Discover Ethiopia: Top 12 Fun Facts That Will Amaze and Entertain You

1. Coffee Beanstalk Nation

Joe's bank account might be in for some serious brew-haha if he ever visited Ethiopia, the land where coffee beans are the real beanstalks: The nation's top export is coffee, with over 400,000 metric tons produced annually, supporting the livelihoods of over 15 million Ethiopians thanks to the country's ideal climate and soil conditions.
Source => speederandearls.com

2. Ethiopia's Time-Travel Trick

Ever wondered how Cinderella could have avoided the chaos by time-travel? Ethiopia might just have the answer: The country's unique time system marks daytime starting at 12:00 (6:00:00 am EAT) and ending at 11:59:59 (5:59:59 pm EAT), effectively observing UTC-03:00, making it feel like you're living in a parallel universe without daylight saving time!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Discover the shocking story of Sudan's capital zoo, where rare animals like African gray parrots and giant Nile monitor lizards were left starving for weeks due to ongoing street fighting.

=> Fun Facts about Sudan

3. Ark of the Covenant VIP Room

If the mythical Ark of the Covenant were to have an invite-only party, the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum would be the ultimate VIP room: Home to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church's most exclusive events, this sacred sanctuary dates back to the 4th century AD and has witnessed multiple destructions and rebuilds. As a cherry on the holy sundae, Ethiopian emperors used to pop by to get crowned, but ladies, don't bother packing your bags – women aren't allowed in the old church, and only the guardian monk gets a backstage pass to the Ark's rumored hiding spot.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. Teff Party Extravaganza

Get ready to spice up your flatbread party: originating in Ethiopia and Eritrea between 4000 and 1000 BC, the world's smallest grain, teff, is the star behind the famous Ethiopian injera – a unique porous flatbread that multitasks as plate, utensil, and tablecloth. Favored with stews like Doro Wat or Sega Wat, the teff-ier, the pricier, as this little grain requires an abundance of rain to produce the perfect injera!
Source => daringgourmet.com

5. Hornbill Marathons & Cobra Snacks

Whoever said "slow and steady wins the race" clearly never met the Abyssinian ground hornbill: a half-marathon running, cobra-munching monogamist with a beak that demands respect. Seriously, folks: these carnivorous birds from North-central Africa have been known to chow down on cobras, tortoises, and hares while rocking a casque-adorned beak, all while being dedicated lovebirds. Your move, tortoise!
Source => nationalzoo.si.edu

6. Real-life Ark & Angel Carvings

Move over Indiana Jones, Ethiopia's got the real Ark: The ancient city of Axum is believed to house the legendary Ark of the Covenant – not in a snake-infested tomb but guarded by a solitary monk. This East African nation also lays claim to being the world's second Christian country since the 4th century, with angels rumored to have chipped in, literally, to carve the heavenly rock-hewn churches of Lalibela nestled snugly within its holy lands.
Source => dailymail.co.uk

7. Treasure-hunting at Yemrehane Krestos

If you ever felt like channeling Indiana Jones and embarking on a cave-quest to seek ancient treasures, buckle up for this sanctuary in Ethiopia: Yemrehane Krestos church, nestled within a cave 42km from Lalibela, boasts well-preserved features without being rock-hewn like its famous neighbors, offering a lofty climb, cool shade, and splendid views as your much-deserved treasure.
Source => tripadvisor.com

8. Ethiopia's Lucky 13-Month Calendar

If you're someone who just can't get enough of February 29th, buckle up because Ethiopia loves adding whole months to their calendar: The Ethiopian calendar consists of a unique 13-month system, with 12 months of 30 days each, and an extra month that has either five or six days, depending on if it's a leap year or not – giving them 365 or 366 days a year, respectively.
Source => bbc.com

9. Ancient Ethiopian Moves & Grooves

If the world is a dance floor, Ethiopia's got the moves that go back thousands of years: this vibrant nation is home to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, one of the oldest Christian denominations ever, as well as an enduring monarchy that withstood the test of colonialism until a 1974 coup shook things up.
Source => bbc.com

10. Lucy, the 3-Million-Year-Old Protagonist

Before Lucy was a Beatles tune or a Charlie Brown's crush, she was chilling in Ethiopia, leaving archaeologists starstruck: Discovered in 1974 at the Hadar site in Afar, Ethiopia, Lucy is a 3.18-million-year-old hominid skeleton belonging to the species Australopithecus afarensis, offering crucial insights into human evolution, bipedalism, and the development of our modern selves.
Source => iho.asu.edu

11. Epic Wedding/Running in Meskel Square

Next time you tie the knot, consider a venue where 500,000 friends can join, and be sure to lace those sneakers nice and tight: Meskel Square in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is not only the starting and finishing point for the Great Ethiopian Run but it's also where running royalty Tirunesh Dibaba and Sileshi Sihine said "I do" surrounded by half a million adoring fans, and the stomping ground of legendary athletes like Abebe Bikila and Haile Gebrselassie.
Source => theguardian.com

12. The Hands that Scoop: Injera Dining

In the land of Ethiopia, there lies a hidden treasure where plates and silverware shiver in fear of irrelevance, creating tales of "the hands that scoop": In Ethiopian cuisine, injera, a traditional bread made from teff, doubles as an edible utensil by which stews and salads are scooped up from communal platters, adding a unique touch to the dining experience, though the presence of steak knives and wooden spoons among some tribes still offers solace to traditional utensil defenders.
Source => washingtonpost.com