With a population
of more than two million people, Addis Ababa is not only the political capital
but also the economic and social nerve-center of Ethiopia. Founded by Emperor
Menelik in 1887, this big, sprawling, hospitable city still bears the stamp
of his exuberant personality. More than 21,000 hectares in area, Addis Ababa
is situated in the foothills of the 3,000 meters Entoto Mountains and rambles
pleasantly across many wooded hillsides and gullies cut through with fast
flowing streams.
Like any other capital in the world, there is more than enough for anybody
to do in Addis. There are numerous restaurants offering various exotic dishes |
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| Addis Ababa is
as cosmopolitan as any of the world's great metropolises, and the architecture
is as varied as the city itself. Tall office buildings, elegant villas,
functional bungalows, flat, fashionable hotels, conference halls, and theaters
- gleaming in their marble and anodized aluminum - vie for attention alongside
traditional homes of wattle and daub, surrounded by cattle, sheep, goats,
and chickens. There is no designated 'city centre' because, until very recently,
there was no urban planning. Addis Ababa simply grew in a natural, organic
way, and its present appearance reflects this unforced and unstructured
evolution. |
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