addis ababa is located in the middle of the country and has about 3 mio residents. it was founded in 1886, possibly based on the nearby medieval imperial city called barara. under emperor menelik-2, in 1889, addis ababa became the capital of ethiopia.

this city is characterized by a wide range of churches, business architecture, historic monuments as well as countless markets and very basic residential areas. a symbolic memorial shows a large lion, the symbol of ethiopia.

the largest university of addis ababa, named after emperor haile selassie, was founded in 1950. some main targets are marked on the following city map.

the st. george cathredal, which has an octagonal design, is named after the holy figure st george. here the last emperor, haile selassie, was crowned in 1930.

the highest rating ethiopian orthodox cathedral in addis ababa is the holy trinity cathedral. it shall symbolize ethiopia's liberation from italian occupation. only the the church of our lady mary of zion in axum ranks higher in ethiopia.

in this church, which contains many paintings of holy notables, the final rest place of haile selassie and his wife menen asfaw was installed in 2000.

in societal terms, addis ababa eventually became the "political capital of africa" when the african union placed its headquarter there.