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Eritrea

Eritrea

Eritrea officially the State of Eritrea is a country in Northeast Africa. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast. The east and northeast of the country have an extensive coastline on the Red Sea, directly across from Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands are part of Eritrea.

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

Nationality:

  • noun: Eritrean(s)
  • adjective: Eritrean

Capital:

  • name: Asmara (Asmera)
  • geographic coordinates: 15 20 N, 38 56 E
  • time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Independence:

  • 24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)

Population:

  • 5,028,475 (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

  • 2.447% (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

  • 2.7% (2003 est.)

Ethnic groups:

  • 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
  • Arabic
  • Tigre and Kunama
  • Tigrinya
  • other Cushitic languages

Literacy:

  • definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  • total population: 58.6%
  • male: 69.9%
  • female: 47.6% (2003 est.)

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 were scheduled in December 2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)

Location:

  • Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan

Area - comparative:

  • slightly larger than Pennsylvania

Climate:

  • hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands

    • Natural resources:

  • gold
  • potash
  • zinc
  • copper
  • salt
  • possibly oil and natural gas
  • fish

Economy - overview:

Since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country, accentuated by the recent implementation of restrictive economic policies. Eritrea has a command economy under the control of the sole political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). 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. The government strictly controls the use of foreign currency, limiting access and availability. Few private enterprises remain in Eritrea. Eritrea's economy is heavily dependent on taxes paid by members of the diaspora. Erratic rainfall and the delayed demobilization of agriculturalists from the military continue to interfere with agricultural production, and Eritrea's recent harvests have not been able to meet the food needs of the country. The government continues to place its hope for additional revenue on the development of several international mining projects. Despite difficulties for international companies in working with the Eritrean government, a Canadian mining company signed a contract with the GSE in 2007 and plans to begin mineral extraction in 2010. Eritrea also anticipates opening a free trade zone at the port of Massawa in 2008. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its ability to master social problems such as illiteracy, unemployment, and low skills, and more importantly, on the government's willingness to support a true market economy.

GDP - real growth rate:

  • 1.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

  • $800 (2007 est.)

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 in December 2000. Eritrea currently hosts a UN peacekeeping operation that is monitoring a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) on the border with Ethiopia. An international commission, organized to resolve the border dispute, posted its findings in 2002. However, both parties have been unable to reach agreement on implementing the decision. On 30 November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission remotely demarcated the border by coordinates and dissolved itself, leaving Ethiopia still occupying several tracts of disputed territory, including the town of Badme. Eritrea accepted the EEBC's "virtual demarcation" decision and called on Ethiopia to remove its troops from the TSZ which it states is Eritrean territory. Ethiopia has not accepted the virtual demarcation decision.

Environment - current issues:

  • deforestation
  • desertification
  • soil erosion
  • overgrazing
  • loss of infrastructure from civil warfare

For more info please contact:
African Studies
(310) 825-3686
africa@international.ucla.edu