Flag of Ethiopia

What the flag means

• 🟢Green — the land, labor and hope of development
• 🟡Yellow — peace, religious freedom and natural wealth
• 🔴Red — the blood sacrificed for freedom and equality
• ⭐Yellow star on a blue disc — unity of the nation and a bright future (equal rays = equality of all peoples)

Design set by: ⁨የሰንደቅ ዓላማ አዋጅ ቁጥር ፮፻፶፬/፪ሺ፩ (Flag Proclamation No. 654/2009)⁩ · Adopted 1996

Highlights

• ☕ The birthplace of coffee
• ⛪ Rock-hewn churches of Lalibela
• 🏺 'Lucy,' fossil of human origins
• 📜 Its own script and long history
• ⛰️ The stunning Simien Mountains

Quick facts

Region

Africa · Eastern Africa

Population

135,472,051 people (2025)

Area

1,104,300 km²

Capital

Addis Ababa

Languages

Amharic, Oromo

Currency

Ethiopian birr (ETB)

Organizations

United Nations, African Union

Neighboring countries

• Djibouti
• Eritrea
• Kenya
• Somalia
• South Sudan
• Sudan

Land neighbors, approximated from simplified map outlines.

Symbols in History (2)

Coats of arms and emblems whose historic seat lies within this country’s present-day territory.

• 

  Arms attributed to Prester John

  A legendary Christian kingdom in the East · later attributed arms

  OriginPrester John is a legendary eastern Christian ruler who appears in medieval European writings. The shield with the crucifixion image is one version among the several arms that later heralds attributed to him.

  DescriptionOn a red shield a gold cross reaches to the edges of the shield, and over it is laid the figure of Christ crucified, wrapped in a white cloth. In the space at the top of the shield, 'iohan.' is written in old manuscript lettering.

  Source: College of Arms - Coats of arms and their twelfth-century origins · Image source: Wikimedia Commons — Attributed arms of Johan (Prester John), Segar's Roll.png

• 

  Imperial Coat of Arms of Ethiopia

  Ethiopian Empire (East Africa) · Royal coat of arms

  OriginThe Ethiopian imperial house traced its descent to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, and the emperor's titles included "Lion of the Tribe of Judah." This form of the arms belongs to the reign of Haile Selassie I, from his coronation in 1930 until the monarchy fell in 1974. Christian kingship and national independence are gathered here into a single picture.

  DescriptionA gold crown topped with a cross rises above a red mantle, and olive branches in fruit reach out from behind it on either side. Beneath the mantle, at the centre, an open book sits framed by three Ge'ez letters, and below it stands an arched golden throne carrying a small crown. The Ge'ez letters running around the arch carry the psalm verse "Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands unto God," while inside the arch a six-pointed star sits above a cross planted in a blue orb — the Solomonic line, the Christian faith and earthly rule. On the dais to either side of the throne rises a white column capped with a lion's head, and beyond them stand two haloed angels in yellow tunics marked with a red cross and green robes: the left holds scales and a sword for justice, the right a raised sword and a palm frond for victory and peace. At the foot walks a crowned golden lion carrying a cross-tipped staff with the green, yellow and red banner — the Lion of Judah of the imperial title.

  Image source: Wikimedia Commons — Imperial coat of arms of Ethiopia (Haile Selassie).svg · Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Zacwill