Eritrea
State of Eritrea
transitional governmentIndependence 27 May 1993 (from Ethiopia
Eritrea as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 95 fields, one of 33 editions from 1993 to 2025.
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Geography
Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and | Sudan
18 fieldsLand useshare of 121,320 sq km
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
Environment - current issues
- deforestation;
- desertification;
- soil erosion;
- overgrazing;
- loss of infrastructure from civil warfare
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
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 27 April 1993
People
14 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1997 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 43% (male 781,169; female 770,497)
- 15-64 years:
- 54% (male 963,542; female 966,083)
- 65 years and over:
- 3% (male 55,811; female 52,585) (July 1997 est.)
Net migration rate
34.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.) note: it is estimated that between 200,000 and 350,000 Eritrean refugees were still living in Sudan in mid-1997
Sex ratio
- at birth :
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.01 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- total population :
- 1.01 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Government
Transitional government; President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993)
22 fieldsCountry name
- conventional long form:
- State of Eritrea
- conventional short form:
- Eritrea
- local long form :
- Hagere Ertra
- local short form:
- Ertra
- former:
- Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia
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 Peoples' 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 pending the promulgation of a constitution and popular elections
Administrative divisions
8 provinces (singular - awraja); Akele Guzay, Barka, Denkel, Hamasen, Sahil, Semhar, Senhit, Seraye
note: in May 1995 the National Assembly adopted a resolution stating that the administrative structure of Eritrea, which had been established by former colonial powers, would consist of only six provinces when the new constitution, then being drafted, would go into effect sometime in 1998;
the new provinces, which have not been recommended by the US Board on Geographic Names for recognition by the
US government, pending acceptable definition of the boundaries, are
Anseba, Debub, Debubawi, Gash-Barka, Maakel, and Semanawi Keyih Bahri
Constitution
transitional "constitution" decreed 19 May 1993; the promulgation of a draft constitution is expected in 1998
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 1998, will follow the example set in the referendum of 1993 and extend suffrage to all persons 18 years of age or older
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
- head of government:
- President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
- cabinet:
- State Council is the collective executive authority
note: the president is head of the State Council and National Assembly
- elections:
- president elected by the National Assembly; election last held 8 June 1993 (next to be held NA 1997)
- election results:
- ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term limits not established pending new constitution); elections: 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 or PFDJ, the only party recognized by the government [ISAIAS Afworki, PETROS Solomon]
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ;
- Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed];
- Eritrean Liberation Front - United Organization or ELF-UO [Mohammed Said NAWUD];
- Eritrean Liberation Front - Revolutionary Council or ELF-RC [Ahmed NASSER]
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador AMDEMICHAEL Berhane Khasai
- chancery:
- 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
- telephone :
- [1] (202) 319-1991
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission :
- Ambassador John HICKS
- embassy:
- Franklin D. Roosevelt St., Asmara
- mailing address:
- P.O. Box 211, Asmara
- telephone:
- [291] (1) 120004
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
Economy
With independence from Ethiopia on 27 April 1993, | Eritrea faced the bitter economic problems of a small, desperately | poor African country.
22 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(1995 est.)
Economy - overview
With independence from Ethiopia on 27 April 1993, Eritrea faced the bitter economic problems of a small, desperately poor African country. Most of the population must continue to depend on subsistence farming. Domestic output (GDP) is substantially augmented by worker remittances from abroad.
Government revenues come from custom duties and income and sales taxes. Road construction is a top domestic priority. Shortages persist in housing, education, and health care. 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. Ethiopia is largely dependent on Eritrean ports for its foreign commerce.
Agriculture - products
- sorghum, lentils, vegetables, maize, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal (for making rope);
- livestock (including goats);
- fish
Exports
- total value:
- $81 million (1995 est.)
- commodities:
- livestock, sorghum, textiles
- partners:
- Ethiopia, Italy, Saudi Arabia, UK, US, Yemen
Imports
- total value :
- $404 million (1995 est.)
- commodities:
- processed goods, machinery, petroleum products
- partners:
- Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Italy, United Arab Emirates
Currency
- 1 birr (Br) = 100 cents;
- at present, Ethiopian currency used;
- note - new Eritrean currency, the nakfa, to be circulated in 1997
Exchange rates
- birr (Br) per US$1 (end of the period) - 6.4260 (December 1996), 6.4260 (1996), 6.3200 (1995), 5.9500 (1994), 5.000 (fixed rate 1992-93);
- note - following independence from Ethiopia, Eritrea continued to use Ethiopian currency
note: since May 1993, the birr market rate has been determined in an interbank market supported by weekly wholesale auction; prior to that date, the official rate was pegged to US$1 = 5.000 birr
Communications
6 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
Transportation
7 fieldsAirports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 307 km
- narrow gauge:
- 307 km 0.950-m gauge (1995 est.)
note: nonoperational since 1978 except for an about 5 km stretch 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)
Military
Army, Navy, Air Force
5 fieldsTransnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - international
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 ESTONIA
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Eritrea.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/eritrea/1997.