Ethiopia. Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region. Awasa. A beautiful smiling woman wearing a colorful earring. The Ethiopian earring is composed with the three traditional colours of green, yellow and red which were first used for the flag of the Ethiopian Empire in 1897, a year after Ethiopia decisively defended itself from Italian colonization. The flag's tri-colour scheme has existed since the early 19th century, and was previously the official banner of the Ethiopian Empire's Solomonic dynasty. The colours green, yellow, and red have carried special importance since at least the early 17th century. Awasa (also spelled Awassa or Hawassa) is a city on the shores of Lake Awasa in the Great Rift Valley. The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (often abbreviated as SNNPR) is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. 4.11.15 © 2015 Didier Ruef