1995 Edition

Area

total area: 121,320 sq km land area: 121,320 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Pennsylvania

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

Coastline

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

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

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

Land use

arable land: 3% permanent crops: 2% (coffee) meadows and pastures: 40% forest and woodland: 5% other: 50%

Location

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

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

NA

Natural resources

gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, probably oil (petroleum geologists are prospecting for it), fish

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

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

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.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

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

Labor force

NA

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 50 years male: 48.28 years female: 51.78 years (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun: Eritrean(s) adjective: Eritrean

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

Population

3,578,709 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

9.04% (1995 est.)

Religions

Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant

Total fertility rate

6.53 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Administrative divisions

9 provinces; Akole Guzay, Baraka, Danakil, Hamasen, Sahil, Samhar, Senhit, Seraye, Sahil

Capital

Asmara (formerly Asmera)

Constitution

transitional "constitution" decreed 19 May 1993

Digraph

ER

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

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

FAX

[1] (202) 429-9004

[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

Independence

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

Judicial branch

Judiciary

Legal system

NA

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

ACP, ECA, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), ITU, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU

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

National Assembly

PFDJ Central Committee serves as the country's legislative body until country-wide elections are held (before 20 May 1997)

National holiday

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

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

Political parties and leaders

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

Suffrage

NA

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

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

Agriculture

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

Budget

revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Currency

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

Economic aid

$NA

Electricity

capacity: NA kW production: NA kWh consumption per capita: NA kWh

Exchange rates

1 birr (Br) per US$1 - 5.9500 (January 1995), 5.9500 (1994), 5.000 (fixed rate 1992-93); note - official rate pegged to US$

Exports

$NA commodities: NA partners: NA

External debt

$NA

Fiscal year

NA

Imports

$NA commodities: NA partners: NA

Industrial production

growth rate NA%

Industries

food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

National product

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

National product per capita

$500 (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

2% (1994 est.)

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.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Radio

broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave 0 radios: NA

Telephone system

NA local: NA intercity: NA international: NA

Television

broadcast stations: NA televisions: NA

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

Highways

total: 3,845 km paved: 807 km unpaved: gravel 840 km; improved earth 402 km; unimproved earth 1,796 km

Merchant marine

none

Ports

Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa)

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.)

Branches

Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF)

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP ________________________________________________________________________ ESTONIA