Ethiopia is one of the world’s oldest countries, known to be the cradle of humanity: since Lucy, the best-preserved version of the predecessor to man, has been found in the Ethiopian part of the Great Rift Valley, humankind is very likely to have its roots in Ethiopia. The country is also one of the oldest Christian nations in the world, dating back to 300 AD, when its ancient capital, Aksum, was converted to Christianity. Moreover, it is the site of the Islamic Migration to Abyssinia and home to the oldest Muslim settlement in Africa. Important as a liturgical language remains the ancient Ge’ez script, which is one of the oldest alphabets still in use. Despite having preserved its sovereignty from long-term colonization and having defeated Italy in the Battle of Adwa, it was eventually invaded and occupied by fascist Italy in the 1930s. After liberation during World War II, Ethiopia became prominent in modern world affairs Ethiopia being among the first independent nations to sign the Charter of the United Nations, which gave moral and material support to the decolonization of Africa and to the growth of Pan-African cooperation.
