A Brief History of the Mapping of Ethiopia
Deep Dive 3: Sub-Saharan Africa
Map History of Ethiopia with Kingdoms Across Centuries
Ethiopia is a country located in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a landlocked country on the Horn of Africa. It became land locked with the secession of Eritrea, which was its former province. Ethiopia lies within the tropical latitudes. Therefore, its areas of lower elevation experience climatic conditions typical of tropical savannah or desert. Its higher elevations experience weather typical of temperate zones or climates with moderate temperatures. The capital of Ethiopia today is Addis Ababa. The population of Ethiopia is estimated at 155.8 M and its fertility rate is 3.9 children per women. Ethiopia is Africa's oldest independent state and one of two African countries that avoided colonial rule (Brittanica 2023, United States Census Bureau 2023, ).
Ancient Ethiopia
Ethiopia is one of the world's oldest countries, so its territorial extent has varied over the millennia of its existence. The first settlement to emerge in northern Ethiopia and southern Eritrea was the Kingdom of Da'amat in about the tenth century BCE. Then, the Kingdom of Da'amat weakened in the fourth century BCE as Red Sea trade became more important than some of the former northern overland routes. This gave way to the Axum Empire, which formed in about the 1st century CE. Axum had important cities such as Adulis and Aksum. Adulis served as a coastal city that was a safe harbor for ships traveling from Southeast Asia. Aksum was a growing city and an economic hub of the state. It was a stopover point for land-based trade routes into Sudan and other areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. This is because Aksum was a capital city located in the interior of the state. So its proximity, or closeness, to other regions made the empire a regional power (Brittanica 2023, Miller 2012, Cartwright 2019).
A Map of Ethiopia During the Axumite Empire (African-European Fellowship 2019)
The religion of the Axum empire was known to be Christianity during the 4th century CE. Ethiopian tradition traces the establishment of Christianity to two shipwrecked Syrians, one of which who was named Frumentius. He became the first bishop of Ethiopia in 303 CE and influenced the king of Aksum, King Ezana (r. 325 – 350 CE), in his conversion to Christianity (Miller 2012).
Eventually, Axum's power began to diminish at the end of the sixth century CE. This began as the Persian Empire interrupted Aksum's trade with parts of southern Arabia in the late sixth century CE. Then, Muslims progressively dominated trade along the Red Sea coast. The most profitable trade routes shifted from the Red Sea, which the empire heavily relied on, to the Persian Gulf. This caused Aksum to become smaller as its Christian rulers turned away from coastal trade. Notably, the heartland of the Axum state shifted 300 km southwards to the cities of Lalibela and Gondar. Meanwhile, Muslims in coastal areas became more powerful and relationships between Ethiopian Muslims and Christians remained complex. The Axumite Empire continued to decline, and by the late eighth century CE, the old Axum Empire had ceased to exist (Miller 2012, Cartwright 2019).
Medieval Ethiopia and Portuguese Missionaries
The territory of Axum eventually developed into the medieval kingdom of Abyssinia with the founding of the Solomonic dynasty in 1270 CE. Between about 1529 - 1543 CE, a war took place between Abyssinia and the Adal Sultanate. The Adal Sultanate was formed by Muslims in the fourteenth century, and it supported a thriving, multi-ethnic state. Ethiopian Christians allied with the Portuguese and fought the Adal Sultanate, and it fell. The Portuguese missionaries attempted to convert the territory to Catholicism, but this and the attempt to get Ethiopia's allegiance to the Pope failed (Cunningham 2023, Miller 2012).
Leading up to Modern Day Ethiopia
Next, from 1818 to 1868 CE, Lij Kasa conquered Amhara, Gojjam, Tigray and Shoa. In 1855, Kasa became Emperor Tewodros II, and in 1868 Tewodros was defeated by a British expeditionary force. Then, in 1889, Yohannes IV (Tigrayan chieftain) was killed fighting Muslim forces and was succeeded by the king of Shoa, who became Emperor Menelik II. A friendship treaty was signed by Menelik with Italy during 1889, however Italy interpreted it as a protectorate, or an area/state controlled by another, and Ethiopia rejected this. During that same year, Addis Ababa became Ethiopia's capital. During the late 17th century, Italy invaded Ethiopia. However, its forces were quickly defeated and Italy recognized Ethiopia's independence. Italy invaded again in 1935. During this, Haile Selassie reigned. The empire of Ethiopia ended during the late 18th century (BBC 2020).
Geographical Analysis
Ethiopia has had a lengthy history of its territory changing in size and shape. This is because Ethiopia emerged from kingdoms and empires that were impacted by economic and cultural changes over time. One pattern is that the area's land changed whenever a change in trade occurred. For example, when trade became more prominent and important in the Red Sea, the Kingdom of Da'amat declined and the Axum Empire emerged. A lot of what took place in Ethiopia over time is due to spatial relationships between its territory, the coast and other regions nearby (such as parts of Arabia or parts of Sub-Saharan Africa). I discovered that environment did play a big part in Ethiopia's history, because it the area was influenced by climate, agriculture, etc.
Conclusion
My reaction to this long history in the territorial extent or mapping of Ethiopia is that Ethiopia has a rich history that deserves to be appreciated. As I have learned in my World Geography East class, there is a lot that goes into the soul of a country, and that statement couldn't be more true in the case of Ethiopia.
References
“Ethiopia.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 7 Oct. 2023, www.britannica.com/place/Ethiopia.
“9.6: Aksum and Ethiopia.” Humanities LibreTexts, Libretexts, 15 July 2023, human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/History/World_History/Book%3A_World_History_-_Cultures_States_and_Societies_to_1500_(Berger_et_al.)/09%3A_African_History_to_1500/9.06%3A_Aksum_and_Ethiopia#:~:text=The%20Kingdom%20of%20Da’amat,its%20connections%20to%20Southern%20Arabia.
Admin. “Cushitic Languages.” Yaaku, 27 Oct. 2014, yaaku.org/language/cushitic-languages/.
Kessler, P L. “Map of Ethiopia Ad 1300s-1600s.” The History Files, www.historyfiles.co.uk/FeaturesAfrica/AfricaEast_MapAD1300s.htm. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023.
Cartwright, Mark. “Kingdom of Axum.” World History Encyclopedia, https://www.worldhistory.org#organization, 15 Oct. 2023, www.worldhistory.org/Kingdom_of_Axum/.
Cartwright, Mark. “Map of Ancient & Medieval Sub-Saharan African States.” World History Encyclopedia, https://www.worldhistory.org#organization, 12 Oct. 2023, www.worldhistory.org/image/10453/map-of-ancient--medieval-sub-saharan-african-state/.
“Ethiopian History.” Ethiopian Adventure Tours and Travel.Com, www.ethiopianadventuretours.com/about-ethiopia/ethiopian-history. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023.
Kessler, P L. “Map of Ethiopia Ad 1300s-1600s.” The History Files, www.historyfiles.co.uk/FeaturesAfrica/AfricaEast_MapAD1300s.htm. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023.
“Ethiopia Profile - Timeline.” BBC News, BBC, 12 Oct. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13351397.
“Ethiopia.” United States Census Bureau, www.census.gov/popclock/world/et. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023.
Africaneuropean. “Why Was Ethiopia Not Colonized?” AEF, AEF, 4 Mar. 2020, ae-fellowship.com/africa-history-blog-ii/.
“Ethiopia History.” Goway, www.goway.com/travel-information/africa-middle-east/ethiopia/history/. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023.