Portuguese helped the Ethiopians defeat
invading Arab armies.
In the late 1800s Italy wanted to make
Ethiopia a colony. However, the Ethiopians
defeated the invading Italians.
Italians again attacked Ethiopia in 1935.
The following year they made Ethiopia a
part of a territory known as Italian East
Africa. The territory lasted until 1941,
when British troops forced the Italians
out of the area. In 1952 Ethiopia took
over Eritrea.
In 1974 Ethiopia’s military removed
Emperor Haile Selassie from power.
That ended the country’s ancient monarchy.
The military government, known
as the Derg, made Ethiopia a socialist
country. (Socialists work to spread
wealth more evenly among people.)
In the 1970s and 1980s rebel groups
fought against the military government.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Ethiopians
died during droughts and famines.
In 1991 rebels toppled the military government.
Ethiopia held its first democratic
elections in 1995.
From 1998 to 2000 Ethiopia fought a
border war with Eritrea, which had
gained independence in 1993. Tensions
between the two countries continued
into the 21st century.
..More to explore
Addis Ababa • Aksum • Eritrea
• Human Origins
Women in Ethiopia carry water in jugs.
Facts About
ETHIOPIA
Population
(2008 estimate)
78,254,000
Area
435,186 sq mi
(1,127,127 sq
km)
Capital
Addis Ababa
Form of
government
Federal republic
Major cities
Addis Ababa,
Dire Dawa,
Nazret, Gonder,
Dese, Mekele
156 Ethiopia BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Etna, Mount
Mount Etna is the highest active volcano
in Europe. It is on the island of Sicily in
the Mediterranean Sea. (Sicily is a part
of Italy.) Mount Etna is about 11,000
feet (3,350 meters) high. It has a base
that measures about 93 miles (150 kilometers)
around.
Etna has been an active volcano for
more than 2.5 million years. The
ancient Greeks created legends about it.
According to one story, the volcano was
the workshop of Hephaestus, the god of
fire, and the Cyclops, a one-eyed giant.
Seventy-one eruptions of Etna were
recorded between 1500 BC and AD 1669.
The lava flow from a massive eruption
in 1669 destroyed a dozen villages and
buried part of the town of Catania. Etna
erupted 26 more times between 1669
and 1900 and frequently thereafter. In
1983, during an eruption that lasted
four months, authorities exploded dynamite
to change the lava flow and prevent
damage to surrounding towns. Mount
Etna also erupted violently several times
in the early 21st century.
#More to explore
Volcano
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptuses, or eucalypti, are tall trees.
In fact, some of the tallest trees in the
world are eucalypti. Eucalypti are sometimes
known as gum trees or stringybark
trees.
Eucalypti are most numerous in Australia.
They also grow in other places where
the weather is mild. Eucalypti can be
found in New Zealand, South America,
southern Europe, and northern Africa.
They also grow in California.
There are more than 500 species, or
types, of eucalyptus. Some are only
about 30 feet (9 meters) in height. But
In Australia eucalypti are sometimes
called stringybark trees.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Eucalyptus 157
many eucalypti grow much taller. The
giant gum tree of Australia is more than
300 feet (90 meters) tall. Its trunk is
about 25 feet (7.6 meters) around.
Eucalypti have long, thin leaves. They
are light or dark green. Small flowers
grow on eucalyptus trees. They come in
many colors, including white, yellow,
and shades of red. Eucalypti also have
small woody capsules. Inside the capsules
are seeds.
Some eucalyptus leaves contain an oil
that has a strong smell. The oil is used in
medicines, such as cough drops. Eucalyptus
wood is tough and durable. It is
used to build things such as furniture
and fences. The koala, a small Australian
mammal, eats eucalyptus leaves.
#More to explore
Koala • Tree
Euoplocephalus
Euoplocephalus was a plant-eating dinosaur
that walked on four legs. It was one
of a family called the ankylosaurs. The
ankylosaurs all had bony plates on their
backs and sides that acted as armor to
protect them. Euoplocephalus was different
from most other ankylosaurs because
it also had bones that protected the face,
including the eyelids.
When and Where
Euoplocephalus Lived
Euoplocephalus lived during the period of
Earth’s history called the Late Cretaceous.
This lasted from 99 to 65 million
years ago. Many Euoplocephalus remains
have been found in the Canadian province
of Alberta and in Montana in the
United States.
Physical Features
Euoplocephalus was a powerfully built
creature. It grew to about 20 feet (6
meters) in length and probably weighed
more than 2 tons. Its body was wide and
low to the ground. It walked on legs that
were short but thick and strong. Large
horns jutted out from the rear of the
head and the cheek region of the face.
Like all of the ankylosaurs, Euoplocephalus
had a powerful tail with a heavy
club at the end.
Behavior
Euoplocephalus moved very slowly. It
depended on the bony plates covering its
body to protect it from its enemies. The
Euoplocephalus
158 Euoplocephalus BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
club at the end of its tail was used as a
weapon in self-defense. When attacked,
