JIMMA UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES &

HUMANITIES
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Geography of Ethiopia and the

Horn
(GeES1011)
By: Sintayehu Teka
1
 Geography: Definition, Scope,
Approaches and Themes
Defining Geography
 Geography is one of the oldest earth sciences
and its roots dates back to the works of the
early Greek scholars.
 The term ‘Geography’ was coined by the
Greek scholar Eratosthenes who combined
two Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and
‘Graphien’ (to describe).
 Therefore, in its literal sense, Geography is
the description of the Earth.
2
  Earlier, the aim of geography was to discover
new lands, sea routes, prepare maps and
describe them.
 Over the ages, geography has become the art
and science of studying the physical
characteristics of the earth and man’s role in
adapting to and modifying the environment.
 Later, its emphasis had shifted to scientific
investigation of earth’s landforms, oceans and
atmosphere, as well as human-environment
3
interaction.
  Geography is dynamic in nature hence it
changes in its scope and method of study.
 Thus, it is difficult to forward a definition
acceptable to all geographers at all times and
places.
However, the following may be accepted as a
working definition.
 Geography is the scientific study of the
Earth that describes and analyses spatial
and temporal variations of physical,
biological and human phenomena, and their
4 interrelationships.
  Geography can also be defined as a
multifaceted discipline studying intra and
inter relationships of various spheres of the
earth, collects and analyses relevant data,
applies the latest tools and methods to
prepare maps and visuals and provides
sustainable solutions to human and
environmental issues of the earth.

5
 The Scope, Approaches and Themes of
Geography
 Scope of Geography
 Geography has now acquired the status of
science that explains the arrangements of
various natural and cultural features on the
Earth surface.
 Geography is a holistic and interdisciplinary
field of study contributing to the understanding
of the changing spatial structures from the
past to the future.
6
  Objectively speaking, the scope of Geography
is the surface of the Earth, which is the very
thin zone that is the interface of the:
1. Atmosphere – gaseous envelope
2. Lithosphere – realm of solid the earth
3. Hydrosphere – realm of water
4. Biosphere – realm of living things and
5. Anthroposphere - realm of humanized areas,
which provides the habitable zone in which humans
are able to live.

7
8
 Approaches to the Study of Geography
 Geography has undergone several changes in its
approach.
 The earlier geographers were descriptive
geographers.
 Later, geography came to be developed as an
analytical science.
 Today the discipline is not only concerned with
descriptions but also with analysis as well as
prediction.
 There are two distinct approaches or methods to study
geography. They are: Systematic approach and
9 Regional approach
  Systematic Approach
 Systematic or nomothetic approach was
introduced by Alexander Von Humboldt, a
German geographer (1769-1859). This
approach identifies similarities and its
ultimate goal is discovery of general scientific
laws.
 In this approach a particular phenomenon is
considered for detailed understanding.
 The study of specific natural or human
phenomenon that gives rise to certain spatial
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patterns and structures on the earth surface is
called systematic study.
  Systematic Geography is divided into four main
branches.
Physical Geography: deals with different elements of
earth (spheres).
Biogeography, including Environmental Geography:
deals with distribution of flora and fauna , and quality
of the environment.
Human Geography: deals with human culture and
population and dynamics of socio-economic and
political aspects.
Geographical Methods and Techniques: it includes
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both qualitative and quantitative techniques and
cartographic analysis.
  Regional Approach

 Regional approach is concerned with the

associations or interactions of the
phenomena within regions.
 This approach identifies differences between
places.
 In other words, it focuses on the interaction of
different cultural and natural geographical
factors in a specific land or landscape.
 This approach is called as ideographical
approach.
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  It was developed by Carl Ritter (1779 - 1859),
a contemporary of Humboldt.
 The regions could be classified based on a
single factor like relief, rainfall, vegetation,
per-capita income or there could also be
multi-factor regions formed by the association
of two or more factors.
 Administrative units like states and districts
can also be treated as regions

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  The main sub branches of regional
geography are :
i. Regional studies
ii. Regional analysis
iii. Regional development and
iv. Regional planning.

