Ethiopia (Alternity)

Ethiopia, officially the Kingdom of Ethiopia is a constitutional monarchy in the Horn of Africa that is the best-developed nation on the continent, and is frequently placed in the top ten (or even five on occasion) most well-developed nations in the world. Ethiopia borders Somaliland and Eritrea to the north, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south.

Its modern origins can be traced as far back as 980 BC, while the nation's current ruling house, the Solomonic dynasty, can trace its roots to Israel's King Solomen of the same period. The modern Solomonic dynasty was founded in 1270 AD and has ruled almost uninterrupted since, with the only major interruption of royal power being in 1935, when Italian troops under Benito Mussolini invaded and occupied Ethiopia, killing thousands of native Ethiopians and forcing Emperor Haile Selassie I into exile. In 1941, British troops routed the Italians and allowed the royal house under Haile Selassie to be restored. His son, Amha Selassie I, took the throne in June 1979 following his father's death at the age of 87, himself aged 63 at the time. During his reign, Eritrea was finally granted independence, in 1991, ending the fifteen year-long Eritrean War. Amha I died eighteen years after assuming the throne, on February 17, 1997 at the age of 81, resulting from a massive stroke. Amha Selassie II, Amha I's son, ascended to the throne the next day and is the current emperor of Ethiopia.

As the most well-developed nation in Africa, Ethiopia enjoys relative stability, both politically and economically. It is a founding member of the United Nations, G-11, G-30, and the African Union. The nation has seen recent benefits from a United Global Industries'-assisted effort to modernize its power grid with renewable solar power, in addition to the nation's aging hydropower facilities that provide much of Ethiopia's power and water. Due to its widespread economic and political influence, Ethiopia has attempted to assist the many still-impoverished nations throughout eastern Africa, namely Kenya and Tanganyika, while in the post-war modernization period, Ethiopia allied with the fledgling South Sudan, both in an effort to gain the latter its independence (due to strong religious ties) and to undermine the corrupt Sudanese government and its alliance with the Soviet Union.

World War II (1938-1946)
Main Article: World War II (1938-1946)

Assistance of South Sudan (1969-1972)
Main Article: Sudanese Civil War (1955-1972)

Military
Ethiopia's military is the second largest in Africa (after South Africa), with 3.2 million active and reserve troops. It is also the most experienced and well-equipped military in Africa as well, having allied with South Sudan in the Sudanese Civil War of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Defeat of Sudanese Army troops in 1972 resulted in the Treaty of Addis Ababa, which ended the war, and forced Sudan to recognize South Sudanese independence. Ethiopia's navy maintains a force of over 30 submarines, 35 destroyers, 20 cruisers, 2 battleships, and 1 aircraft carrier, mainly out the port of Mogadishu on the eastern coast and Cadalay Naval Base eighty-three miles northeast of Mogadishu. Its air force is also the most well-equipped and experienced in Africa, mainly operating around 600 American-built F-16s and F-20s. It also operates the F-18, but in limited numbers and from the navy's only carrier, ERNS Haile Selassie. Ethiopia's principal allies include the United States, the United Kingdom, the Coastal African Republic, South Africa, and France.

Nuclear arsenal
Main Article: Nuclear weapons

Ethiopia is also known to be one of only two African nations to acknowledge a nuclear stockpile (South Africa being the other), with 400-500 nuclear warheads stored at military bases and silos in the Somali and Amhara Regions, and though the delivery systems are mainly bomber-based, Ethiopia does possess local-range SRBMs, mid-range IRBMs and roughly a dozen ICBM silos. A majority of the nation's nuclear capacity and capability was built up during the Cold War, as a key American ally in the region and deterrent to Communist aggressors.