Ethiopia (officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia) is a centrally eastern African country. As Africa’s oldest independent country, it served as a symbol of African independence during the colonial period. The government is a federal parliamentary republic, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of the country. With a population of 86.5 million and an area of 437,794 sq miles, Ethiopia is the second largest African nation. It is bordered by Sudan and South Sudan in the northwest, Uganda and Kenya in the southwest, and Somalia and Djibouti in the east.