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  Themes in Geography
 In any subject there are certain themes, around
which the scholars work and contribute.
 Themes of Geography are the educational tools
for understanding the geography subject in detail.
 The Association of American Geographers put
forward the ‘Five themes of Geography’ and it has
been widely accepted by geographers worldwide
 These themes are namely: location, place,
human-environment interaction, movement,
and region.
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 Themes in Geography

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 i. Location
 Location is defined as a particular place or position.
 Every point on earth has a location.
 Location can be of two types: absolute location and
relative location.
 Absolute location is a location as described by its
latitude and longitude on the earth while Relative
location is the position of a place in relation to
another well-known landmark or water body and
etc.
ii. Place
 It is an area having unique physical and human
characteristics interconnected with other areas.
17  Place refers to the physical and human aspects of
a location.
  All places have features that give them personality
to distinguish them from other places.
 This theme of geography 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 own unique
characteristics expressed in terms of landforms,
hydrology, biogeography, pedology, characteristics
and size of its human population, and the distinct
human cultures.
18  The concept of place aids geographers to compare
and contrast two places on the Earth.
 iii. Human-Environment Interaction
 Humans have always been on ceaseless or
continuous interaction with their natural
environment. Hence, they have profound impact on
the environment.
 No other species that had ever lived on our
planet had a profound effect on the environment
as humans.
 Humans have adapted to the environment in ways that
have allowed them to dominate all other species on
Earth.
 The theme describes how people interact with the

19
environment and how the environment responds.
  Thus, human-environment interaction involves
three distinct aspects:
 dependency,

 adaptation, and

 modification.

 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
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world for their comfortable living.
 iv. Movement
 Movement is the network of travel of people, goods
and ideas from one location to another.
 Movement entails the translocation of human beings,
their goods, and their ideas from one part of the planet
to another.
 The physical movement of people allowed the human
race to inhabit almost all the continents and islands of
the world.
 Another aspect of movement is the transport of goods
from one place to another.
 The third dimension of movement is the flow of ideas
that allows the unification of the human civilization
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and promotes its growth and prosperity.
 v. Region
 Region is a geographic area having distinctive
characteristics (i.e., climate, natural vegetation, crops,
industries, major landform and etc.) that distinguishes
itself from adjacent unit(s) of space.
 Formal region: is a region that is characterized by
homogeneity in terms of a certain phenomenon
such as:
 physical phenomena e.g., soil, temperature, rainfall,
or
 cultural elements like language, religion, or
economy.
A Formal Region is formally recognized and often has
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a clearly delineated boundary that everyone agrees
  Functional region is oriented around a
particular node like a city center or the local
factory that employs most of the town
 Formal regions have a central node that acts as
the center of gravity (like the central business
district of the city)
 Functional or nodal region characterized by
functional interrelationships in a spatial
system defined by the linkages binding
particular phenomena.
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 Nodal regions exist because of their function.
 Location, Shape and Size of Ethiopia and the Horn
 Horn of Africa
 It is the easternmost extension of African land
defined as the region that is home to the countries of
Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, whose
cultures have been linked throughout their long
history.
 Although the countries of the region share many
common features, there is also great diversity
among them, rendering each country unique
characteristics in many respects.
 In terms of size, Ethiopia is the largest of all

24
the Horn of African countries, while Djibouti is the
smallest.
  The Horn contains diverse areas like:
 the highlands of the Ethiopian Plateau,

 the Ogaden desert,

 the Eritrean and

 the Somali coasts.

 The 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.

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 Horn of Africa

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27
  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:
 Astronomical and
 Relative locations

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 1. Astronomical location
 Also known as absolute or mathematical location.
 It explains location of places using the lines of
latitudes and longitudes.
 Astronomically, Ethiopia is a land locked country
located between :
 3°N latitude (Moyale - Southern most tip) to 15°N
latitude (Badime area in Tigray - Northern most tip)
and
 33°E longitude (Akobo- Western most tip of
Ethiopia) to 48°E (Ogaden - Eastern most tip of
Ethiopia).
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  The straight-line distance b/n the northern and the
southern most points of Ethiopia is about:
3° - 15° = 12° *111Kms = 1330Kms.

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  The straight-line distance b/n eastern and western
most points 33to 48= 15 *111= 1665Kms.
 Geographical Center of Ethiopia (Mid-points)

= =9
= = 40.5 (9N, 40.5E)
 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.
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 2. Relative Location of Ethiopia: location of a
place/country in relative to other places such as
neighboring countries, big water bodies, big land
mass etc.
 Relative location can be described in two different
ways
 These are

a. vicinal location and

b. natural location
a. Vicinal (nearness) location:
 location expressed in relation to neighboring
countries.
 The vicinal location of Ethiopia may be described as:
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 Example: Ethiopia is boarded by:
 Sudan in the west
 Djibouti in the east
 Eritrea in the north east
 Kenya in the south
 Somalia in the south east

b. Natural/Strategic location: location that is described

in relation to large landmass and/or large water
bodies.
Example: Ethiopia is found:
 In the Horn of Africa
 Southwest of the Arabian Peninsula
 South of Europe
33  Northwest of the Indian Ocean
 In the Nile Basin
  Importance of Location of Ethiopia
 The location of Ethiopia has implication on the
following:
1. Climate
 Ethiopia is located between 3°N-15°N which
lies between tropic of cancer (23°½N) and
the equator, which implies that the country
has a tropical climate, though modified by
its altitude.
 The Indian Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the
African and Asian landmass has various bearings
on the climate of Ethiopia.
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 2. Socio-cultural aspects
 Ethiopia is one of the earliest recipients of the
major world religions such as Christianity,
Islam and Judaism due to its proximity
(trade) to the Middle East, the origin of these
world religions.
 The linguistic and other cultural
relationships, which Ethiopia shares with its
neighbors, reflect the influence of location.

