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Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule, one exception being the Italian occupation of 1936-41. In 1974 a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), in 1991. A constitution was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A two and a half year border war with Eritrea ended with a peace treaty on 12 December 2000. Final demarcation of the boundary is currently on hold due to Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender sensitive territory.
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Country
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Surface Area: 1,127,127 square km
Population: 67,851,281 (July 2004 est.)
Located in: Eastern Africa
Capital City: Addis Ababa
Head of State: GIRMA Woldegiorgis
Prime Minister: MELES Zenawi
Independent since: oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years
Currency: Birr (ETB)
Flag (image): 
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