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The UN awarded Eritrea 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 hosted a UN peacekeeping operation that monitored a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) on the border with Ethiopia. Eritrea's denial of fuel to the mission caused the UN to withdraw the mission and terminate its mandate 31 July 2008. 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 that it states is Eritrean territory. Ethiopia has not accepted the virtual demarcation decision. In 2009 and 2011 the UN passed sanctions resolutions on Eritrea after accusing it of backing anti-Ethiopian Islamist insurgents in Somalia.
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Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan
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15 00 N, 39 00 E
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total: 117,600 sq km
country comparison to the world: 101
land:
101,000 sq km
water:
16,600 sq km
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slightly larger than Pennsylvania
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total: 1,626 km
border countries:
Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km
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2,234 km (mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km)
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territorial sea: 12 nm
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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
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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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lowest point: near Kulul within the Danakil Depression -75 m
highest point:
Soira 3,018 m
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gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish
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arable land: 4.78%
permanent crops:
0.03%
other:
95.19% (2005)
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210 sq km (2003)
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6.3 cu km (2001)
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total: 0.3 cu km/yr (3%/0%/97%)
per capita:
68 cu m/yr (2000)
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frequent droughts, rare earthquakes and volcanoes; locust swarms
volcanism:
Dubbi (elev. 1,625 m), which last erupted in 1861, was the country's only historically active volcano until Nabro (2,218 m) came to life on 12 June 2011
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deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
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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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| People and Society ::Eritrea |
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noun: Eritrean(s)
adjective:
Eritrean
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nine recognized ethnic groups: Tigrinya 55%, Tigre 30%, Saho 4%, Kunama 2%, Rashaida 2%, Bilen 2%, other (Afar, Beni Amir, Nera) 5% (2010 est.)
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Tigrinya (official), Arabic (official), English (official), Tigre, Kunama, Afar, other Cushitic languages
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Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
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6,086,495 (July 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
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0-14 years: 41.7% (male 1,275,272/ female 1,262,833)
15-64 years:
54.6% (male 1,632,984/ female 1,692,554)
65 years and over:
3.7% (male 98,495/ female 124,357) (2012 est.)
population pyramid: 
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total: 18.9 years
male:
18.5 years
female:
19.2 years (2012 est.)
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2.418% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
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32.1 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
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7.92 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
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urban population: 22% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization:
5.2% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
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ASMARA (capital) 649,000 (2009)
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.79 male(s)/female
total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
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240 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 47
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total: 40.34 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 61
male:
45.69 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
34.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)
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total population: 62.86 years
country comparison to the world: 179
male:
60.73 years
female:
65.06 years (2012 est.)
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4.37 children born/woman (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
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7% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 82
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0.05 physicians/1,000 population (2004)
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1.15 beds/1,000 population (2006)
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improved:
urban: 52% of population
rural: 4% of population
total: 14% of population
unimproved:
urban: 48% of population
rural: 96% of population
total: 86% of population
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0.8% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
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25,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
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1,700 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
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degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease:
malaria (2009)
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3.3% (2004)
country comparison to the world: 63
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34.5% (2002)
country comparison to the world: 11
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2% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 155
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
67.8%
male:
78.7%
female:
57.5% (2010 est.)
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total: 5 years
male:
6 years
female:
4 years (2009)
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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
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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
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name: Asmara (Asmera)
geographic coordinates:
15 20 N, 38 56 E
time difference:
UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); Anseba, Debub (South), Debubawi K'eyih Bahri (Southern Red Sea), Gash Barka, Ma'akel (Central), Semenawi Keyih Bahri (Northern Red Sea)
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24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)
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Independence Day, 24 May (1993)
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adopted 23 May 1997, but has not yet been fully implemented
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mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic religious law
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has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
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18 years of age; universal
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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)
cabinet:
State Council the collective is executive authority; members appointed by the president
(For more information visit the World Leaders website  )
elections:
president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); the most recent and only election was held on 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%, other 5%
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unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
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 indefinitely
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Supreme Court; Regional, subregional, and village courts
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People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ [ISAIAS Afworki] (the only party recognized by the government); note - a National Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January 2001, but the full National Assembly has yet to debate or vote on it
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Democratic Movement for the Liberation of Eritrean Kunama (DMLEK); Eritrean Democratic Alliance (EDA) [TEWELDE Ghebreselasie]; Eritrean National Congress for Democratic Change (ENCDC) [YUSEF Berhanu]; Eritrean National Salvation Front (ENSF) [AHMAD Nasser]; Eritrean Islamic Party for Justice and Development (EIPJD) (includes the Eritrean Islamic Jihad (EIJ), Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement (EIJM), Eritrean Islamic Salvation, and the Eritrean Islamic Foundation); Eritrean People's Democratic Party (EPDF); Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO)
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ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS (observer), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO
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chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires BERHANE Gebrehiwet Solomon
chancery:
1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
[1] (202) 319-1991
FAX:
[1] (202) 319-1304
consulate(s) general:
Oakland (California)
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chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Sue BREMNER
embassy:
179 Ala Street, Asmara
mailing address:
P. O. Box 211, Asmara
telephone:
[291] (1) 120004
FAX:
[291] (1) 127584
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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; green stands for the country's agriculture economy, red signifies the blood shed in the fight for freedom, and blue symbolizes the bounty of the sea; the wreath-olive branch symbol is similar to that on the first flag of Eritrea from 1952; the shape of the red triangle broadly mimics the shape of the country
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camel
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name: "Ertra, Ertra, Ertra" (Eritrea, Eritrea, Eritrea)
lyrics/music:
SOLOMON Tsehaye Beraki/Isaac Abraham MEHAREZGI and ARON Tekle Tesfatsion
note:
adopted 1993; upon independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea adopted its own national anthem
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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, a large share of the population - nearly 80% - is engaged in subsistence agriculture, but they produce only a small share of total output. Since the conclusion of the Ethiopian-Eritrea war in 2000, 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 by limiting access and availability. Few private enterprises remain in Eritrea. Eritrea's economy depends heavily 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 been unable to meet the food needs of the country. Eritrea's development of copper and gold production through Canadian mining companies will drive Eritrea's economic growth over the next few years. The government is likely to continue diverting resources to its military instead of wide-scale economic development or investment plans. 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.
