This article covers the
prehistory and
history of
Ethiopia, from emergence as an empire under the
Aksumites to its current form as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, as well as the history of other areas in what is now Ethiopia such as the
Afar Triangle. The
Ethiopian Empire (Abyssinia) was first founded by
Habesha people in the
Ethiopian Highlands. Due to migration and imperial expansion, it grew to include many other primarily
Afro-Asiatic-speaking communities, including
Oromos ,
Amhara ,
Somalis ,
Tigray,
Afars,
Sidama,
Gurage,
Agaw and
Harari, among others.