Addis Ababa (Amharic new flower) is the capital of Ethiopia. The site was chosen by Empress Taytu Betul and the city was founded in 1886 by her husband, Emperor Menelik II, and now has a population of approximately 2.3 million according to the 1994 census.

The city lies at the foot of Mount Entoto, and is home to Addis Ababa University. Addis Ababa University was formerly known as Haile Selassie I University, after the former Emperor of Ethiopia.

In 1936, Italian troops occupied Addis Ababa.

Haile Selassie helped form the Organization of African Unity in 1963 and invited the new organization to maintain its headquarters in the city. The OAU was dissolved in 2002 and replaced by the African Union, also headquartered in Addis Ababa. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa also has its headquarters in Addis Ababa.

The city is served by Bole International Airport, where a new terminal opened in 2003. Addis Ababa has a railway connection with Djibouti.

A plaster replica of the early hominid Lucy is preserved at the national Museum in Addis Ababa.

External links

• Addis Ababa City Council (http://www.ethiopar.net/English/basinfo/infoadds.html)
• Introduction to Addis Ababa (http://www.macalester.edu/courses/geog61/kshively/intro.html)