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 Match 75   DB Rec# - 7,527  Dataset-WOFACT



Title         :Eritrea 
Text          : 
                                     Eritrea 
 
                                    Geography 
 
Location: 
    Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan 
Map references: 
    Africa 
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: 
    NA 
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 
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: 
    NA sq km 
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 - 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: 
    3,578,709 (July 1995 est.) 
Age structure: 
  0-14 years: 
    43% (female 763,416; male 774,922) 
  15-64 years: 
    54% (female 965,124; male 965,435) 
  65 years and over: 
    3% (female 52,950; male 56,862) (July 1995 est.) 
Population growth rate: 
    9.04% (1995 est.) 
Birth rate: 
    44.34 births/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Death rate: 
    15.67 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Net migration rate: 
    NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
  note: 
    repatriation of up to a half million Eritrean refugees in Sudan is now 
    underway; 100,000 are expected to return during 1995 
Infant mortality rate: 
    120.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.) 
Life expectancy at birth: 
  total population: 
    50 years 
  male: 
    48.28 years 
  female: 
    51.78 years (1995 est.) 
Total fertility rate: 
    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: 
    NA 
 
                                   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: 
    ER 
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: 
    9 provinces; Akole Guzay, Baraka, Danakil, Hamasen, Sahil, Samhar, Senhit, 
    Seraye, Sahil 
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: 
    NA 
Suffrage: 
    NA 
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 before 20 May 1997 
Legislative branch: 
    unicameral 
  National Assembly: 
    PFDJ Central Committee serves as the country's legislative body until 
    country-wide elections are held (before 20 May 1997) 
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); Islamic Militant Group; 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 
 
                                   Government 
Member of: 
    ACP, ECA, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT 
    (nonsignatory user), ITU, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU 
Diplomatic representation in US: 
  chief of mission: 
    Ambassador AMDEMICHAEL Berhane Khasai 
  chancery: 


    Suite 400, 910 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20006 
  telephone: 
    [1] (202) 429-1991 
  FAX: 
    [1] (202) 429-9004 
US diplomatic representation: 
  chief of mission: 
    Ambassador Robert G. HOUDEK 
  embassy: 
    34 Zera Yacob St., Asmara 
  mailing address: 
    P.O. Box 211, Asmara 
  telephone: 
    [291] (1) 120004 
  FAX: 
    [291] (1) 127584 
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 - $1.8 billion (1994 est.) 
National product real growth rate: 
    2% (1994 est.) 
National product per capita: 
    $500 (1994 est.) 
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 
    NA% 
Unemployment rate: 
    NA% 
Budget: 
  revenues: 
    $NA 
  expenditures: 
    $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA 
Exports: 
    $NA 
  commodities: 
    NA 
  partners: 
    NA 
Imports: 
    $NA 
  commodities: 
    NA 
  partners: 


    NA 
External debt: 
    $NA 
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: 
    $NA 
Currency: 
    1 birr (Br) = 100 cents; at present, Ethiopian currency used 
 
                                     Economy 
Exchange rates: 
    1 birr (Br) per US$1 - 5.9500 (January 1995), 5.9500 (1994), 5.000 (fixed 
    rate 1992-93); note - official rate pegged to US$ 
Fiscal year: 
    NA 
 
                                 Transportation 
 
Railroads: 
  total: 
    307 km; note - nonoperational since 1978; links Ak'ordat and Asmara 
    (formerly Asmera) with the port of Massawa (formerly Mits'iwa) 
  narrow gauge: 
    307 km 1.000-m gauge (1993 est.) 
Highways: 
  total: 
    3,845 km 
  paved: 
    807 km 
  unpaved: 
    gravel 840 km; improved earth 402 km; unimproved earth 1,796 km 
Ports: 
    Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa) 
Merchant marine: 
    none 
Airports: 
  total: 
    20 
  with paved runways over 3,047 m: 
    1 
  with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 
    1 
  with paved runways under 914 m: 
    2 
  with unpaved runways over 3,047 m: 
    1 
  with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 


    2 
  with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 
    6 
  with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 
    7 
 
                                 Communications 
 
Telephone system: 
    NA 
  local: 
    NA 
  intercity: 
    NA 
  international: 
    NA 
Radio: 
  broadcast stations: 
    AM NA, FM NA, shortwave 0 
  radios: 
    NA 
Television: 
  broadcast stations: 
    NA 
  televisions: 
    NA 
 
                                 Defense Forces 
 
Branches: 
    Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) 
Defense expenditures: 
    $NA, NA% of GDP 

This publication is also available online from the CIA (http://www.odci.gov/cia) as 1995 World Factbook (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/index.html).

The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995

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Updated: March 12, 1996