Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Addis Ababa (Amharic new flower) is the capital of Ethiopia. The site was chosen by Empress Taytu Betul and the city was founded in 1886 by her husband, Emperor Menelik II, and now has a population of approximately 4 million.
The city lies at the foot of Mount Entoto, and is home to Addis Ababa University. Addis Ababa University was formally known as Haile Selassie I University, after the former Emperor of Ethiopia.
Haile Selassie helped form the Organization of African Unity in 1963 and invited the new organization to maintain its headquarters in the city. The OAU was dissolved in 2002 and replaced by the African Union, also headquartered in Addis Ababa.
The city is served by Bole International Airport, where a new terminal opened in 2003. Addis Ababa has a railway connection with Djibouti.
