Ethiopia is well known for its Emperor Haile Selassie. Haile Selassie's real name is Lij Tafari Makonnen and he was born in 1892 and died in 1975 (novelguide.com). He comes from one of the earliest lineages of royal families; King Solomon. He is the last of his lineage to have power in Ethiopia. He was given power between 1930 and 1974. There was a war for Ethiopia by the Italians called the Battle of Adwa. The Italians wanted to gain land in Africa because the French and Europeans were all trying to acquire land in Africa. Haile Selassie tried to ask the League of Nations for help. Help was refused, and Ethiopia was supposedly subsequently colonized. It is not well known whether the Italians actually colonized Ethiopia but according to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Ethiopia was taken between the years 1936-1941 (cia.gov). The reason it is difficult to determine whether Italians colonized Ethiopia is because it was not fully recognized by the League of Nations, only some members of the League recognized it (about.com). If they had been captured by the Italians, their independence would have occurred on May 5, 1941 (about.com). Since there is no guarantee in colonization, it is believed that whatever struggle there was is still there today, passed on to the government's predecessors. “The Ethiopian economy is based on agriculture, Ethiopia contributes more than 80% of exports and employs 85% of the population (state.gov).” Ethiopia's main export is coffee, which provides about 35% of earnings, which were highest in the mid-1990s. Other important traditional agricultural exports are leather, hides and skins, legumes, oilseeds and the traditional "khat", a leafy shrub that has psychotropic qualities when chewed. Sugar and gold production also became imp...... center of paper ......mf.org/external/np/fin/tad/extrans1.aspx?memberKey1=290&endDate=2011-02- 21&finposition_flag=YESLEWIN , A. (2002, August 15). Ethiopia. Retrieved from http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/ethiopia3.htmlCentral Intelligence Agency, (2011). Ethiopia The World Factbook. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/et.html#topLukunka, B. (2011, February 19). The border war changes lives. Retrieved from http://www.mssu.edu/international/mccaleb/Ethiopia/border.htmBoddy-Evans, A. (2008, May 5). May 5, 1941 – Ethiopia regains its independence. Retrieved from http://africanhistory.about.com/b/2008/05/05/5-may-1941-ethiopia-regains-its-independence.htmEthiopia gets IMF loan to deal with global recession. (2009, August 29). Retrieved from http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-4029802/aHR0cDovL3N1ZGFudHJpYnVuZS5jb20vc3BpcC5waHA/YXJ0aWNsZTMyMjcx