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$4.412 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
$4.103 billion (2011 est.)
$3.774 billion (2010 est.)
note:
data are in 2012 US dollars
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$3.108 billion (2012 est.)
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7.5% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19
8.7% (2011 est.)
2.2% (2010 est.)
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$800 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 223
$700 (2011 est.)
$700 (2010 est.)
note:
data are in 2012 US dollars
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agriculture: 11.6%
industry:
30.6%
services:
57.8% (2012 est.)
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1.935 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 122
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agriculture: 80%
industry and services:
20% (2004 est.)
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NA%
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50% (2004 est.)
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%:
NA%
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27.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
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revenues: $838.8 million
expenditures:
$1.19 billion (2012 est.)
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27% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
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-11.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
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118% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
118.5% of GDP (2011 est.)
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17% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 215
20% (2011 est.)
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NA%
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$1.817 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131
$1.471 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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$3.889 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
$3.156 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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$3.947 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
$3.2 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, sisal; livestock, goats; fish
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8% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27
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-$271.5 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
-$127.8 million (2011 est.)
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$304.5 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 180
$415.4 million (2011 est.)
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livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures
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$939.7 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178
$899.9 million (2011 est.)
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machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods
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$171.2 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159
$114.8 million (31 December 2011 est.)
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$1.026 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 156
$1.013 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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nakfa (ERN) per US dollar -
15.38 (2012 est.)
15.375 (2011 est.)
15.375 (2010 est.)
15.375 (2009)
15.38 (2008)
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calendar year
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277 million kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 174
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242 million kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 181
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0 kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
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0 kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183
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139,000 kW (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
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99.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
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0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
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0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169
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0.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
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0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
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0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
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0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 181
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0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129
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0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
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4,480 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173
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0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
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2,670 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173
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0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125
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0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140
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0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 192
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0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
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0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
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798,200 Mt (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
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58,500 (2011)
country comparison to the world: 159
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241,900 (2011)
country comparison to the world: 175
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general assessment: inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system
domestic:
combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership is less than 5 per 100 persons
international:
country code - 291; note - international connections exist
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government controls broadcast media with private ownership prohibited; 1 state-owned TV station; state-owned radio operates 2 networks; purchases of satellite dishes and subscriptions to international broadcast media are permitted (2007)
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.er
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701 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 177
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200,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 140
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13 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 152
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total: 4
over 3,047 m:
2
2,438 to 3,047 m:
2 (2012)
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total: 9
over 3,047 m:
1
2,438 to 3,047 m:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m:
5
914 to 1,523 m:
2 (2012)
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1 (2012)
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total: 306 km
country comparison to the world: 119
narrow gauge:
306 km 0.950-m gauge (2008)
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total: 4,010 km
country comparison to the world: 158
paved:
874 km
unpaved:
3,136 km (2000)
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total: 4
country comparison to the world: 129
by type:
cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2010)
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Assab, Massawa
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Eritrean Armed Forces: Eritrean Ground Forces, Eritrean Navy, Eritrean Air Force (includes Air Defense Force) (2011)
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18-40 years of age for male and female voluntary and compulsory military service; 16-month conscript service obligation (2006)
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males age 16-49: 1,350,446
females age 16-49:
1,362,575 (2010 est.)
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males age 16-49: 896,096
females age 16-49:
953,757 (2010 est.)
|
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male: 66,829
female:
66,731 (2010 est.)
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6.3% of GDP (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
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| Transnational Issues ::Eritrea |
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Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002 Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision but, neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting eastern Sudanese rebel groups; in 2008 Eritrean troops moved across the border on Ras Doumera peninsula and occupied Doumera Island with undefined sovereignty in the Red Sea
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refugees (country of origin): 3,773 (Somalia) (2012)
IDPs:
10,000 (border war with Ethiopia from 1998-2000; it has not been possible to confirm whether whether remaining IDPs are still living with hosts or have been returned or resettled) (2009)
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current situation: Eritrea is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; each year, large numbers of migrant workers depart Eritrea in search of work, particularly in the Gulf States, where some are likely to become victims of forced labor, including in domestic servitude, or commercial sexual exploitation; Eritrean children also work in various economic sectors, including domestic service, street vending, small-scale factories, and agriculture; child laborers frequently suffer abuse from their employers and some may be subjected to conditions of forced labor
tier rating:
Tier 3 - the Government of Eritrea does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the Eritrean Government does not operate with transparency and published neither data nor statistics regarding its efforts to combat human trafficking; the government made no known progress in prosecuting and punishing trafficking crimes over the reporting period and did not appear to provide any significant assistance to victims of trafficking (2009)
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