Eritrea

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Eritrea

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Hagere Eretra al-Dawla al-Iritra/State of Eritrea Area 125,000 sq km/48,262 sq mi Capital Asmara Language Tigre, Tigrinya, Arabic, English, Afar, Amharic, Kunama, Italian Religion mainly Sunni Muslim and Coptic Christian, some Roman Catholic, Protestant, and animist Time difference GMT +3 Major holidays 1, 6 January, 24 May, 20 June, 1 September, 25 December; variable: Eid-ul-Adha, Arafa, end of Ramadan


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Assab, Keren, Massawa, Adi Ugri, Ed Major ports Assab, Massawa Physical features coastline along the Red Sea 1,000 km/620 mi; narrow coastal plain that rises to an inland plateau; Dahlak Islands Airports one international airport, one domestic airport, and several airstrips; total passengers carried: 105,200 (1998) Railways none Roads total road network: 4,010 km/2,492 mi, of which 21.8% paved (1999 est); passenger cars: 1.5 per 1,000 people (1996 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state and government Issaias Afwerki from 1993 Political system nationalistic socialist Political executive unlimited presidency Administrative divisions six regions Political parties People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) (formerly Eritrean People's Liberation Front: EPLF), left of centre, the only party recognized by the government; Eritrean National Pact Alliance (ENPA), moderate, centrist Death penalty retained and used for ordinary crimes Armed forces 201,800; plus 120,000 reservists (2006 est) Conscription compulsory for 16 months (four months military training) Defence spend (% GDP) 9 (2004 est) Education spend (% GDP) 4.1 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 2 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency nakfa GDP (US$) 986 million (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 2 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 968 million (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 1,010 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 16.5% (2006 est) Unemployment 25% (2001) Labour force 76.6% agriculture, 5% industry, 18.4% services (2003) Foreign debt (US$) 681 million (2004 est) Major trading partners Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Japan, UK, Korea Resources gold, silver, copper, zinc, sulphur, nickel, chrome, potash, basalt, limestone, marble, sand, silicates Industries food processing, textiles, leatherwear, building materials, glassware, petroleum products Exports textiles, leather and leather products, beverages, petroleum products, basic household goods. Principal market: Italy 39.3% (2005) Imports machinery and transport equipment, petroleum, food and live animals, basic manufactures. Principal source: United Arab Emirates 17.3% (2002) Arable land 4.8% (2006 est) Agricultural products sorghum, teff (an indigenous grain), maize, wheat, millet; livestock rearing (goats and camels); fisheries


POPULATION

Population 4,559,700 (2006 est) Population growth rate 3.1% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 36 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 21 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 45%, 15–59 51%, 60+ 4% (2005 est) Ethnic groups ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho 3% Life expectancy 54 (men); 58 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 82 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 7 Literacy rate 70% (men); 48% (women) (2003 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 0.3 (2004 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 2.4 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 5,600 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 72 (urban); 54 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 0.9 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 0.9 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 464 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 59 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 0.8 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 1.6 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

4th–7th centuries AD Part of Ethiopian Aksum kingdom. 8th century Islam introduced to coastal areas by Arabs. 12th–16th centuries Under influence of Ethiopian Abyssinian kingdoms. mid-16th century Came under control of Turkish Ottoman Empire. 1882 Occupied by Italy. 1889 Italian colony of Eritrea created out of Ottoman areas and coastal districts of Ethiopia. 1920s Massawa developed into largest port in East Africa. 1935–36 Used as base for Italy's conquest of Ethiopia and became part of Italian East Africa. 1941 Became British protectorate after Italy removed from North Africa. 1952 Federation formed with Ethiopia by United Nations (UN). 1958 Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) formed to fight for independence after general strike brutally suppressed by Ethiopian rulers. 1962 Annexed by Ethiopia, sparking secessionist rebellion for next 30 years and claiming 150,000 lives. 1974 Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie deposed in military coup. 1977–78 EPLF territorial gains reversed by Soviet-backed Marxist Ethiopian regime of Col Mengistu Haile Mariam. mid-1980s Severe famine and refugee crisis in Eritrea. 1990 Strategic port of Massawa captured by Eritrean forces. 1991 Ethiopian president Mengistu overthrown; EPLF secured whole of Eritrea and provisional government formed under Issaias Afewerki. 1993 Independence approved in regional referendum and recognized by Ethiopia; transitional government established and Afewerki elected president; 500,000 refugees outside Eritrea began to return. 1998 Border disputes with Ethiopia escalated; bombing raids by both sides. 1999–2000 War with Ethiopia, resulting in 70,000 deaths; peace agreement provided for UN supervision of border zone. 2003 International boundary commission awarded disputed town of Badame to Eritrea; Ethiopia rejected decision. 2005 Fears of renewed war as government expelled UN monitors policing border zone. 2006 Government moved forces into buffer zone on border in violation of ceasefire; Eritrea and Ethiopia rejected demarcation proposal by international boundary commission.


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