Capital and largest city (pop., 1994: 2,112,737) of Ethiopia.
It lies on a plateau in the country's geographic centre at an altitude of about 8,000 ft (2,450 m). The city was founded as the capital in 1887 because of the unsatisfactory location of the former capital, Entoto. Addis Ababa was the capital of Italian East Africa 1935–41. It has become the national centre for higher education, banking and insurance, and trade. Several international organizations have their headquarters there, including the Organization of African Unity . In recent decades it has suffered unrest and extensive damage as a result of the country's political instability.