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{{Short description|Country in the Horn of Africa}} | |||
{{otheruses}} | |||
{{Redirect|Erythrea|other uses|Erythrean (disambiguation)|and|Eritrea (disambiguation)|and|Eritrean (disambiguation)}} | |||
{{pp-move-indef|small=yes}} | |||
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{{Contains Ethiopic text}} | |||
{{Multiple issues| | |||
{{Copy edit|date=October 2024}} | |||
{{Infobox Country | |||
{{More citations needed|date=October 2024}} | |||
|native_name = Hagere Ertra''<br/>{{Unicode|ሃገረ ኤርትራ}} | |||
}} | |||
|conventional_long_name = State of Eritrea | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}} | |||
|common_name = Eritrea | |||
{{Infobox country | |||
|image_flag = Flag of Eritrea.svg | |||
| conventional_long_name = State of Eritrea | |||
|image_coat = Eritrea COA-color.jpg | |||
| |
| common_name = Eritrea | ||
| |
| native_name = {{native name|ti|ሃገረ ኤርትራ|}} | ||
| image_flag = Flag of Eritrea.svg | |||
|official_languages = ] ''de facto''<sup>1</sup> | |||
| |
| image_coat = Emblem of Eritrea (or argent azur).svg | ||
| |
| symbol_type = Emblem | ||
| image_map = {{Switcher|]|Show globe|]|Show map of Africa|default=1}} | |||
<!--|minority_languages = ] --> | |||
| |
| map_caption = | ||
| |
| image_map2 = | ||
| national_anthem = {{native name|ti|ኤርትራ ኤርትራ ኤርትራ}}<br />"]"{{parabr}}{{center|]}} | |||
|latd= 15|latm=20 |latNS=N |longd=38 |longm=55 |longEW=E | |||
| official_languages = None<ref name="auto3">{{cite web |url=http://www.shaebia.org/constitution.html#CHAP1_ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503234856/http://www.shaebia.org/constitution.html#CHAP1_ |archive-date=3 May 2011 |title=Constitution of the State of Eritrea |publisher=Shaebia.org |access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref> | |||
|largest_city = capital | |||
| national_languages = {{unbulleted list | |||
|government_type = ] | |||
|] | |||
|leader_title1 = ] | |||
|] | |||
|leader_name1 = ] | |||
|] | |||
|President In Power = ] | |||
|] | |||
|sovereignty_type = ] | |||
|] | |||
|sovereignty_type = ] | |||
|] | |||
|established_event1 = from ] | |||
|] | |||
|established_date1 = November 1941 | |||
|] | |||
|established_event2 = from ] '']'' | |||
|] | |||
|established_date2 = 24 May 1991 | |||
}} | |||
|established_event3 = from ] '']'' | |||
| languages_type = ]s | |||
|established_date3 = 24 May 1993 | |||
| languages = {{unbulleted list|]|]|]<ref name="MOI Eritrea">{{cite web |url=https://shabait.com/2009/10/01/eritrea-at-a-glance/ |title=Eritrea at a Glance |date=1 October 2009 |publisher=Eritrea Ministry of Information |access-date=9 September 2020}}</ref>}} | |||
|area_rank = 100th | |||
| |
| demonym = {{Plainlist| | ||
* ]}} | |||
|area_km2 = 117,600 | |||
| ethnic_groups = {{unbulleted list | |||
|area_sq_mi = 45,405 <!--Do not remove per ]--> | |||
| 50% ] | |||
|percent_water = negligible | |||
| 30% ] | |||
|population_estimate = 4,401,009 | |||
| 4% ] | |||
|population_estimate_rank = 118th | |||
| 4% ] | |||
|population_estimate_year = July 2005 | |||
| 4% ] | |||
|population_census = 5,291,370 | |||
| 3% ] | |||
|population_census_year = 2008 | |||
| 2% ] | |||
|population_density_km2 = 37 | |||
| 2% ] | |||
|population_density_sq_mi = 96 <!--Do not remove per ]--> | |||
| 1% ] | |||
|population_density_rank = 165th | |||
}} | |||
|GDP_PPP = $3.739 billion<ref name=imf2>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2006&ey=2009&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=643&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=73&pr.y=20 |title=Eritrea|publisher=International Monetary Fund|accessdate=2009-04-22}}</ref> | |||
| ethnic_groups_ref = <ref>{{Citation |title=Eritrea |date=2022-09-23 |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/eritrea/#people-and-society |work=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en |access-date=2024-04-01}}{{PD-notice}}</ref> | |||
|GDP_PPP_year = 2008 | |||
| ethnic_groups_year = 2021 | |||
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $747<ref name=imf2/> | |||
| |
| capital = ] | ||
| coordinates = {{Coord|15|20|N|38|55|E|type:city}} | |||
|GDP_nominal_year = 2008 | |||
| largest_city = ] | |||
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $295<ref name=imf2/> | |||
