Eritrea

Overview

Eritrea is located in the Horn of Africa at the Red Sea. Its ports were once used to acquire gold, coffee and slaves that were sold by the Ethiopian traders.

The country is bordered by Djibouti to the southeast, Ethiopia to the south and Sudan to the west. Its coastline is 600 miles from Cape Kasar in the north to Strait of Mandeb (which separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden) in the south.

View from the road between Asmara and Dek’emhāre,

An Italian colony between 1889-1941, after that, the British forces took over. In 11th September 1952, it joined the federation of Ethiopia. However, on September 30th the same year, Emperor Haile Selassie gave a notice that the court of Ethiopia would be the court of appeal of Eritrea. Eritrea condemned the act as an interference of their affairs causing the Chief Executive, Ato Telda Bairu, to resign.

The Emperor then appointed Idris Mohammed Adem as president of Eritrean Assembly and Ato Tedla Bailu as Chief Executive. In 1962, it was fully seized by Ethiopia causing the Eritreans to start the independence movement. With the assistance of Ethiopian rebels, Eritrean People’s Liberation Front won the war of independence in 1991 and it gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993. A democratic constitution was formulated in 1997 but it was never implemented. In 1998-2000, Eritrea and Ethiopia got into a border war, which ended in 2018 and the UN lifted sanctions.

President Isaias Afwerki has been Eritrea’s president since independence. His People’s Front for Democracy and Justice is the only political party in the country.

As of 2019, the country had a population of 5.32 million.

The dominant religions in the country are Christianity and Islam.

The education system comprises of five years of elementary education, two years in middle school and four years of secondary education.

The national dish is Zigini, which is a spicy meat stew.

The official languages in are Tigrinya, Tigre and Standard Arabic.

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History

Eritrea was an Italian colony from 1890, then came under British administration and was federated with Ethiopia. It won independence in 1993 after a 30-year war.

Food & culture

Injera with spicy stews such as zigni is the staple, and Italian influence shows in pasta and coffee culture.

Wildlife

The Dahlak Archipelago in the Red Sea has coral reefs, dolphins and seabirds.

Festivals & events

Independence Day on 24 May is celebrated with festivals in Asmara.

Things to see

The Italian modernist architecture of Asmara, the port town of Massawa, the Dahlak Islands and the ruins of Qohaito.

Interesting facts

Asmara's modernist city centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Neighbours

• Djibouti
• Ethiopia
• Sudan