Ethiopian Climate and Terrain
Ethiopia is situated on two plateaus, the Amhara to the north and the Somali to the east. The Chercher, Aranna, and Chelalo mountains and the Great Rift Valley bisect these two zones. The Somali plateau is arid, rocky and sparsely populated. Much of the rural population of Ethiopia lives south of Addis Ababa in Sidamo and Goma Gofa, the primary coffee growing provinces which are rugged, but lower in elevation (Area Handbook 13).
Three primary climate zones are differentiated by elevation. The highest zone, above 8000 Ft. is cool year-round and known as the Degga. The majority of the population of Ethiopia lives in the Weina Degga, the temperate climate zone between 5000 and 8000 Ft. which has daily high temperatures varying between 60 and 85 degrees farenheight. The lowest region, near the eastern border of Ethiopia is known as the Kolla and is warm year-round (Area Handbook 407).
Addis Ababa, in Shewa province, is nestled in the central mountain region, on the western ridge of the Great Rift Valley, at 8000 feet above sea level.
Maps show Addis Ababa region within a 20-mile radius from the Arada. The mountainous area north of the city on the map to the left is the Entotto Mountain Range. The Climate Map shows Addis Ababa at the edge of the temperate (Weina Degga) and cool (Degga) climate zones (Horvath, Robert J. Von Thunen's Isolated State and the Area Around Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 59: 312, 1964).
Current 4-day Weather Forecast for Addis Ababa
Three Dimensional Map of Ethiopian Terrain
Color Elevation Map of Ethiopia
Ethiopian Roads and Cities on a Relief Map
Read on about the Geography of Addis Ababa
Macalester Geography: World Urbanization Page