East Africa Time (Addis Ababa)

Ethiopia uses East Africa Time (EAT) at UTC+3 but has a unique timekeeping tradition — Ethiopians use a 12-hour clock that starts at dawn (6 AM) rather than midnight. So '1 o'clock' in Ethiopian time is 7 AM in international time, and '6 o'clock' is noon. This can cause considerable confusion for visitors. Addis Ababa is the capital and the seat of the African Union (AU) headquarters, making it the diplomatic capital of the continent. The city also hosts the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Ethiopia uses its own calendar (the Ethiopian calendar), which is roughly 7-8 years behind the Gregorian calendar and has 13 months. Ethiopia is Africa's second most-populous country with over 120 million people and one of the world's fastest-growing economies. Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's largest and most profitable airline, operates its hub at Bole International Airport on EAT and serves as a major connector for intra-African travel. The country's ancient Christian heritage, the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, and its reputation as the birthplace of coffee make it culturally unique. The Ethiopian Commodity Exchange, pioneering commodities trading in Africa, operates on EAT.