Category: Addis Ababa and its surroundings

Located on a well-watered plateau surrounded by hills and mountains, in the geographic center of the country, Addis Ababa is considered one of the booming and fast-growing capital cities in Africa.

By the year 1887 the empress Taitu, wife of Emperor Menilek II (reigned 1889–1913), persuaded the emperor to build a house near the hot springs at the foot of the tableland and to grant land in the area to members of the nobility. When the nobility started to settle in the area, the new seat of the empire got a name called Addis Ababa (“New Flower”) by the empress.

Addis Ababa is the world’s third-highest capital city and nestled under the Entoto Mountains has both an African and international feel. Called to be the diplomatic capital of Africa, Addis Ababa has served as the headquarters of the Organization of African Unity (now African Union) since its inception in 1963. A cosmopolitan modern city that has a mystical aura that seems to act as a portal to the past, a city which boasts world-class tourist amenities and a lively nightlife, yet it also offers access to some fine museums, atmospheric old churches, lush montane forests, and other green areas.