About
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 is monitoring a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone on
the border with Ethiopia. An international commission, organized to resolve the border dispute, posted its findings in 2002
but final demarcation is on hold due to Ethiopian objections.
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Source: The World Factbook
Population: 4,561,599 (July 2005 est.)
Capital: Asmara
Languages: Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic
languages
Religions: Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Government: transitional government
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; ISAIAS Afworki 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 in December 2001, but were postponed indefinitely;
currently the sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)
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
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
Ethnic groups: ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and
Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%, other 3%
Economy: 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 fell to zero in 1999 and to -12.1% 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. Since the war ended, the government has maintained a firm grip on the economy, expanding the use of the military and
party-owned businesses to complete Eritrea's development agenda. Erratic rainfall and the delayed demobilization of
agriculturalists from the military kept cereal production well below normal, holding down growth in 2002-05. Eritrea's
economic future depends upon its ability to master social problems such as illiteracy, unemployment, and low skills, and to
open its economy to private enterprise so the diaspora's money and expertise can foster economic growth.
GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2005 est.)
GDP real growth: 2% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA (2003 est.)
Internet country code: .er
Dial code: +291
Cities
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Local currency is the Eritrean Nakfa
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