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Background: 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.
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Common Name: Eritrea
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Local Official Name: Ertra
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Abbreviated Name: State of Eritrea
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Official Name: Hagere Ertra
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Official Script Name: Eritrea
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Local Common Name: Eritrea
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Former Name: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: President Afworki ISAIAS
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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
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Independence: 1993 May 24 (from Ethiopia)
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Constitution: the transitional constitution, decreed on 1993 May 19,
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National Holiday: Independence Day, 24 May
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International Organization Participation: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
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Administrative Divisions: 6 regions (regions, singular - region); Central, Anelba, Southern Red Sea, Northern Red Sea, Southern, Gash-Barka
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Dependent Areas: NA
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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
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Suffrage: 18 years of age years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: 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
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Party 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
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International Disputes: 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
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Illicit Drugs: NA
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Location of Eritrea: Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan
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Continent: Africa
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Land Area Total: 121,320 sq km
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Region: Eastern African |
Land Area Land: 121,320 sq km
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Capitol City: Asmara (formerly Asmera)
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Land Area Water: 0 sq km
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Current:
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Latitude: 015 00 N
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Border Boundary Land: 1,626 km
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Longitude: 039 00 E
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Border Boundary Coastline: 2,234 km
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Arable Land: 4.00 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 0.00 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 3,018 m
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Location: Soira
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Lowest Elevation: -75 m
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Location: near Kulul within the Denakil depression
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Largest City in Eritrea: Asmara
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Asmara Largest City Population: 514,000
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Threatened Species: 0
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Environmental Issues: deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Irrigated Land: 220
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Bordering Countries: Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km
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Natural Resources: gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish
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Geographical 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
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Comparative Area of Eritrea: slightly larger than Pennsylvania
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Eritrea's Geography: 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
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Eritrea.
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General 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
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Natural Hazards: frequent droughts; locust swarms
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Economic Overview: 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.
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GDP: $3,200,000,000 USD
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Currency: nakfa
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GDP per Capita: $740 USD
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Currency Code: ERN
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GDP Growth Rate: 7.00 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% ERN
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Currency Exchange Rate History: nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - 9.5 (January 2000), 7.6 (January 1999), 7.2 (March 1998 est.)
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GDP of Agriculture: 17.00 %
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GDP of Industry: 29.00 %
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GDP of Services: 54.00 % |
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Inflation Rate: 15.00 % |
Population in Poverty: 0.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 0.00 %
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Tourism: 57,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $206,400,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $615,700,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 210,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 195,300,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 100.00%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 0 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 0 cu m
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External Debt: $281,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $77,000,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal; livestock, goats; fish
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Primary Industries: food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles
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Industrial Growth Rate: 0.00 %
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Import Amount in USD: $470,500,000 USD - machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods
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Import Partners: Italy 17.4%, UAE 16.2%, Germany 5.7%, UK 4.5%, Korea 4.4%
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Export Amount in USD: $34,800,000 USD - livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures
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Export Partners: Sudan 27.2%, Ethiopia 26.5%, Japan 13.2%, UAE 7.3%, Italy 5.3%
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GINI Index: 0.00%
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Labor Force Number of People: 0
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Labor Force by Occupations: agriculture 80%, industry and services 20%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 4 |
Number of People with Radios: 345,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 1 |
Number of People with Televisions: 1,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 30,000 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 0 |
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Internet Service Providers: 5 |
Internet Users: 12,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .er |
Newspapers: 0 |
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Two Letter Country Code: ER |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: +291 |
Electricity Voltage: Volts |
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Telephone Systems: 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
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Highways: 810 km |
Railways: 317 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 0 km |
Waterways: 0 km
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Airports: 4 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 0 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 0 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 0.00 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: 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
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Ports and Harbors: Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa)
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Population: 4,465,651 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 42.25 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 32.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 11.82 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 3.80% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 5.80 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 958,564 |
Population Female 0-14: 955,625 |
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Population Male 15-64: 1,192,454 |
Population Female 15-64: 1,213,313 |
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Population Male 65+: 73,017 |
Population Female 65+: 72,678 |
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Population 0-14: 42.90% |
Literacy Rate: 25.00% |
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Population 15-64: 53.90% |
Literacy rate of Males: 0.00% |
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Population 65+: 3.20% |
Literacy rate of Females: 0.00% |
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Population that is Male: 49.50
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Population that is Female: 50.50% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 56.57 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 73.62 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 54.09 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 59.13 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 2.87%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 0
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 0 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: 7.61
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Nationality: ERITREAN
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Ethnic Groups: ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%, other 3%
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Primary Language: Afar
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Other Languages: Afar, Amharic, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages
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Primary Religion: Muslim
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Other Religions: Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
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Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 0 years
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Manpower Available: 0 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 0 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 0 People per year
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Expenditures: $138,300,000 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 19.80
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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Eritrea Spa and Resort Directory
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