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 3. Geopolitical strategy
 The political history of Ethiopia has been
considerably influenced by Geopolitical
considerations of superpowers.
 As a result of adjacency to the Red Sea (a major
global trade route) & the Middle East geopolitical
paradigms, Ethiopia has been exposed to external
invasions in a number of times; though the country
resisted foreign intervention and remains free of external
domination.
4. Economy
 Ethiopia is situated at potential global commercial
crossroad connecting the Indian Ocean with the
Mediterranean Sea and Africa with Asia & Europe.
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 5. Degree of resourcefulness
 In relation to access to the sea, countries are divided
into two. These are:
1. Land locked countries: countries having no outlet
to the sea.
2. Coastal countries: countries with outlet to the sea.
 Coastal countries are advantageous over land locked
countries in terms of access to navigation ports,
moderate climate, salt mining, world trade, fishing
grounds, etc.

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 6. Time
 Ethiopia has GMT +3 time zone
 It has also 1hr time difference between eastern
and western most tips.
 Size of Ethiopia
 Ethiopia with a total area of 1,106,000 square
kilometers is:
 The 10th largest country in Africa and the 27th in the
World.
 It contains about 0.74 percent of the world’s total land
area and about 3.72 percent of the total Africa’s land
mass.
 It extends for about 1,665 kilometers East-West
38
ward, and 1,330 kilometers North-South ward.
  About 0.7% of the country is covered by water bodies.
 The advantages and disadvantages of the large size of
Ethiopia are indicated below.
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 territory
 Have larger population size  Difficult for effective
 Home for diverse cultures administration
 Greater depth in defense of  Difficult for socio-economic
external invasion integration

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  The Shape of Ethiopia and its Implication
 Based on shape, countries of the world can be
divided into five main categories:
 Compact, e.g., Poland

 Fragmented, e.g., Indonesia

 Elongated, e.g., Chile or Norway

 Perforated, e.g., South Africa

 Protruded, e.g., Thailand, Myanmar, Eritrea

 These shapes have implications on defense,

administration, economic and national integration
within a country.
 Shape of a country is determined by North-South &
40
West-East length differences.
  Compact shaped countries: the distance from the
geographic center of the state to any of the borders
does not vary greatly.
 Therefore, it is easier to defend and bring socio-
economic and cultural integration.

41
  Fragmented shaped countries: these are countries
that are divided from their other parts by either
water, land or other countries (Eg. Indonesia,
Philippines)

 Elongated shaped countries: these are countries

that are geographically long and relatively narrow
(Eg., Chile and Norway).

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  Perforated shaped countries: A country
that completely surrounds another
country like the Republic of South Africa.

 Protruded shaped countries: A country

that has one portion that is much more
elongated than the rest of the country
like Thailand, Myanmar and Eritrea.

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  Indices/Measures of Compactness
 There are various ways of measuring shapes of
countries.
 These measures are known as the indices of
compactness.
 These indices measure the deviation of the shape of
a country from a circular shape, which is the
most compact shape.
(Circular shape is the most compact shape; distance
measured from the center to any point on the
boundary is equal)
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  There is no country with absolutely circular
shape. Hence, countries that are approximately
considered circular in shape are said to be more
compact countries.
 The shorter the NS - WE length differences, the
more compact the country is.
 There are four measures of degree of compactness
of an area:
a. Area-Boundary Ratio (A/B)
b. Boundary to Circumference Ratio (B/C)
c. Area to Circumference Ratio (A/C)
d. Actual Area to Area of the Inscribing Circle (A/A')

45
 a. Area to Boundary Ratio(A/B)
 It compares the total area of a country under
consideration with the total boundary length of the
same country.
 The larger the areal size per unit boundary length,
the more compact the country is.
Example:
 Actual area of Ethiopia =
 Total boundary length of Ethiopia =

