Eritrea
State of Eritrea
transitional governmentIndependence 27 May 1993 (from Ethiopia
Eritrea as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 85 fields, one of 33 editions from 1993 to 2025.
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Geography
Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti | and Sudan
15 fieldsLand useshare of 121,320 sq km
International disputes
a dispute with Yemen over sovereignty of the Hanish Islands in the southern Red Sea has been submitted to arbitration under the auspices of the ICJ
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
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
Geographic 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
14 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1996 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 44% (male 755,417; female 743,135)
- 15-64 years:
- 53% (male 910,976; female 913,531)
- 65 years and over:
- 3% (male 54,310; female 50,514) (July 1996 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 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.)
Government
Transitional government
22 fieldsName of country
- conventional long form:
- State of Eritrea
- conventional short form:
- Eritrea
- local long form:
- none
- local short form:
- none
- former:
- Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia
Type of government
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
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
Constitution
transitional "constitution" decreed 19 May 1993; the promulgation of a draft constitution is expected in 1996
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 Afworki (since 22 May 1993) is head of the State Council and National Assembly
- cabinet:
- State Council is the collective executive authority
note: election to be held in 1997
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 in 1997
Political parties and leaders
People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), ISAIAS Afworki, 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
International organization participation
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
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
US diplomatic representation
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Robert G. HOUDEK
- embassy:
- Franklin D. Roosevelt St., Asmara
- mailing address:
- P.O. Box 211, Asmara
- telephone:
- [291] (1) 120004
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
With independence from Ethiopia on 27 April | 1993, Eritrea faces the bitter economic problems of a small, | desperately poor African country.
20 fieldsEconomic 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.
Agriculture
- sorghum, lentils, vegetables, maize, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal (for making rope);
- livestock (including goats);
- fish
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:
- NA
Exchange rates
- 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
Transportation
5 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 14 in all
Railways
- 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.)
Communications
Army, Navy, Air Force
9 fieldsTelephone system
- domestic:
- very inadequate;
- about 4 telephones per 100 families, most of which are in Asmara;
- government is seeking international tenders to improve the system
- international:
- NA
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Eritrea.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/eritrea/1996.