ETHIOPIA’S DEMOGRAPHY, GEOGRAPHY AND ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE Ethiopia, with a population estimated at 93,000,000, the second largest in Africa, occupies a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometers (420,000 sq. mi.). A multi-lingual and multi-ethnic country, Ethiopia embraces a complex variety of nations, nationalities, peoples, with different linguistic groups, diverse customs and cultures. Ethiopia is geographically diverse with topographic features ranging from the highest peak of Ras Dashen, 4,550 meters high, to the Afar Depression, 110 meters below sea level. The climate is as varied as its topography: with temperatures from as high as 47 degrees Celsius in the Afar Depression to as low as 10 degrees Celsius in the highlands, and with the climate ranging from tropical rainy to dry and warm temperate zones. Maximum and minimum average temperatures vary widely across the regions and the seasons. Ethiopia‘s general distribution of rainfall is seasonal and varies in amount and area. Ethiopia has a federal system of government which comprises nine regional states—Afar, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambela, Harar, Oromia, Somali, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP), and Tigray— and two city administrations, the Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa Administration Councils. The nine regional states have been given responsibilities relating to important political, economic and social matters. These regional states have their own Constitutions, within the framework of the 10