= 210Km2/Km
 The larger the areal size per unit boundary length,
the more compact the country is (i.e. the country or
the territory has a shorter border length compared
46
to its surface area)
 b. Boundary-Circumference (B/C) Ratio
 It is the ratio of boundary length of a country to the
circumference of a circle having the same area as the
country itself.
 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.
 To calculate B/C ratio , we need to have two things.
These are:
 Total boundary length of a country under consideration
and
 The circumference of a circle having the same area as
47
the country under consideration.
 Example: Let us calculate the B/C ratio of Ethiopia.
 Total boundary length of Ethiopia: = 5,260 Kms
To calculate the B/C ratio, one has to find the
circumference of a circle having area similar to the total
area of Ethiopia (i.e. = 1,106,000Km2).
C=2πr
The value of π is 3.14 , while the value of "r" is

derived from the circle whose area is equal to Ethiopia's

area ( i.e. 1,106,000Km2).
 πr2 = 1,106,000Km2
 r2 = 352,229.3 Hence, r= 593.5 Kms
 Therefore, C= 2πr 2 x 3.14 x 593.5 = 3727.18
48

B/C ratio= 5260/3727.18 = 1.411

 c. Area-Circumference (A/C) Ratio
 It compares the area of the country with the
circumference of an inscribing circle that
passes touching the extreme points on the
country.
 The higher the A/C ratio, the greater the
degree of compactness.
 The total area of Ethiopia is = 1,106,000Km 2
 To calculate the circumference of the smallest
inscribing circle passing through the
extreme points of Ethiopia, we use the
49 formula 2πr.
  To determine the value of "r", we use the
difference b/n the east and west (the longest)
extreme points , i.e.
 480E -330E = 150 (diameter) & radius is half of
the diameter
 r =7.50 (111Kms x 7.5 = 832.5Kms)
 Circumference (C) = 2πr
= 2 x 3.14 x 832.5Kms
= 5, 228.1Kms
50
A/C ratio = 1,106,000Km/5228.1Kms
= 211.5Km2 /Km
51
 d. Area-Area (A/A') Ratio
 The ratio of the actual area of a country to the
Area smallest possible inscribing circle .
 The area of the inscribing circle is the area of the
smallest possible circle whose circumference
passes through the extreme points on the
boundary.
 Half-length of the longest distance between two
extreme points gives radius of the inscribing circle.
 The nearer the ratio to 1, the more compact the
country is.
 The value of “A”= 1,106,000Km2

52
 The value of “A' ” is = πr2.
53
 Hence, the value of "r" is derived from East - West
extension of Ethiopia, which is equal to 832.5Kms (7.50
x 111Kms).
Hence, the Area of Inscribing Circle is: = πr2
= 3.14 x (832.5Kms)2
= 3.14 x 693,056.625Km2
= 2,176,196.84Km2
A/A' Ratio
=
= 0.51

54
 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.
 Map making & reading involves a systematic
identification of natural features and manmade
features.
• Natural features include mountains, plateaus,

hills, valleys, river, ocean, rocks, plain etc.

• On the other hand, anthropogenic (manmade)

features include roads, railway, buildings, dam etc.

 Maps are primary tools for displaying and analyzing
55
spatial distributions, patterns and relations.
 Importance of Maps
 Maps provide information about 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 tell the location of geographical
features by varied methods of grid
reference, place naming etc.
 Maps are used in land use planning,
military science, aviation, tourism,
marine science, population studies,
56 epidemiology, geology, economics,
history, archaeology, agriculture etc.
 Types of Map
 There are many types of maps according to their
purpose and functions.
 On the basis of their purpose, they are divided into :
 topographical and
 statistical (thematic) maps

a) Topographical maps
 Topographic maps depict a combination of 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.
57
  Contents of topographical maps depend on
purpose of a map, scale of a map, date of
compilation, and nature of the land represented.
b) Statistical maps/Special purpose maps
 These are maps, which show distribution of a single
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:
 Title: It is the heading of the given map.

58
  Key (Legend): it is the list of all convectional symbols
and signs shown on the map.
 Scale: It is the ratio between the distance on the map
and the actual ground distance.
 Scale uses to know the ground measurements like
road distance, areal sizes, gradient etc.
 Scale can be expressed as representative fraction (e.g.
1:200,000), statements/verbal scale (e.g. 1cm to 2km),
and linear (graphic) scale.
 North Arrow: it is indicated with the north direction
on a map; and used to know the other directions such
as east, west, south, and west.
 Margin: Is the frame of the map used to show the end
59 of the mapped area.
 Date of compilation: It is a date of map publication. It
is used to know whether the map is updated or outdated.
Basic Principles of Map Reading
 Map Readers must have ideas about the symbol and
also the real World (landscapes).
 Every map symbol must be visualized by the reader
to read a map.
 Knowledge of directions is also an important
principle in reading maps.
 Maps are covered in a series of lines that make up a
grid. Thus, one of the basic functions of maps is to
help us to orient ourselves and to exactly locate
places on the earth.
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