Location
	Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan
Geographic Co-Ordinates
	15 00 N,39 00 E
Map References
	Africa
Area
Total	121,320 sq km
Land	121,320 sq km
Water	0 sq km
Area Comparative
	slightly larger than Pennsylvania
Land Boundaries
Total	1,626 km
Border Countries	Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km
Coastline
	2,234 km total; mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km
Maritime claims
Contiguous Zone	NA
Territorial Sea	12 nm
Continental Shelf	NA
Exclusive Economic Zone	NA
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
Terrian
	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
Elevation Extremes
lowest point	near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m
highest point	Soira 3,018 m
Natural resources
	gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish
Land use
arable land	4.95%
permanent crops	0.03%
other	95.02% (2001)
Irrigated land
	220 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards
	frequent droughts; locust swarms
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

The above information has been obtained from World Fact Book whom we acknowledge with gratitude.

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Country name
conventional long form	State of Eritrea
conventional short form	Eritrea
Government type
	transitional government
Capital
	Asmara (formerly Asmera)
Administrative divisions
	6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); Anseba, Debub, Debubawi K'eyih Bahri, Gash Barka, Ma'akel, Semenawi Keyih Bahri
Independence
	24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)
National Holiday
	Independence Day, 24 May (1993)
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
	primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, with revisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been promulgated; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Sharia law
Suffrage
	18 years of age; universal
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 and is head of the State Council and National Assembly
elections	president elected by the National Assembly; election last held 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); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly
cabinet	State Council is the collective executive authority; members appointed by the president
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	president elected by the National Assembly; election last held 8 June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the National Assembly did not hold a presidential election in December 2001 as anticipated)
election results	ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%
Judicial branch
	High Court - regional, subregional, and village courts; also have military and special courts
Political parties and leaders
	People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, the only party recognized by the government [ISAIAS Afworki]; note - a National Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January 2001, but the full National Assembly has not yet debated or voted on it
Political pressure groups and leaders
	Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ [leader NA] (also including Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement or EIJM (also known as the Abu Sihel Movement) [leader NA]); Eritrean Islamic Salvation or EIS (also known as the Arafa Movement) [leader NA]; 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]
International organization participation
	ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission	Ambassador GIRMA Asmerom
consulate(s) general	Oakland (California)
FAX	[1] (202) 319-1304
Telephone	[1] (202) 319-1991
chancery	1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission	Ambassador Scott H. DELISI
embassy	Franklin D. Roosevelt Street, Asmara
mailing address	P. O. Box 211, Asmara
Telephone	[291] (1) 120004
FAX	[291] (1) 127584
consulate(s) general	NA
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

The above information has been obtained from World Fact Book whom we acknowledge with gratitude.

Information system/service: original URL.

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Economy Overview
	Since independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993, Eritrea has faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country. Like the economies of many African nations, the economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. The Ethiopian-Eritrea war in 1998-2000 severely hurt Eritrea's economy. GDP growth fell to zero in 1999 and to -12.1% in 2000. The May 2000 Ethiopian offensive into northern Eritrea caused some $600 million in property damage and loss, including losses of $225 million in livestock and 55,000 homes. The attack prevented planting of crops in Eritrea's most productive region, causing food production to drop by 62%. Even during the war, Eritrea developed its transportation infrastructure, asphalting new roads, improving its ports, and repairing war damaged roads and bridges. Since the war ended, 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. Erratic rainfall and the delayed demobilization of agriculturalists from the military kept cereal production well below normal, holding down growth in 2002. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its ability to master social problems such as illiteracy, unemployment, and low skills, and to open its economy to private enterprise so the diaspora's money and expertise can foster economic growth.
GDP
	purchasing power parity - $3.3 billion (2002 est.)
GDP Real Growth rate
	2% (2002 est.)
GDP per capita
	purchasing power parity - $700 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture	12.4%
industry	25.3%
services	62.4% (2003 est.)
Population below poverty line
	53% (1993/94)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest	NA
highest	NA
Distribution of family income - Gini index
	NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
	12.3% (2003)
Labor Force
	NA (1999)
Labor force - by occupation
	agriculture 80%, industry and services 20%
Unemployment rate
	NA (2003 est.)
Budget
revenues	$235.7 million
expenditures	$375 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2003 est.)
Industries
	food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles
Industrial production growth rate
	NA
Electricity - production
	220.5 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
hydro
other
nuclear
Electricity - consumption
	205.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports
	0 kWh NA kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports
	0 kWh NA kWh (2001)
Oil - production
	0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption
	6,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - Exports
	NA (2001)
Oil - imports
	NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves
	NA
Natural gas - proved reserves
	NA
Agriculture - products
	sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal; livestock, goats; fish
Exports
	$56 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities
	livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures (2000)
Exports - Partners
	Malaysia 65.1%, Italy 10.4%, France 4.4% (2003)
Imports
	$600 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities
	machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods (2000)
Imports - partners
	US 39.7%, Italy 19.1%, Turkey 6.8%, Russia 5.4%, France 4.7% (2003)
Debt - external
	$311 million (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
	$77 million (1999)
Currency
	nakfa (ERN)
Currency Code
	ERN
Exchange Rates
	nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - NA (2003), 13.9582 (2002), 11.3095 (2001), 9.5 (2000), 7.6 (1999)
Fiscal year
	calendar year

The above information has been obtained from World Fact Book whom we acknowledge with gratitude.

Information system/service: original URL.

Please take time to visit the above sites.

Eritrea se sitúa en África, en la costa del mar Rojo, entre Sudán y Djibouti y limita al sur y sudoeste con Etiopía. Su superficie abarca 117 600 km².

Eritrea tiene una llanura costera que se extiende a lo largo del mar Rojo desde el Cabo Kasar hasta el estrecho de Bab el Mandeb, cubriendo una distancia de cerca 1 000 km. Una llanura costera ubicada a occidente se eleva repentinamente para formar una meseta en las tierras altas, con altitudes que oscilan entre 1 830 y más de 2 500 m. El monte Soira, situado en las tierras altas, es el pico más alto del país con 3,013 m de altitud.

Al norte y occidente de la meseta se extiende una zona colinosa con elevaciones que varían entre 760 y 1370 m. El desierto de Denakil abarca la parte sudoriental del país. Los ríos Mereb (o Gash), Baraka, y Anseba fluyen desde la meseta occidental hacia Sudán, mientras que los ríos Falkat, Laba y Alighede fluyen desde las tierras altas hasta el mar Rojo.

La estrecha llanura costera recibe poca lluvia y es extremadamente cálida, con una temperatura promedio de 27 °C. La depresión de Denakil situada en el sureste se encuentra por debajo del nivel del mar y en ella se han registrado algunas de las temperaturas más altas del globo. en las tierras altas, las temperaturas son más bajas (con un promedio de 16 °C) y precipitaciones anuales mucho más altas que en la costa. La costa recibe cerca de 150 y 250 mm de precipitaciones anuales, mientras que en las tierras altas llegan hasta 600 mm.

The above information has been obtained from FAOForestry whom we acknowledge with gratitude.

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