2010 Edition

Background

The UN awarded Eritrea 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 in December 2000. Eritrea hosted a UN peacekeeping operation that monitored a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) on the border with Ethiopia. Eritrea's denial of fuel to the mission caused the UN to withdraw the mission and terminate its mandate 31 July 2008. An international commission, organized to resolve the border dispute, posted its findings in 2002. However, both parties have been unable to reach agreement on implementing the decision. On 30 November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission remotely demarcated the border by coordinates and dissolved itself, leaving Ethiopia still occupying several tracts of disputed territory, including the town of Badme. Eritrea accepted the EEBC's "virtual demarcation" decision and called on Ethiopia to remove its troops from the TSZ that it states is Eritrean territory. Ethiopia has not accepted the virtual demarcation decision. In 2009 the UN imposed sanctions on Eritrea after accusing it of backing anti-Ethiopian Islamist insurgents in Somalia.

Area

land

101,000 sq km

total

117,600 sq km

water

16,600 sq km

Area - comparative

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, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands

Coastline

2,234 km (mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Soira 3,018 m

lowest point

near Kulul within the Danakil Depression -75 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

68 cu m/yr (2000)

total

0.3 cu km/yr (3%/0%/97%)

Geographic coordinates

15 00 N, 39 00 E

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

Irrigated land

210 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km

total

1,626 km

Land use

arable land

4.78%

other

95.19% (2005)

permanent crops

0.03%

Location

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

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

frequent droughts; locust swarms

volcanism

Dubbi (elev. 1,625 m, 5,331 ft), which last erupted in 1861, is the country's only historically active volcano

Natural resources

gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish

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

Total renewable water resources

6.3 cu km (2001)

Age structure

0-14 years: 42.8% (male 1,212,848/female 1,202,240) 15-64 years: 53.7% (male 1,483,169/female 1,547,078) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 92,009/female 109,824) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

33.48 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

8.25 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

2% of GDP (2006)

Ethnic groups

nine recognized ethnic groups

Tigrinya 55%, Tigre 30%, Saho 4%, Kunama 2%, Rashaida 2%, Bilen 2%, other (Afar, Beni Amir, Nera) 5% (2010 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.3% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

2,600 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

38,000 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

36.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

47.87 deaths/1,000 live births

total

42.33 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Tigrinya (official), Arabic (official), English (official), Tigre, Kunama, Afar, other Cushitic languages

Life expectancy at birth

female

64.3 years (2010 est.)

male

60.06 years

total population

62.15 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

47.6% (2003 est.)

male

69.9%

total population

58.6%

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

high

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease

malaria (2009)

Median age

female

18.9 years (2010 est.)

male

18.2 years

total

18.5 years

Nationality

adjective

Eritrean

noun

Eritrean(s)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Population

5,792,984 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

2.522% (2010 est.)

Religions

Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

5 years (2004)

male

7 years

total

6 years

Sex ratio

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.6 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

5.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

21% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); Anseba, Debub (South), Debubawi K'eyih Bahri (Southern Red Sea), Gash Barka, Ma'akel (Central), Semenawi Keyih Bahri (Northern Red Sea)

Capital

geographic coordinates

15 20 N, 38 56 E

name

Asmara (Asmera)

time difference

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

adopted on 23 May 1997, but has not yet been fully implemented

Country name

conventional long form

State of Eritrea

conventional short form

Eritrea

former

Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia

local long form

Hagere Ertra

local short form

Ertra

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Joel REIFMAN

embassy

179 Ala Street, Asmara

FAX

[291] (1) 127584

mailing address

P. O. Box 211, Asmara

telephone

[291] (1) 120004

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

chief of mission

Ambassador GHIRMAI Ghebremariam

consulate(s) general

Oakland (California)

FAX

[1] (202) 319-1304

telephone

[1] (202) 319-1991

Executive branch

cabinet

State Council the collective executive authority; members appointed by the president (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

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

election results

ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%, other 5%

elections

president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); the most recent and only election held on 8 June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the National Assembly did not hold a presidential election in December 2001 as anticipated)

head of government

President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993)

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; green stands for the country's agriculture economy, red signifies the blood shed in the fight for freedom, and blue symbolizes the bounty of the sea; the wreath-olive branch symbol is similar to that on the first flag of Eritrea from 1952; the shape of the red triangle broadly mimics the shape of the country

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 were scheduled in December 2001 but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)

Independence

24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, LAS (observer), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Judicial branch

High Court - regional, subregional, and village courts; also have military and special courts

Legal system

primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957 with revisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been promulgated; government also issues unilateral proclamations setting laws and policies; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Islamic law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

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 countrywide elections to a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the National Assembly will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were postponed indefinitely

National anthem

lyrics/music

SOLOMON Tsehaye Beraki/Isaac Abraham MEHAREZGI and ARON Tekle Tesfatsion note: adopted 1993; upon independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea adopted its own national anthem

name

"Ertra, Ertra, Ertra" (Eritrea, Eritrea, Eritrea)

National holiday

Independence Day, 24 May (1993)

Political parties and leaders

People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ [ISAIAS Afworki] (the only party recognized by the government); note - a National Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January 2001, but the full National Assembly has yet to debate or vote on it

Political pressure groups and leaders

Eritrean Democratic Party (EDP) [HAGOS, Mesfin]; Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ (includes Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement or EIJM also known as the Abu Sihel Movement); Eritrean Islamic Salvation or EIS (also known as the Arafa Movement); Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean National Alliance or ENA (a coalition including EIJ, EIS, ELF, and a number of ELF factions) [HERUY Tedla Biru]; Eritrean Public Forum or EPF [ARADOM Iyob]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, sisal; livestock, goats; fish

Commercial bank prime lending rate

NA%

Current account balance

-$212 million (2010 est.) -$188 million (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$NA (31 December 2010 est.) $961.9 million (31 December 2008 est.)

