Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia as well as the African Union and the OAU, its predecessor. It is sometimes spelled as Addis Abeba and has a literal translation meaning "new flower". Addis Ababa competes with the city of Kabul to be the world's largest city in a landlocked country with a population of 2,738,248 as of the 2007 population census. It has the status of both a city and a state and is often called the African Capital because of the city's historical, diplomatic and political significance for the continent of Africa.

Empress Taytu Betul chose the site which was later founded as a city in 1886 by her husband, Emperor Menelik II. The Emperor found the place to be a useful base for military operations. When Italian troops occupied Addis Ababa on May 5, 1936, it made the city the capital of Italian East Africa from the years 1936-1941. In the year 1963, the Organization of African Unity was began by Emperor Haile Selassie but later on dissolved in 2002 and was replaced by the present African Union.

Addis Ababa is known for being an important administrative center for Ethiopia and the whole of Africa. Addis Ababa holds many tourist attractions to keep visitors busy during their stay. Tourist attractions in Addis Ababa include Africa Hall, St. George's Cathedral, The Menelik Mausoleum, Haile Selassie's Grand Palace, the National Museum, the Lion of Judah Monument and the many Squares in the city.