| government_type = Unitary one-party ] under a ]<ref name="UNHRC">{{cite web|url= http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIEritrea/Pages/ReportCoIEritrea.aspx| title = Report of the commission of inquiry on human rights in Eritrea | website= UNHRC website | date=8 June 2015 |access-date=9 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/eritrea |title=Eritrea: Events of 2016 |date=12 January 2017 |website=Human Rights Watch}}</ref><ref name="Eritrea's Silent Totalitarianism - McGill Journal of Political Studies">{{cite web |url=https://mjps.ssmu.ca/2018/02/21/eritreas-silent-totalitarianism/|title=Eritrea's Silent Totalitarianism |first=Asma |last=Saad |date=21 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-44771292 |title=Making peace with 'Africa's North Korea'|first=Fergal|last=Keane|work=BBC News|date=10 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Taylor |first1=Adam |title=The brutal dictatorship the world keeps ignoring |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/06/12/the-brutal-dictatorship-the-world-keeps-ignoring/ |access-date=20 May 2019 |newspaper=] |date=12 June 2015 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
|HDI = {{steady}} 0.483 | |||
| |
| leader_title1 = ] | ||
| |
| leader_name1 = ] | ||
| |
| legislature = ] | ||
| |
| sovereignty_type = ] | ||
| sovereignty_note = from ] | |||
|currency_code = ERN | |||
| established_event1 = ] | |||
|time_zone = ] | |||
| established_date1 = 1 September 1961 | |||
|utc_offset = +3 | |||
| established_event2 = '']'' | |||
|time_zone_DST = not observed | |||
| |
| established_date2 = 24 May 1991 | ||
| established_event3 = '']'' | |||
|drives_on = right | |||
| established_date3 = 24 May 1993 | |||
|cctld = ] | |||
| area_rank = 97th <!-- Should match ] --> | |||
|calling_code = 291 | |||
| |
| area_km2 = 120,000 | ||
| area_sq_mi = 45406 <!--Do not remove per ]--> | |||
|ISO_3166-1_alpha3 = ERI | |||
| area_footnote = <ref name="Eritrea">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/eritra/#geography|title=Eritrea|date=27 February 2023|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|via=CIA.gov|access-date=24 February 2023|archive-date=10 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110072816/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/eritrea#geography|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Eritrea country profile">{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13349078 |title=Eritrea country profile |work=BBC News |date=10 May 2011 |access-date=20 November 2023 |archive-date=20 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120212749/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13349078 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="UNHDR">{{cite book|title=Human Development Report 2020 The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene|date=15 December 2020|publisher=United Nations Development Programme|isbn=978-92-1-126442-5|pages=343–346|url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2020.pdf|access-date=16 December 2020}}</ref> | |||
|ISO_3166-1_numeric = 232 | |||
| |
| percent_water = negligible | ||
| population_estimate = 3.6–6.7 million<ref name="UNDESA_WPP_2019_total_population">{{cite web | title= World Population Prospects 2019 | website= ] |year = 2019 | url = https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Files/1_Indicators%20(Standard)/EXCEL_FILES/1_Population/WPP2019_POP_F01_1_TOTAL_POPULATION_BOTH_SEXES.xlsx | access-date = 2021-02-28 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210227235642/https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Files/1_Indicators%20(Standard)/EXCEL_FILES/1_Population/WPP2019_POP_F01_1_TOTAL_POPULATION_BOTH_SEXES.xlsx |archive-date= 2021-02-27 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="COMESA_ERpop_2019">{{cite web | title= Eritrea – Indicators – Population (million people), 2018 | website= ] |year = 2019 | url = https://comstat.comesa.int/lqpaqnf/comesa-in-figures-2019?tsId=1000510 | access-date = 2021-02-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228195303/https://comstat.comesa.int/lqpaqnf/comesa-in-figures-2019?tsId=1000510 |archive-date= 2021-02-28 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{efn|name=Population | Eritrea has never conducted an official government census.<ref name="PHS2010_full">{{cite web | title= Eritrea – Population and Health Survey 2010 | website= ], ] |year = 2010 | url =https://www.unicef.org/eritrea/ECO_resources_populationhealthsurvey2010.pdf | access-date = 2021-03-03 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190606121847/https://www.unicef.org/eritrea/ECO_resources_populationhealthsurvey2010.pdf |archive-date= 2019-06-06 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} | |||
