Final answer:
The compactness of Ethiopia can be determined by calculating the boundary circumference ratio and comparing the country's boundary length to the circumference of a circle with the same area. This concept is related to historical methods of measuring the Earth's geography but would now typically utilize advanced satellite data.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the compactness of Ethiopia based on the boundary circumference ratio, one would essentially be comparing the ratio of the country's boundary length to the area within those boundaries. The formula for compactness is often the circumference of the country's boundary divided by the circumference of a circle with the same area as the country. This concept harks back to Eratosthenes' method of determining the Earth's circumference by measuring angles of the Sun's rays at different locations on Earth but applied to the country's geography instead.
Using ancient measurements as a reference, such as those from Posidonius who estimated the Earth's circumference at about 180,000 stadia, a modern equivalent approach might use satellite data to more accurately determine both the total length of Ethiopia's boundary and its total area. With the Great Rift Valley and variations in terrain, Ethiopia's shape may deviate from the compactness seen in more circular countries.
Ethiopia, found within the East Africa region, has unique geographic attributes that may affect its compactness score. Its proximity to coastal countries like Somalia and the presence of vast regions like the Serengeti highlight the diversity within the region that might also influence how compactness is perceived in a broader geographic and economic context.