Eritrea

§1. Eritrea 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.

§2. Eritrea Geography

Location:
  Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan

Geographic coordinates:
  15 00 N, 39 00 E

Map references:
  Africa

Area:
  total: 121,320 kmē
  land: 121,320 kmē
  water: 0 kmē

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 kmē (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

§3. Eritrea People

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  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%

§4. Eritrea Government

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

§5. Eritrea Economy

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:
  NA

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 80%, industry and services 20%

Unemployment rate:
  NA%

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)

Currency:
  nakfa (ERN)

Currency code:
  ERN

Exchange rates:
  nakfa per US dollar = 9.5 (January 2000), 7.6 (January 1999), 7.2 (March
  1998 est.)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Eritrea Communications

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)

Radios:
  345,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
  1 (2000)

Televisions:
  1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
  .er

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  4 (2000)

Internet users:
  500 (2000)

§7. Eritrea Transportation

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)

Waterways:
  none

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:
  20 (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.)

§8. Eritrea Military

Military branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $160 million (2000 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  29.4% (2000 est.)

§9. Eritrea Transnational Issues

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
