Ethiopia is the oldest independent state in Africa and has its roots in the kingdom of Axum that flourished in the third century before Christ. This Christian kingdom is responsible for several remarkable monuments, of which the rock-hewn churches in Lalibela are the most famous. After the downfall of kingdom of Axum, Ethiopia consisted of many Christian and Muslim states, that were regularly under attack from Oromos, Afars and Somalis. This changed when the nobleman Ras Kassa proclaimed himself emperor in 1865. He was defeated by the British though, who were competing with the Italians and the French for the control over the coastal regions of the Red Sea. This territory gained importance because of the construction of the Suez canal. In 1896, Ras Kassa's successor Menelik, made a treaty with the Italians (who had occupied Eritrea), but they soon disagreed about the treaty. The disagreement resulted in a battle near Adwa, where Menelik's army defeated the Italians, to the horror of Europe. Italy kept Eritrea and Ethiopia remained independent until the build-up to the second world war.

After his death in 1908, Menelik was first succeeded by Iyasu, but being accused of 'abjuring the Christian faith, he was deposed. Menelik's daughter Zawditu was proclaimed empress under the regency of Ras Tafari. In 1930, Ras Tafari was crowned as emperor Haile Selassie, who ruled until 1974, with a short interruption between 1935 - 1941 when Mussolini annexed Ethiopia. In 1962 Ethiopia occupied Eritrea, which started a bloody war of independence. In Ethiopia the discontent with Haile Selassie's rule grew as well, and in 1974 a military coup took place. The new leader colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam was supported by Soviet Union. His military Derg regime conducted a veritable reign of terror between 1974 and 1991. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the successes of the resistance movements caused the downfall of the Derg regime in 1991: Mengistu fled to Zimbabwe and seven days later the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) entered Addis Ababa.

The TPLF formed a coalition with other resistance movements, including the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), and this Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) governs Ethiopia since 1991. Eritrea became independent of Ethiopia in 1993. A border conflict between the two countries resulted in a bloody war in 1998 and 2000. In December 2000 Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a peace treaty in Algiers and the UN installed a peace keeping force (UNMEE) in the border area. Two years later, the Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission decided on the demarcation of the Ethiopian-Eritrean border. As this ruling was partly rejected by Ethiopia the border dispute remains until today.