With a land area of 1.1 million square kilometers, Ethiopia is not just rich in natural resources, it is also rich in anthropological history. Some of the oldest human skeletons were found in this country. The country is occupied by 109 million people, making it the 12th most populous country in the world. It is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the country with the second-highest population in Africa.
It may be a landlocked country but it has numerous rivers and lake systems, which more than makeup for the lack of surrounding ocean. It has vast fertile lands carpeted with grass and shrubs, as well as areas covered with lush forest. But the nation is also home to one of the world’s hottest areas: Dallol. Around 70% of the mountains in Africa are in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia is also part of the region known as the Horn of Africa along with the countries Djibouti, Eritrea, and Somalia. It got its name because the shape of the area is like the horn of a rhino, which is among the most popular animal residents of Africa.
Ethiopians are also among the fastest runners in the world. The country is also among the top manufacturers of coffee in the globe—not only that, but the coffee is also among the best-tasting. Coffea, the plant species, originated in the country. Ethiopia is also popular for its national parks. Here are the five generally undiscovered parks in the country.
1. Awash National Park
Located in the Afar Region, the park is characterized as acacia woodland with vast grassland. It is named after the Awash River, which runs through the park. The part of the river within the park’s territory has a stunning cascade. Other attractions in the park are the Kudu Valley and the hot springs canopied with palm trees. Tourists should have a dip in the park’s water resources.
Among the wildlife in the park are Anubis and hamadryas baboons, dik-diks, East African oryxes, greater and lesser kudus, and Soemmerring’s gazelles. There are also over 453 species of birds in the park, a lot of which are natives. Among the birds are North African ostriches, which is the largest subspecies of the ostrich. This makes it the largest bird in the world.
2. Borena-Saynt National Park
The park is characterized by rugged highlands. It is a great place for hiking or trekking as tourists could witness dramatic landscapes within the park, as well as meet different attractions like the six caves along the cliffs. There are also great peaks in the park that provides moderate to challenging activities: Galokab, Gulas, Kabu Kora, Kerkeha Ras, and Mossebit. All these mountains are covered with lush vegetation—grasses, shrubs, and various trees.
Among the park’s resident animals are the Ethiopian wolf, Gelada baboon, Menelik’s bushbuck, and Stark’s hare. The Ethiopian wolf looks more like a fox and it is also known as the Simien fox. It is considered one of the rarest canids in the world. It is also unique in the sense that it has a specific diet requirement: afro-alpine rodent. This wolf species is also Africa’s most endangered carnivore. As of the last census, there were only 400 Ethiopian wolves left and that was still in 2011.
3. Gambella National Park
This is Ethiopia’s largest national park at 4,575 square kilometers (1.1 million acres). Its remote location plus the government’s lack of budget has made the park ill-managed. This is regrettable considering the potential that this park in the Gambela Region has to offer.
The park has one of the highest wildlife concentrations in Ethiopia. Four of the Big 5 are present in the park: African buffaloes, African elephants, lions, and leopards. Other animals in the park are cheetahs, common warthogs, giraffes, hippopotamuses, kewel, mantled guereza, Nile lechwe, olive baboons, patas monkeys, sables, spotted hyenas, tiang, topi, waterbucks, and white-eared kob bush pigs.
Gambella also hosts the migration of the following herds: Bohor reedbuck, bushbuck, Lelwel hartebeest, oribi, roan antelope, and white-eared kob. The migration of the white-eared kob is the second-largest mammal migration in the content. The park is also an important birding venue with over 327 bird species documented in the park, including 40 species of raptors.
4. Kafta Shiraro National Park
Over 160 mammalian species live in this park in the Tigray Region. Among the most popular residents is the African elephant. There are about 100 elephants that traverse this park and the neighboring Gash-Setit wildlife reserve of Eritrea. Demoiselle cranes also stay at the during migration season. The crane species are mostly found in Eurasian countries, but they invade the park’s Tekezr River when it’s winter in their home.
The park is also home to the following animals: aardvarks, caracals, greater kudus, leopards, lions, red-fronted gazelles, red-necked ostriches, and roan antelopes. There are also nine reptile species documented within the territory. Vegetation includes acacia-commiphora, combretum-terminalia, and montane woodlands. The habitats host around 95 species of birds.
5. Yabello National Park
The park prides itself on providing visitors with a real wildlife experience by allowing them to go to the animals’ natural habitat. The park was established in 1978 to protect the endemic Swayne’s hartebeest. This antelope species are endemic to Ethiopia. This species had also been extirpated in Somalia. Other popular park residents are the gazelles, gerenuks, and zebras.
The park is also unique because of its red soils, which indicates little organic matter. Despite that, plants continue to thrive in the area, particularly the acacia savannah variety. Among other plant and tree species are African juniper, Balsaminaceae, Cape gum, Combretaceae, torchwood, whistling thorn, and wild olive.
Endemic birds found settling in any of these plant species are the Stresemann’s bush crow and white-tailed swallow. There are over 200 species of birds found all around the park. Other birds found in the park are the following: Abyssinian grosbeak canary, black-capped and gray-headed social weavers, Donaldson-Smith and star-spotted nightjars, magpie starling, northern gray tit, ostrich, Pringle’s puff-back, short-tailed lark, Somali sparrow, and vulturine guinea fowl.
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