Climate Risk Management in Finnish Development Cooperation - Gaia

2 Climate change in Ethiopia
2.1 Climate patterns and climate variability
Corresponding to the country’s extensive geographical diversity and considerable size in the
African Horn 16 , the Ethiopian climate also presents a wide variety differing features. While
located at latitudes of 4 to 15°N, Ethiopia’s climate in the south-eastern and north-eastern
lowland regions is typically tropical but much cooler in the large central highland regions of
the country. The climate of the country, including rainfall is mainly driven by the seasonal
migration of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and strongly influenced by the
diverse topography of the country.
Figure 2. Daily mean annual temperature in °C (left) and Cumulative mean annual rainfall in mm
(right) 17
With regards to temperature, mean annual temperatures in Ethiopia vary greatly, from ca.
10°C over the highlands in the north-west, central and south-east parts of the country to
about 35°C in a small zone in the north-east of the country (see Figure 2). In general, the
16 With a land area of about 1.12 million km2, Ethiopia shares boundaries to the east and southeast with Djibouti
and Somalia, to the north with Eritrea, to the south with Kenya, and to the west with the Sudan.
17 Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE). 2001. Initial National Communication of Ethiopia to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Ministry of Water Resources, National
Meteorological Services Agency. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
10