Ethiopia

Photo: Acacia tree

An Ethiopian boy finds rest and a good vantage point in an acacia tree.

Photograph by David Sacks/Getty Images

Known for famine, war, and wrenching poverty, this ancient East African nation south of the Red Sea, north of Kenya, and north and west of Somalia is not for the faint of heart. • Millions of years ago this part of the continent was known as the cradle of humanity. • Visitors today can easily happen upon vestiges of a medieval world whose rites and ceremonies haven’t changed in more than a millennium. • Stunning landscapes like the Simen and Bale Mountains boast a range of animal and birdlife seen nowhere else on Earth, including the “bleeding heart” baboon, whose genesis still perplexes scientists.

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