Africa is a continent made up of 54 countries and boasts the second largest population in the world.

       All the states have their own unique histories, as well as culture and identities.

       Over 1,000 languages are spoken across the continent, with Swahili the most commonly spoken.

       Africa fought to free itself from the shackles of European colonialism over decades, with a major turning point being the year 1960.

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       This was when the greatest number of African states won independence, giving a major boost to the liberation process for the continent as a whole.

       The continent's oldest independent country is Ethiopia, which apart from a five-year occupation by Mussolini's Italy, has never been formally colonised.

       For many years, Ethiopia was ruled by a monarchy, whose reign only came to an end in 1974 after a coup.

       The country served as a powerful symbol of African independence throughout the continent's colonial period.

       It is also a founding member of the United Nations, which came into existence in October 1945.

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       Geographically, Ethiopia is a rugged, landlocked country split by the Great Rift Valley, and is located in the north-eastern part of the continent known as the Horn of Africa.

       The country covers 1,112,000 square kilometres (472,000 sq. miles) making it roughly as large as France and Spain combined and is five times the size of the UK.

       Its 110.14 million population is made up of an eclectic mix of different peoples and cultures.

       Ethiopia represents a melting pot of ancient cultures, including those from the Middle East.

       It was in Ethiopia that the oldest remains of a human ancestor were found.

       They were discovered in the Awash Valley and are some five million years old.

       This beats the discovery of “Lucy”, a 3.2 million year old skeleton, who was unearthed in the same area in 1974.

       Among its important cultural sites are Lalibela with its rock-cut Christian churches from the 12th–13th centuries.

       Aksum is the ruins of an ancient city with obelisks, tombs, castles and Our Lady Mary of Zion church.