Addis Ababa is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia, situated at 2,355 metres elevation in the Ethiopian Highlands. Its name means “new flower” in Amharic.
Founded in 1886 by Emperor Menelik II, who was drawn to the area’s abundant hot mineral springs, the city became Ethiopia’s imperial capital three years later. At over 2,300 metres, it ranks as the fourth highest capital city globally and the highest in Africa. Home to roughly 2.7 million people, Addis Ababa grew rapidly through the twentieth century, shaped by successive master plans under Italian occupation in the 1930s and post-war European consultants. Today it functions as both Ethiopia’s administrative and financial centre and as a continental diplomatic hub — the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa maintain their headquarters here, earning the city its informal title as “the political capital of Africa.” Its high-altitude setting and role as a gateway to Ethiopia’s highland wilderness make it a common departure point for expeditions into the Bale Mountains, Simien range and Rift Valley.
