Eritrea
State of EritreaHagere Ertra
transitional government
Eritrea as the 2000 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 103 fields, one of 33 editions from 1993 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Eritrea was awarded 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 border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 remains unresolved.
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 in 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
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 24 May 1993
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2000 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 43% (male 888,573; female 883,939)
- 15-64 years:
- 54% (male 1,104,082; female 1,122,683)
- 65 years and over:
- 3% (male 69,518; female 67,138) (2000 est.)
Net migration rate
8.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.) note: according to the UNHCR, about 150,000 Eritrean refugees in Sudan have registered for voluntary repatriation, following the restoration of diplomatic relations between Eritrea and Sudan in January 2000
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.01 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.98 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.99 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Government
Transitional government; President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993)
19 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 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 August 1997, did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential elections; those elections have been postponed indefinitely following the start of the border conflict with Ethiopia
Administrative divisions
8 provinces (singular - awraja); Akale 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, became effective in 1997;
the new provinces, the names of which had not been recommended by the US Board on Geographic Names for recognition by the US Government, pending acceptable definition of the boundaries, were: Anseba, Debub, Debubawi Keyih Bahri, Gash-Barka, Maakel, and Semanawi Keyih Bahri;
more recently, it has been reported that these provinces have been redesignated regions and renamed Southern Red Sea, Northern Red Sea, Anseba, Gash-Barka, Southern, and Central
Independence
23-25 April 1993 referendum was held with vote for independence as the outcome; 24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia; formerly the Eritrea Autonomous Region)
Constitution
the transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented
Legal system
operates on the basis of transitional laws that incorporate pre-independence statutes of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front, revised Ethiopian laws, customary laws, and post independence enacted laws
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)
- 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); 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 country-wide elections to a National Assembly are held; only 75 members will be elected to the National Assembly - the other 75 will be members of the Central Committee of the PFDJ
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-Revolutionary Council or ELF-RC [Ahmed NASSER];
- Eritrean Liberation Front-United Organization or ELF-UO [Mohammed Said NAWD]
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador SEMERE Russom
- chancery:
- 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 319-1991
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 319-1304
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador William D. CLARKE
- embassy:
- Franklin D. Roosevelt Street, Asmara
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 211, Asmara
- telephone:
- [291] (1) 120004
- FAX:
- [291] (1) 127584
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 24 May 1993, Eritrea faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country.
31 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(1995 est.)
Electricity
Economy - overview
With independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993, Eritrea faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country. The economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. The small industrial sector consists mainly of light industries with outmoded technologies.
Domestic output (GDP) is substantially augmented by worker remittances from abroad. Government revenues come from custom duties and taxes on income and sales. Road construction is a top domestic priority. In the long term, Eritrea may benefit from the development of offshore oil, offshore fishing, and tourism.
Eritrea's economic future depends on its ability to master fundamental social and economic problems, e.g., by reducing illiteracy, promoting job creation, expanding technical training, attracting foreign investment, and streamlining the bureaucracy. The most immediate threat to the economy, however, is the possible expansion of the border conflict with Ethiopia, which broke out in May 1998. The hostilities have drained away substantial resources vital to Eritrea's economic development.
Agriculture - products
- sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal;
- livestock, goats;
- fish
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- domestic:
- very inadequate;
- most telephones are in Asmara;
- government is seeking international tenders to improve the system
- international:
- NA
Transportation
7 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 317 km
- narrow gauge:
- 317 km 0.950-m gauge (1999)
note: links Ak'ordat and Asmara with the port of Massawa; nonoperational since 1978 except for about a 5 km stretch that was reopened in Massawa in 1994;
rehabilitation of the remainder and of the rolling stock is under way
Merchant marine
- total:
- 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,069 GRT/19,549 DWT
- ships by type:
- bulk 1, cargo 1, liquified gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off 1 (1999 est.)
Military
Army, Navy, Air Force
3 fieldsTransnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - international
dispute over alignment of boundary with Ethiopia led to armed conflict in 1998, which is still unresolved despite arbitration efforts [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Eritrea.” The World Factbook 2000. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/eritrea/2000.