Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of
a federation. Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10
years later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended
in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces;
independence was overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two
and a half year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended
under UN auspices on 12 December 2000. Eritrea currently hosts a UN
peacekeeping operation that will monitor the border region until an
international commission determines and demarcates the boundary
between the two countries.
Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and
Sudan
Geographic coordinates:
15
00 N, 39 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 121,320 sq km water: 0 sq km
land: 121,320 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries:
total: 1,626 km border countries: Djibouti 109
km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km
Coastline:
2,234 km total; mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea
1,083 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate:
hot,
dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the
central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually); semiarid in
western hills and lowlands; rainfall heaviest during June-September
except in coastal desert
Terrain:
dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending
highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the
northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling
plains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: near Kulul within the Denakil depression
-75 m highest point: Soira 3,018 m
Natural resources:
gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas,
fish
deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss
of infrastructure from civil warfare
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species signed, but not ratified: none of the
selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping
lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the
Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993
7.61
migrant(s)/1,000 population note: UNHCR began
repatriating about 150,000 Eritrean refugees from Sudan in 2001
following the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two
countries in 2000 (2002 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years:
1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female total
population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
73.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 56.57 years female: 59.13
years (2002 est.) male: 54.09 years
Total fertility rate:
5.8
children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.87% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Eritrean(s) adjective: Eritrean
Ethnic groups:
ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red
Sea coast dwellers) 3%, other 3%
Religions:
Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Languages:
Afar, Amharic, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other
Cushitic languages
Literacy:
definition: NA total population: 25%
male: NA% female: NA%
conventional long form: State of Eritrea
conventional short form: Eritrea local long
form: Hagere Ertra former: Eritrea Autonomous Region
in Ethiopia local short form: Ertra
Government type:
transitional government note: following a successful
referendum on independence for the Autonomous Region of Eritrea on
23-25 April 1993, a National Assembly, composed entirely of the
People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, was established as
a transitional legislature; a Constitutional Commission was also
established to draft a constitution; Afworki ISAIAS was elected
president by the transitional legislature; the constitution,
ratified in May 1997, did not enter into effect, pending
parliamentary and presidential elections; parliamentary elections
had been scheduled to take place in December 2001, but were
postponed; currently the sole legal party is the People's Front for
Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), though a draft political parties law
is under consideration
Capital:
Asmara (formerly Asmera)
Administrative divisions:
6
regions (regions, singular - region); Central, Anelba, Southern Red
Sea, Northern Red Sea, Southern, Gash-Barka
Independence:
24
May 1993 (from Ethiopia)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 May (1993)
Constitution:
the
transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a
new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented
Legal system:
primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, with
revisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been
promulgated; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted
laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Sharia law
Suffrage:
18
years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Afworki ISAIAS (since 8 June
1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly
head of government: President Afworki ISAIAS (since 8
June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head
of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly
cabinet: State Council is the collective executive
authority; members appointed by the president elections:
president elected by the National Assembly; election last held 8
June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the National Assembly did
not hold a presidential election in December 2001 as anticipated)
election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president;
percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term limits not
established) elections: in May 1997, following the
adoption of the new constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central
Committee (the old Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the
527-member Constituent Assembly which had been established in 1997
to discuss and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives
of Eritreans living abroad were formed into a Transitional National
Assembly to serve as the country's legislative body until
countrywide elections to a National Assembly were held; although
only 75 of 150 members of the Transitional National Assembly were
elected, the constitution stipulates that once past the transition
stage, all members of the National Assembly will be elected by
secret ballot of all eligible voters; National Assembly elections
scheduled for December 2001 were postponed indefinately
Judicial branch:
High
court, regional, subregional, and village courts; also have military
and special courts
Political parties and leaders:
People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, the only party
recognized by the government [Afworki ISAIAS]; note - a National
Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January
2001, but the full National Assembly had not yet debated or voted on
it as of December 2001
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ; Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF
[ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council
or ELF-RC [Ahmed NASSER]; Eritrean Liberation Front-United
Organization or ELF-UO [Mohammed Said NAWD]; Eritrean Public Forum
or EPF [ARADOM Iyob]
chief of mission: Ambassador GIRMA Asmerom
telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991 consulate(s)
general: Oakland (California) FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304
chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20009
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Donald J. McCONNELL
embassy: Franklin D. Roosevelt Street, Asmara
mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara
telephone: [291] (1) 120004 FAX: [291] (1)
127584
Flag description:
red
isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag into
two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one is
blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on
the hoist side of the red triangle
Since independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993, Eritrea has
faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country.
Like the economies of many African nations, the economy is largely
based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population
involved in farming and herding. The Ethiopian-Eritrea war in
1998-2000 severely hurt Eritrea's economy. GDP growth in 1999 fell
to less than 1%, and GDP decreased by 8.2% in 2000. The May 2000
Ethiopian offensive into northern Eritrea caused some $600 million
in property damage and loss, including losses of $225 million in
livestock and 55,000 homes. The attack prevented planting of crops
in Eritrea's most productive region, causing food production to drop
by 62%. Even during the war, Eritrea developed its transportation
infrastructure, asphalting new roads, improving its ports, and
repairing war damaged roads and bridges. Eritrea's economic future
remains mixed. The cessation of Ethiopian trade, which mainly used
Eritrean ports before the war, leaves Eritrea with a large economic
hole to fill. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its ability to
master fundamental social problems like illiteracy, unemployment,
and low skills, and to convert the diaspora's money and expertise
into economic growth.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $3.2 billion (2001 est.)
NA;
note - mobile cellular service was introduced in May 2001
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate domestic: very
inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is seeking
international tenders to improve the system (2002)
international: NA; note - international connections exist
total: 317 km narrow gauge: 317 km 0.950-m
gauge note: links Ak'ordat and Asmara with the port of
Massawa; nonoperational since 1978 except for about a 5 km stretch
that was reopened in Massawa in 1994; rehabilitation of the
remainder and of the rolling stock is under way (2001 est.)
Highways:
total: 3,850 km paved: 810 km
unpaved: 3,040 km (2000)
Waterways:
none
Ports and harbors:
Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa)
Merchant marine:
total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 19,100
GRT/23,399 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 2, liquefied
gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2002 est.)
Airports:
21
(2001)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047
m: 2 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 14 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to
3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523
m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2002)
Eritrea and Ethiopia have expressed general approval of the
April 2002 arbitration commission ruling re-delimiting the boundary,
the focus of their 1998-2000 war; United Nations Mission in Ethiopia
and Eritrea (UNMEE) will monitor activities within the 25-km wide
temporary security zone in Eritrea until demarcation and de-mining
are complete; Yemen has asserted traditional fishing rights to
islands ceded to Eritrea in ICJ ruling
28/03 - Eritrea: a
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