Empress Taytu Betul founded Addis Ababa in 1886, choosing the site for its beautiful hot springs and giving it a name meaning «New Flower» in Amharic. Her husband, Emperor Menelik II, soon made it the official capital of the Ethiopian Empire.

Sitting at roughly 2,355 metres above sea level, it is Africa's highest capital city. Today it hosts the headquarters of the African Union and the UN Economic Commission for Africa, earning it the nickname «the diplomatic capital of Africa».