|vehicle_code = ER | |||
| population_estimate_year = 2020 | |||
|footnote1 = Working languages: ], ], ] , . | |||
| GDP_PPP = $6.42 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.ER">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=643,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2017&ey=2028&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Eritrea) |publisher=] |website=IMF.org |date=10 October 2023 |access-date=12 October 2023}}</ref> | |||
|other languages = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], . | |||
| GDP_PPP_year = 2019 | |||
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = $1,835<ref name="IMFWEO.ER"/> | |||
| GDP_nominal = $1.98 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.ER"/> | |||
| GDP_nominal_year = 2019 | |||
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = $566<ref name="IMFWEO.ER"/> | |||
| Gini_year = | |||
| Gini_change = <!--increase/decrease/steady--> | |||
| Gini = <!--number only--> | |||
| Gini_ref = | |||
| Gini_rank = | |||
| HDI_year = 2022<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year--> | |||
| HDI_change = decrease<!--increase/decrease/steady--> | |||
| HDI = 0.493 <!--number only--> | |||
| HDI_ref = <ref name="HDI">{{cite web|url=https://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/2023-24_HDR/HDR23-24_Statistical_Annex_HDI_Table.xlsx|title=Human Development Report 2023/2024|language=en|publisher=]|date=19 March 2024|access-date=19 March 2024}}</ref> | |||
| HDI_rank = 175th | |||
| currency = ] | |||
| currency_code = ERN | |||
| time_zone = ] | |||
| utc_offset = +3 | |||
| time_zone_DST = not observed | |||
| utc_offset_DST = +3 | |||
| drives_on = right | |||
| calling_code = ] | |||
| cctld = ] | |||
| footnotes = {{notelist}} | |||
| religion = See ] | |||
}} | }} | ||
{{Contains special characters|Ethiopic|compact=yes}} | |||
'''Eritrea''' ({{IPA-en|ˌɛrɨˈtreɪə}}, {{IPAlink-en|ˌɛrɨˈtriːə}}) (]: {{Unicode|ኤርትራ}} {{Unicode|''ʾErtrā''}}, ]: إرتريا ''Iritriya''), officially the '''State of Eritrea''', is a country in ]. It is bordered by ] in the west, ] in the south, and ] in the southeast. The east and northeast of the country have an extensive coastline on the ], directly across from ] and ]. The ] and several of the ] are part of Eritrea. Its size is just under 118,000 km² with an estimated population of 5,000,000. The capital is ]. | |||
'''Eritrea''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Eritrea.wav|ˌ|ɛr|ᵻ|ˈ|t|r|iː|ə}} {{respell|ERR|ih|TREE|ə}} or {{IPAc-en|-|ˈ|t|r|eɪ|-}} {{respell|-|TRAY|-}};,<ref>{{cite Dictionary.com|Eritrea}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite Merriam-Webster|Eritrea|access-date=2010-05-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2 August 2012 |title=Name change for Eritrea and other minor corrections |url=https://www.iso.org/files/live/sites/isoorg/files/archive/pdf/en/nl_vi-13_name_change_for_eritrea.pdf |access-date=5 May 2024 |website=International Organization for Standardization}}</ref> {{IPA-ti|ʔer(ɨ)trä|pron|Ertra.ogg}}), officially the '''State of Eritrea''', is a country in the ] region of ], with its capital and largest city being ]. It is bordered by ] in the ], ] in the west, and ] in the southeast. The northeastern and eastern parts of Eritrea have an extensive coastline along the ]. The nation has a total area of approximately {{Convert|117600|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}},<ref name="Eritrea" /><ref name="Eritrea country profile" /> and includes the ] and several of the ]. | |||
Italy conquered Eritrea and the ] government formally consolidated it into a ] on January 1, 1890. In 1936 it became a province of ] (Africa Orientale Italiana), along with Ethiopia and Italian Somaliland. The British armed forces expelled the Italian armed forces in 1941<ref></ref> and took over the administration of the country which had been set up by the Italians. The British continued to administer the territory under a ] until 1951 when Eritrea was federated with Ethiopia as per UN resolution 390(A) adopted in December 1950; the resolution was adopted in the absence of any form of consultation withthe people of Eritrea. | |||
