Eritrea

GEOGRAPHY

Location

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

Area

Total area: 121,320 sq km
Land area: 121,320 sq km
Comparative area: slightly larger than Pennsylvania

Land Boundaries

Total 1,630 km, Djibouti 113 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km

Coastline

1,151 km (land and island coastline is 2,234 km)

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

None

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 on 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
lowest point: Kobar Sink -75 m
highest point: Soira 3,013 m

Natural Resources

Gold
Potash
Zinc
Copper
Salt
Probably oil (petroleum geologists are prospecting for it)
Fish

Land Use

Arable land: 3%
Permanent crops: 2% (coffee)
Meadows and pastures: 40%
Forest and woodland: 5%
Other: 50%

Irrigated Land

Environment

Current issues: famine; deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare
Natural hazards: frequent droughts
International agreements: party to - Endangered Species; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Desertification

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 27 April 1993

PEOPLE

Population

3,427,883 (July 1996 est.)
3,578,709 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

44% (male 755,417; female 743,135) (July 1996 est.)
43% (male 774,922; female 763,416) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

53% (male 910,976; female 913,531) (July 1996 est.)
54% (male 965,435; female 965,124) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

3% (male 54,310; female 50,514) (July 1996 est.)
3% (female 52,950; male 56,862) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

2.79% (1996 est.)
9.04% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

43.32 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
44.34 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

15.44 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
15.67 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Note: It is estimated that between 300,000 and 500,000 Eritrean refugees were still living in Sudan at the end of 1995; their repatriation is being facilitated by the UNHCR

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.01 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

118.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
120.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 50.31 years (1996 est.), 50 years (1995 est.)
Male: 48.57 years (1996 est.), 48.28 years (1995 est.)
Female: 52.1 years (1996 est.), 51.78 years (1995 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

6.5 children born/woman (1996 est.)
6.53 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Eritrean(s)
Adjective: Eritrean

Ethnic Divisions

Ethnic Tigrays 50%
Tigre and Kunama 40%
Afar 4%
Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%

Religions

Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant

Languages

Tigre and Kunama, Cushitic dialects, Tigre, Nora Bana, Arabic

Labor Force

GOVERNMENT

Names

Conventional long form: State of Eritrea
Conventional short form: Eritrea
Local long form: none
Local short form: none
Former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia

Digraph

Type

Transitional government

Note: On 29 May 1991 ISAIAS Afworke, secretary general of the Peoples' Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), which then served and still serves as the country's legislative body, announced the formation of the Provisional Government in Eritrea (PGE) in preparation for the 23-25 April 1993 referendum on independence for the autonomous region of Eritrea; the result was a landslide vote for independence which was proclaimed on 27 April 1993

Capital

Asmara (formerly Asmera)

Administrative Divisions

8 provinces (singular - awraja); Akele Guzay, Barka, Denkel, Hamasen, Sahil, Semhar, Senhit, Seraye; note - information issued by the Eritrean government indicates that the administrative structure of Eritrea, which had been established by former colonial powers, will consist of only six regions when the new constitution, presently being drafted, goes into effect sometime in 1996

Independence

27 May 1993 (from Ethiopia; formerly the Eritrea Autonomous Region)

National Holiday

National Day (independence from Ethiopia), 24 May (1993)

Constitution

Transitional "constitution" decreed 19 May 1993

Legal System

Suffrage

NA; note - the transitional constitution of 19 May 1993 did not provide rules for suffrage, but it seems likely that the final version of the constitution, to be promulgated some time in 1996, will follow the example set in the referendum of 1993 in which suffrage was universal for persons 18 years of age or older

Executive Branch

Chief of state and head of government: President ISAIAS Afworke (since 22 May 1993)
Cabinet: State Council; the collective executive authority

Note: Election to be held in 1997

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

National Assembly

75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old Central Committee of the EPLF) and 75 directly elected members serve as the country's legislative body until country-wide elections are held

Judicial Branch

Judiciary

Political Parties and Leaders

People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), ISAIAS Afworke, PETROS Solomon (the only party recognized by the government)

Other Political or Pressure Groups

Eritrean Islamic Jihad (EIJ); Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF), ABDULLAH Muhammed; Eritrean Liberation Front - United Organization (ELF-UO), Mohammed Said NAWUD; Eritrean Liberation Front - Revolutionary Council (ELF-RC), Ahmed NASSER

Member of

ACP, AfDB, ECA, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

National Anthem

National anthem

Flag

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

ECONOMY

Overview

With independence from Ethiopia on 27 April 1993, Eritrea faces the bitter economic problems of a small, desperately poor African country. Most of the population will continue to depend on subsistence farming. Domestic output is substantially augmented by worker remittances from abroad. Government revenues come from custom duties and income and sales taxes. Eritrea has inherited the entire coastline of Ethiopia and has long-term prospects for revenues from the development of offshore oil, offshore fishing, and tourism. For the time being, Ethiopia will be largely dependent on Eritrean ports for its foreign trade.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $2 billion (1995 est.), $1.8 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

10% (1995 est.)
2% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$570 (1995 est.)
$500 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

10% (1995 est.)

Unemployment Rate

Budget

Revenues: NA
Expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA

Exports

$33 million (1995 est.)

Commodities:

livestock, sorghum, textiles

Partners:

Ethiopia, Italy, Saudi Arabia, UK, US, Yemen

Imports

$420 million (1995 est.)

Commodities:

processed goods, machinery, petroleum products

Partners:

External Debt

Industrial Production

Growth rate NA

Electricity

Capacity: NA kW
Production: NA kWh
Consumption per capita: NA kWh

Industries

Food processing
Beverages
Clothing and textiles

Agriculture

Products - sorghum, livestock (including goats), fish, lentils, vegetables, maize, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal (for making rope)

Economic Aid

Currency

1 birr (Br) = 100 cents; at present, Ethiopian currency used

Exchange Rates

1 birr (Br) per US$1 - 6.2 (1995 est.), 5.600 (September 1994), 5.000 (fixed rate 1992-93); note - following independence from Ethiopia, Eritrea continued to use Ethiopian currency, the official rate of which was pegged to US$1 = 5.000 birr

Fiscal Year

calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Total: 307 km; note - nonoperational since 1978 except for about 5 km that was reopened in Massawa in 1994; rehabilitation of the remainder and of the rolling stock is under way; links Ak'ordat and Asmara (formerly Asmera) with the port of Massawa (formerly Mits'iwa)
Narrow gauge: 307 km 0.950-m gauge (1995 est.)