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Guide
Introduction
| |
| 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. |
| Location: |
Eastern Africa, bordering the
Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
15 00 N, 39 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 121,320
sq km
land: 121,320 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly larger than
Pennsylvania |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 1,630 km
border countries: Djibouti 113 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 |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 49%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 32% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
280 sq km (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
frequent droughts; locust
swarms |
| Environment
- current issues: |
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 |
| Population: |
4,298,269 (July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
42.85% (male 922,691; female 918,916)
15-64 years: 53.87% (male 1,147,927; female 1,167,705)
65 years and over: 3.28% (male 71,232; female 69,798) (2001
est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
3.84% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
42.52 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
12.07 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
7.91 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.)
note: according to the UNHCR, about 150,000 Eritrean
refugees in Sudan have registered for voluntary repatriation, following
the restoration of diplomatic relations between Eritrea and Sudan in
January 2000 |
| 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: 1.02 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
75.14 deaths/1,000 live
births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
56.18 years
male: 53.73 years
female: 58.71 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
5.87 children born/woman
(2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
2.87% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun: Eritrean(s)
adjective: Eritrean |
| Ethnic
groups: |
ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre
and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 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% |
| Country
name: |
conventional long form:
State of Eritrea
conventional short form: Eritrea
local long form: Hagere Ertra
local short form: Ertra
former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia |
| 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;
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 have now been scheduled to take place in December 2001 |
| Capital: |
Asmara (formerly Asmera) |
| Administrative
divisions: |
8 provinces (singular -
awraja); Akale Guzay, Barka, Denkel, Hamasen, Sahil, Semhar, Senhit,
Seraye
note: in May 1995 the National Assembly adopted a
resolution stating that the administrative structure of Eritrea, which
had been established by former colonial powers, would consist of only
six provinces when the new constitution, then being drafted, became
effective in 1997; the new provinces, the names of which had not been
recommended by the US Board on Geographic Names for recognition by the
US Government, pending acceptable definition of the boundaries, were:
Anseba, Debub, Debubawi Keyih Bahri, Gash-Barka, Maakel, and Semanawi
Keyih Bahri; more recently, it has been reported that these provinces
have been redesignated regions and renamed Southern Red Sea, Northern
Red Sea, Anseba, Gash-Barka, Southern, and Central |
| 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: |
operates on the basis of
transitional laws that incorporate pre-independence statutes of the
Eritrean People's Liberation Front, revised Ethiopian laws, customary
laws, and post independence enacted laws |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state:
President ISAIAS Afworki (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 ISAIAS Afworki (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
elections: president elected by the National Assembly;
election last held 8 June 1993 (next tentatively scheduled for December
2001)
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 country-wide elections to a National Assembly are
held; only 75 members will be elected to the National Assembly - the
other 75 will be members of the Central Committee of the PFDJ;
parliamentary elections are now scheduled for NA December 2001 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court; 10 provincial
courts; 29 district courts |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
People's Front for Democracy
and Justice or PFDJ, the only party recognized by the government [ISAIAS
Afworki, PETROS Solomon]; note - the National Assembly has appointed a
committee to draft a law on political parties |
| 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] |
| International
organization participation: |
ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO,
IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory
user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador GIRMA Asmerom
chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20009
telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991
FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador William D. CLARKE
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 |
| Economy
- overview: |
With independence from
Ethiopia on 24 May 1993, Eritrea faced the economic problems of a small,
desperately poor country. The economy is largely based on subsistence
agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding.
The small industrial sector consists mainly of light industries with
outmoded technologies. Domestic output (GDP) is substantially augmented
by worker remittances from abroad. Government revenues come from custom
duties and taxes on income and sales. Road construction is a top
domestic priority. In the long term, Eritrea may benefit from the
development of offshore oil, offshore fishing, and tourism. Eritrea's
economic future depends on its ability to master fundamental social and
economic problems, e.g., by reducing illiteracy, promoting job creation,
expanding technical training, attracting foreign investment, and
streamlining the bureaucracy. Eritrea's agriculture over the last two
years was severely weakened by war and drought, and many farmlands must
wait to be demined. Another major difficulty is the ports, which prior
to the war were Ethiopia's preferred outlets but since have seen trade
dry up. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity -
$2.9 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
-1% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$710 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 16%
industry: 27%
services: 57% (2000 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
14% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 80%, industry and
services 20% |
| Budget: |
revenues: $283.9
million
expenditures: $351.6 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1997 est.) |
| Industries: |
food processing, beverages,
clothing and textiles |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
165 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
153.5 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh NA kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh NA kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
sorghum, lentils, vegetables,
corn, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal; livestock, goats; fish |
| Exports: |
$26 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
livestock, sorghum, textiles,
food, small manufactures |
| Exports
- partners: |
Sudan 27.2%, Ethiopia 26.5%,
Japan 13.2%, UAE 7.3%, Italy 5.3% (1998) |
| Imports: |
$560 million (c.i.f., 1999) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery, petroleum
products, food, manufactured goods |
| Imports
- partners: |
Italy 17.4%, UAE 16.2%,
Germany 5.7%, UK 4.5%, Korea 4.4% (1998) |
| Debt
- external: |
$281 million (2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$77 million (1999) |
| Exchange
rates: |
nakfa per US dollar = 9.5
(January 2000), 7.6 (January 1999), 7.2 (March 1998 est.) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
23,578 (2000) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
NA |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
NA
domestic: very inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara;
government is seeking international tenders to improve the system
international: NA |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 2
(2000) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (2000) |
| Televisions: |
1,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.er |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
4 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
500 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total: 317 km
narrow gauge: 317 km 0.950-m gauge (1999)
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 |
| Highways: |
total: 3,850 km
paved: 810 km
unpaved: 3,040 km (2000) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa) |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 5 ships
(1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,069 GRT/19,549 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum
tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 18
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy, Air Force |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$160 million (2000 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
29.4% (2000 est.) |
| Disputes
- international: |
as a result of the 12
December 2000 peace agreement ending a two-year war with Ethiopia, the
UN will administer a 25-km wide temporary security zone within Eritrea
until a joint boundary commission delimits and demarcates a final
boundary |
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