Human remains found in Eritrea have been dated to 1 million years old and anthropological research indicates that the area may contain significant records related to the evolution of humans. The ], covering much of modern-day Eritrea and ], was established during the first or second century AD.<ref name="Munro-Hay57">{{cite book |last=Munro-Hay |first=Stuart |date=1991 |url=http://www.dskmariam.org/artsandlitreature/litreature/pdf/aksum.pdf |title=Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity |location=Edinburgh |publisher=University Press |page=57 |isbn=0-7486-0106-6 |access-date=24 June 2012 |archive-date=23 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123223427/http://www.dskmariam.org/artsandlitreature/litreature/pdf/aksum.pdf }}</ref><ref name="Paul B. Henze 2005">Henze, Paul B. (2005) ''Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia'', {{ISBN|1-85065-522-7}}.</ref> It adopted ] around the middle of the fourth century.<ref>. Workmall.com (24 March 2007). Retrieved 3 March 2012.</ref> Beginning in the 12th century, the Ethiopian ] and ] dynasties held sway to a fluctuating extent over the entire plateau and the Red Sea coast. Eritrea's central highlands, known as ] ("''Beyond the ]''"), were the northern frontier region of the Ethiopian kingdoms and were ruled by a governor titled the '']'' ("King of the Sea"). In the 16th century, the ] conquered the Eritrean coastline, then in May 1865 much of the coastal lowlands came under the rule of the ], until it was transferred to ] in February 1885. Beginning in 1885–1890, Italian troops systematically spread out from ] toward the highlands, eventually resulting in the formation of the colony of ] in 1889, establishing the present-day boundaries of the country. Italian rule continued until 1942 when Eritrea was placed under ] during World War II; following a UN General Assembly decision in 1952, ] with a local Eritrean parliament, but for foreign affairs and defense, it would enter into a federal status with Ethiopia for ten years. However, in 1962, the government of Ethiopia annulled the Eritrean parliament and ]. The Eritrean secessionist movement organised the ] in 1961 and fought the ] until Eritrea gained ''de facto'' independence in 1991. Eritrea gained ''de jure'' independence in 1993 after ].<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica">{{cite web |title=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Eritrea |website=www.britannica.com|date=18 March 2024 }}</ref> | |||
Increasing unrest and resistance in Eritrea against the federation with Ethiopia eventually led to a decision by the Ethiopian government to annex Eritrea as its 14th province in 1962. This was the culimination of a gradual process of takeover by the Ethiopian authorities, a process which included an edict in 1959 establishing the compulsory teaching of Amharic, the main language of Ethiopia, in all Eritrean schools. | |||
An Eritrean independence movement formed in the early 1960s which erupted into a 31-year long ] against successive Ethiopian governments that ended in 1991. Following a UN supervised referendum in Eritrea dubbed ] in which the Eritrean people overwhelmingly voted for independence from Ethiopia, Eritrea declared its independence and gained international recognition in 1993.<ref name="Britannica_Eritrea-page20">{{cite web |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-37675/Eritrea |title=Eritrea – The spreading revolution |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica Article |accessdate=2007-10-16}}</ref> Eritrea is a single-party state - whilst its constitution, adopted in 1997, stipulates that the state is a presidential republic with a ] ], it has yet to be implemented. According to the government<ref>http://www.parade.com/dictators/2008/slideshows/isayas-afewerki/05.html</ref>, this is due to the prevailing border conflict with Ethiopia which began in May 1998. | |||
] is also used in all of the government's international communication and is the language of instruction in all education beyond the fifth grade.<ref>"{{PDFlink||128 ]<!-- application/pdf, 131377 bytes -->}}. ]. Retrieved 18 July 2006</ref> | |||
