Overview

Addis Ababa is the capital and the largest city of Ethiopia and is currently home to nearly 5 million people. It is located on a well-watered plateau surrounded by hills and mountains, in the geographic center of the country. Only since the late 19th century has Addis been the capital of the Ethiopian state. Its immediate predecessor, Entoto, was situated on a high table and was found to be unsatisfactory because of extreme cold and an acute shortage of firewood.

Empress Taitu, wife of Emperor Menilk II (reigned 1889-1913), persuaded the emperor to build a house near the hot springs at the foot of the tableland and to grant land in the area of the foot of the tableland and to grant land in the area to members of the nobility. The city was thus founded in 1886 and was named Addis meaning ‘New Flower” by the empress. In its first years the city was more like a military encampment than a town. The central focus was the emperor’s palace, which was surrounded by the dwellings of his innumerable retainers. As the population increased, firewood became scarce. In 1905 a large number of eucalyptus trees were imported form Australia, the trees spread and provided a forest cover for the city.