Economy - overview

Since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country, accentuated by the recent implementation of restrictive economic policies. Eritrea has a command economy under the control of the sole political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). Like the economies of many African nations, a large share of the population - nearly 80% - is engaged in subsistence agriculture, but they produce only a small share of total output. Since the conclusion of the Ethiopian-Eritrea war in 2000, the government has maintained a firm grip on the economy, expanding the use of the military and party-owned businesses to complete Eritrea's development agenda. The government strictly controls the use of foreign currency by limiting access and availability. Few private enterprises remain in Eritrea. Eritrea's economy depends heavily on taxes paid by members of the diaspora. Erratic rainfall and the delayed demobilization of agriculturalists from the military continue to interfere with agricultural production, and Eritrea's recent harvests have been unable to meet the food needs of the country. The Government continues to place its hope for additional revenue on the development of several international mining projects. Despite difficulties for international companies in working with the Eritrean Government, a Canadian mining company signed a contract with the government in 2007 and began mineral extraction in 2010. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its ability to master social problems such as illiteracy, unemployment, and low skills, and more importantly, on the government's willingness to support a true market economy.

Electricity - consumption

228 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

271 million kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates

nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - 15.375 (2010), 15.375 (2009), 15.38 (2008), 15.5 (2007), 15.4 (2006)

Exports

$25 million (2010 est.) $20 million (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities

livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures

Exports - partners

India 25.3%, Italy 20.7%, Sudan 14.1%, China 12.9%, France 5.5%, Saudi Arabia 5.4% (2008)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

11.8%

industry

20.4%

services

67.7% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$700 (2010 est.) $700 (2009 est.) $700 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

4% (2010 est.) 3.6% (2009 est.) 2% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$2.254 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$4.178 billion (2010 est.) $4.017 billion (2009 est.) $3.877 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$738 million (2010 est.) $682 million (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods

Imports - partners

Saudi Arabia 20.7%, India 13.6%, Italy 12.6%, China 9.9%, US 5.1%, Germany 4.6% (2008)

Industrial production growth rate

8% (2010 est.)

Industries

food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles, light manufacturing, salt, cement

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

20% (2010 est.) 20% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

10.3% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

1.935 million NA (2007)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

80%

industry and services

20% (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

5,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

4,790 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

50% (2004 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$104 million (31 December 2010 est.) $88 million (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$2.872 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $2.171 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$2.919 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $2.206 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$1.382 billion (31 December 2010 est) $1.007 billion (31 December 2009 est)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Broadcast media

government controls broadcast media with private ownership prohibited; 1 state-owned TV station; state-owned radio operates 2 networks; purchases of satellite dishes and subscriptions to international broadcast media are permitted (2007)

Internet country code

.er

Internet hosts

1,241 (2010)

Internet users

200,000 (2008)

Telephone system

domestic

combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership is only about 3 per 100 persons (2009)

general assessment

inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002)

international

country code - 291; note - international connections exist

Telephones - main lines in use

48,500 (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

141,100 (2009)

Airports

13 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

9 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2010)

Heliports

1 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2010)

total

4

Ports and terminals

Assab, Massawa

Railways

narrow gauge

306 km 0.950-m gauge (2008)

total

306 km

Roadways

paved

874 km

total

4,010 km

unpaved

3,136 km (2000)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 1,307,012 females age 16-49: 1,319,682 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 864,608 females age 16-49: 920,104 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

64,476 (2010 est.)

male

64,489

Military branches

Eritrean Armed Forces

Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force (2010)

Military expenditures

6.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-40 years of age for male and female voluntary and compulsory military service; 16-month conscript service obligation (2006)

Disputes - international

Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002 Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision but, neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting eastern Sudanese rebel groups; in 2008 Eritrean troops move across the border on Ras Doumera peninsula and occupy Doumera Island with undefined sovereignty in the Red Sea

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

32,000 (border war with Ethiopia from 1998-2000; most IDPs are near the central border region) (2007)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Eritrea is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; each year, large numbers of migrant workers depart Eritrea in search of work, particularly in the Gulf States, where some likely become victims of forced labor, including in domestic servitude, or commercial sexual exploitation; thousands of Eritreans flee the country illegally, mostly to Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya where their illegal status makes them vulnerable to situations of human trafficking; the government remains complicit in conscripting children into military service

tier rating

Tier 3 - the Government of Eritrea does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the Eritrean government does not operate with transparency and published neither data nor statistics regarding its efforts to combat human trafficking; it did not respond to requests to provide information for this report; the government made no known progress in prosecuting and punishing trafficking crimes over the reporting period and did not appear to provide any significant assistance to victims of trafficking during the reporting period (2009) page last updated on January 12, 2011 ======================================================================