Geography

Eritrea covers an area of 45,300 square miles (117,400 square kilometers). The country borders Ethiopia to the south, Djibouti to the southeast, and Sudan to the northwest. It extends for about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) along the Red Sea, from Cape Kasar to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. It includes the Dahlak Archipelago in the Red Sea. An archipelago is a group of islands.

The Ethiopian Plateau extends into Eritrea from the south. The plateau is 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) high and is bordered by lower plains to the east and west. Several rivers have cut through the plateau to form ambas. These formations are steep on the sides and flat on top. They were formed by the waters of the rivers as they washed away soil.

There are great changes in height in Eritrea. As a result, the weather varies throughout the country. Generally, the areas along the coast are warmer and drier, while the ares in the highlands are cooler.

People and culture

Many different languages are spoken in Eritrea but the two most common are Tigrinya and Tigre. Tigrinya is spoken by a people called the Tigray who live in the southern highlands. Most of them are Christians; they make up almost half the population of Eritrea. Muslims in the northern highlands and on the eastern and western slopes speak Tigre. Other languages include Saho, Afar, Beja, and Nilotic. People living along the coast and on the border with the Sudan speak Arabic. Many people living around Asmara speak Italian.

Economy

Eritreans rely on farming and livestock raising to survive. Farming is difficult because the country does not usually receive much rainfall. Irrigation has solved some of that problem, however. Crops such as sorghum, millet, barley, teff (a cereal grass), corn, and wheat are grown on the plateau. Goats, sheep, and cattle are raised mostly on the lowlands. Some fishing is carried out on the Red Sea.

Most of the industry in Eritrea is in the capital, Asmara. It is based mainly on the manufacture of food products, textiles, and leather goods. Oil is refined in Aseb. Salt is mined and processed, and the country also has deposits of copper, gold, potash, and iron ore. Exports include salt, hides, and cement.

History

Eritrea was originally part of the Aksumite empire, which reached its height between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. It was linked to the Ethiopian kingdom. However, it remained independent until it fell under the rule of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. From the 17th to the 19th century, the rule of the land was disputed. Ethiopia, the Ottomans, the kingdom of Tigray, Egypt, and Italy all claimed the land.

In 1889 Italy and Ethiopia signed a treaty that made Eritrea a colony of Italy. Eritrea was used as the main base for Italian invasions of Ethiopia in 1896 and 1935–36. In June 1936 Eritrea became one of six provinces of Italian East Africa.

In 1941 the area came under British rule, and in 1952 it was given to Ethiopia. Eritreans soon began a campaign to win independence from Ethiopia. The campaign turned into an armed battle that lasted for many years. After the Ethiopian government was overthrown in 1991, the Eritreans were allowed to form a separate government.

Elections were held in April 1993, and more than half the people voted for independence. Eritrea was declared independent on May 24. Isaias Afwerki was elected the country's first president. After independence, Eritrea's relations with Ethiopia were friendly until a border dispute arose in 1998. Both countries claimed a strip of land lying between them, and they fought until a peace agreement was signed in December 2000. The war seriously hurt Eritrea's economy, caused numerous deaths, and forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. Population (2001 estimate), 4,298,000.