Ethiopian voters will go to the polls on Sunday to elect federal and regional legislators since the Prime Minister Meles Zenawi-led ruling coalition party has been in power for 14 years.

The following are key facts about Ethiopia.

Official Name: The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Location: Located in eastern Africa, Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Somalia to the southeast, Djibouti to the east, Sudan to the west and Kenya to the south.

Area: total: 1,127,127 sq. km.

Climate: tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation.

Terrain: high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley.

Population: 74.2 million (UN, 2005).

Capital: Addis Ababa

Government type: federal republic.

Administrative divisions: Nine ethnically-based states.

Religions: Muslim 45 percent - 50 percent, Ethiopian Orthodox 35 percent - 40 percent, animist 12 percent, other 3 percent - 8 percent.

Languages: the official language is Amharic; Tigrinya, Somali and Arabic are also widely spoken; English is major foreign language taught in schools.

Life expectancy: 45 years (men), 46 years (women) (UN).

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.4 percent (2003).

Main exports: Coffee, hides, oilseeds, beeswax, sugarcane.

GDP: real growth rate: 11.6 percent (2004).

Population below poverty line: 50 percent (2004).

Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule, with the exception of the 1936-41 Italian occupation during World War II.

In November 1930, Haile Sellassie I was enthroned as Emperor. In 1974, the armed forces deposed the Emperor and a Provisional Military Administrative Council headed by Aman Andom was formed. At the same time, the junta abolished the constitution and dissolved the parliament. After Mengistu Haile Mariam took power in a coup, the Provisional Military Administrative Council headed by Mengistu exercised ultimate power and proclaimed the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in September 1987.

Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

A constitution was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A two and a half year border war with Eritrea ended with a peace treaty on December 12, 2000. Final demarcation of the boundary is currently on hold due to Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender sensitive territory.

Economic overview: Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, accounting for half of GDP, 60 percent of exports, and 80 percent of total employment.

The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian economy with exports of some 156 million US dollars in 2002, but historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to supplement income.

The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought have buffeted the economy, in particular coffee production. In November 2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.

Under Ethiopia's land tenure system, the government owns all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral for loans.

Drought struck again in late 2002, leading to a 2 percent decline in GDP in 2003. Normal weather patterns in late 2003 helped agricultural and GDP growth recover in 2004.