Eritrea

Country profile and more information coming soon, please be patient!

Documentation of Eritrea in English – History – Religion – Ethnic – Independence – Colony – Development!

Profile:

Geography
Eritrea is located above the Horn of Africa on the continent’s east cost, between Sudan and Ethiopia. The country covers 124,320km², with a 1,151 km coastline along the Red Sea.

History and Information
Asmara, estimated population 500,000 (2006), is the capital of Eritrea. It became the capital of the Italian colony of Eritrea in 1900. In the late 1930s the Italians changed the face of the town, with a new structure and new buildings; Asmara was called “Piccola Roma” (Little Rome). Nowadays the major parts of buildings are of Italian origin, and shops still have Italian names (Bar Vittoria, Pasticceria moderna, Casa del formaggio, Ferramenta, etc…).

Economy

Population	5,647,168 (July 2009 est.)
Capital	Asmara; approx 500,000 (2006 est.)
Area	121,144 square kilometers (46,774 square miles)
Currency	Nakfa. (Pegged to the USD.)
Time	GMT + 3
Government	Independent state since 1993
Head of State	President Isaias Afewerki since 1993
Language	Tigrinya, Tigre, Arabic and English are spoken. English is rapidly becoming the language of business and education.

Industry	Food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles.
Agriculture	Sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, livestock, fish.
Exports	Livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures.

People and Customs
The people are known for their friendly behavior and are proud about their religion. They are hard working in nature, and their technical innovation & spirit needs to be appreciated. Christian and Muslim are the prevalent religion of this place.

Flag of Eritrea

Quick facts:

• Eritrea also known as Punt (The land of God) in ancient Egyptian History and was one of the Important Trade Partners of many Pharaos in Egypt.
• Eritrea Historical names were Midri Bahri – Bahre Negash – Mereb Melash and the Republic Hamasien.
• Axum Kingdom was mainly in Eritrea with eastern Part of Sudan, a small northern Part of Ethiopia (Tigray Region), Djibouti and the coastline of Yemen.
• Eritrea the land of early Christianity and Islam. The first Church in Africa were build in Debre Sina – 34 years after Chr. and also the first mosque of the whole World is build in Massawa and called Sabha.
• Eritrea came under the rule of Ottoman Empire in 16th century and the rule lasted for three centuries.
• Eritrea came under Italian occupation and was formally consolidated into a colony by the Italian government on January 1, 1890.
• Eritrea became a province of Italia (East Africa)(Africa Orientale Italiana), along with Ethiopia and Italian Somalilan, in 1936.
• In 1941, British forces drove out Italians from Eritrea and administered the territory under a UN mandate, which continued till 1951.
• In the year 1951, Eritrea was federated with Ethiopia as per UN resolution 390(A) that was adopted in December 1950.
• Ethiopia annexed Eritrea in 1962.
• Eritrea gained independence in 1993, after fighting for its freedom for over 30 years.
• The lowest point in Eritrea is Denakil Depression, which is also one of the hottest places on earth.
• Adulis is a port city in Eritrea that was founded by the Greeks in 600.
• It is believed that the son of King Solomon, from the royal house of Judah, and the Queen of Sheba founded the Kingdom of Axum (Aksum), in southern Eritrea and Ethiopia.
• Eritrea derives its present name from the Latin word – Mare Erythraeum that stands for the Red Sea.