
4. Area- Area (A/A) Ratio
 Cont’d…
1. The ratio of area of country to its boundary length:
Area-Boundary ratio. The higher the A/B ratio, the
greater the degree of compactness.
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. It measures
how far the boundary of a country approximates the
circumference of a circle of its own size. Therefore, the
nearer the ratio to 1, the more compact the country is.
 Cont’d…
3. The ratio of the area of the country to the circumference of the

smallest inscribing circle: Area-Circumference ratio. It compares

the area of the country with the circumference of a circle that passes
touching the extreme points on the boundary of the country. The
higher the A/C ratio, the greater the degree of compactness.

4. Area- Area (A/A’) ratio:

- The area of the inscribing circle is the area of the smallest possible
circle whose circumference passes through the extreme points on the
boundary.

- The nearer the ratio to 1, the more compact the country is.
Ethiopia's shape compared to its neighbors in the Horn
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 such as piece of paper, black
board, wood or cloth.
• A map is a systematic, simplified, diminished and plain
representation of some or whole of the surface of the earth.
• Map reading encompasses a systematic identification of natural and manmade
features.

- Natural features include mountains, plateaus, hills, valleys, river, ocean, rocks,
plain etc.

- Manmade features include roads, railway, buildings, dam etc.

• For Geographers, map is a primary tools for displaying and analyzing spatial
 Importance of Maps

• Provide the basis for making geographical details of regions represented i.e. the

geographical facts of an area 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 by varied methods of

grid reference, place naming etc.

• Maps are used on various disciplines like land use planning, military science,

aviation, tourism, marine science, population studies, epidemiology, geology,

economics, history, archaeology, agriculture etc.

• Map makes storage of the geographical data of areas represented.

• Maps are potentially used to asses reliable measurements of the geographical

 Types of Map

• There are many types of maps according to their purpose and functions.

a. Topographical maps:

- Topographic maps depict one or more natural and cultural features of an area.

- They could be small, medium or large scale depending on the size of the area represented.

• Contents of topographical maps depend on:

- purpose of a map,

- scale of a map,

- date of compilation, and

- nature of the land represented.

b. Special purpose/statistical maps:

- These are maps, which show distribution of different aspects such as temperature,

rainfall, settlement, vegetation etc.

 Marginal Information on Maps (Elements of Maps)

• Marginal information is shown on a map to enable the reading and interpretation of the

geographical information of an area represented. This includes:

a. Title:

- It is the heading of the given map which tells what the map is all about.

b. Key (legend):

- It is the list of all convectional symbols and signs shown on the map with their

interpretation.

c. Scale:

- It is the ratio between the distance on the map and the actual ground distance.

- Scales enable the map user to interpret the ground measurement like road distance, areal

sizes, gradient etc.

- It can be expressed as Representative Fraction (RF), Statements/Verbal scale, and Linear

 Cont’d…
d. North arrow:
- It is indicated with the north direction on a map; used to know the
other important directions of the mapped area like east, west, south, and
west.

e. Margin:
- Is the frame of the map. It is important
for showing the end of the mapped area.
f. Date of compilation:
- It is a date of map publication. This
enables map users to realize whether the
map is updated or out-dated
 Basic Principles of Map Reading

• In developing map reading abilities and skills, certain basic

principles must be applied by the map-reader to translate map
symbols into landscape images.
1. Readers must have ideas about the symbol and also the real
world (landscapes).
2. knowledge of directions is an important principle in reading
maps.
3. Grid reference – there are series of lines (easting and northing
lines which have numbers) that make up a grid on map; grid
system makes it simple to give an accurate description of your
location, this description is called grid reference.
 Discussion Question

• Answer the following questions briefly.

1. What are the implications of location, shape and size of

Ethiopia and the Horn on the physical environment,
socioeconomic and political aspects?
2. Explain the themes of Geography.
3. What are the basic principles of map reading?
Thank You!!!