Contemporary Eritrea is a multi-ethnic country with nine recognised ethnic groups, each of which has a distinct language. The most widely spoken languages are ] and ]. The others are ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.easo.europa.eu/sites/default/files/public/Eritrea-Report-Final.pdf |title=EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Eritrea Country Focus |publisher=European Asylum Support Office |date=May 2015 |access-date=19 August 2021 |archive-date=9 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609122146/https://www.easo.europa.eu/sites/default/files/public/Eritrea-Report-Final.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> ], ] and ] serve as the three working languages.<ref name="MOI Eritrea" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://shabait.com/amp/2021/05/01/national-unity-eritreas-core-value-for-peace-and-stability/|title = National Unity: Eritrea's core value for peace and stability}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://shabait.com/amp/2009/10/01/eritrea-at-a-glance/|title = Eritrea at a Glance}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unesco.org/education/edurights/media/docs/fd48fdd5dc073aa0a88273489a13921296394304.pdf |title=Eritrea Constitution |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=19 August 2021 }}</ref> Most residents speak languages from the ] family, either of the ] or ] branches. Among these communities, the ] make up about 50% of the population, with the ] constituting around 30% of inhabitants. In addition, there are several ]-speaking ] ethnic groups. Most people in the country adhere to ] or ], with a small minority adhering to ].<ref name="CIA">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/eritrea/ |title=Eritrea |work=] |date=22 September 2021 |publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
==History== | |||
===Prehistory=== | |||
Eritrea is one of the ]. It is a unitary ] in which ] have never been held.<ref name="gi"/><ref name="Eritrea's Silent Totalitarianism - McGill Journal of Political Studies" /> ] has served as president since its official independence in 1993. According to ], the ] is among the worst in the world.<ref name="hrw"/> The Eritrean government has dismissed these allegations as politically motivated.<ref name="Tesf">{{cite web|title=Human Rights and Eritrea's Reality|url=http://www.tesfanews.net/wp-content/uploads/Human-Rights-and-Eritreas-Reality.pdf|website=E Smart|publisher=E Smart Campaign|access-date=12 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084731/http://www.tesfanews.net/wp-content/uploads/Human-Rights-and-Eritreas-Reality.pdf|archive-date=19 August 2014}}</ref> ] in Eritrea is extremely limited; the ] consistently ranks it as one of the least free countries. As of 2022 ] considers the country to be among those with the least press freedom.<ref name="RSF">{{cite web |title=Eritrea: A dictatorship in which the media have no rights |url=https://rsf.org/en/eritrea |access-date=13 March 2023 |website=Reporters Without Borders}}</ref> Eritrea is a member of the ], the ], and the ], and is an ] in the ] alongside Brazil and ].<ref name="edition.cnn.com">{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/30/world/meast/arab-league-fast-facts/ |title=Arab League Fast Facts |work=CNN |date=18 March 2016 |access-date=5 June 2016}}</ref> | |||
One of the oldest hominids, representing a possible link between '']'' and an archaic '']'', was found in Buya (Eritrean Danakil) in 1995 by ] scientists. The cranium was dated to over 1 million years old.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Abbate, Ernesto; Albianelli, Andrea; Azzaroli, Augusto; Benvenuti, Marco; Tesfamariam, Berhane; | |||
Bruni, Piero; Cipriani, Nicola; Clarke, Ronald J.; Ficcarelli, Giovanni; Macchiarelli, Roberto; Napoleone, | |||
Giovanni; Papini, Mauro; Rook, Lorenzo; Sagri, Mario; Tecle, Tewelde Medhin; Torre, Danilo; Villa, | |||
Igor |title=A one-million-year-old Homo cranium from the Danakil (Afar) Depression of Eritrea |journal=Nature|date= 4 June 1998|volume=393|pages=458–460 |doi=10.1038/30954}}</ref> Furthermore, in 1999, the ''Eritrean Research Project Team,'' discovered some of the earliest remains of humans using tools to harvest marine resources. The site contained obsidian tools dated to the ] era, over 125,000 years old.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://exn.ca/hominids/outofafrica.cfm |accessdate = 2006-10-02 |title=Out of Africa |date=]}}</ref> ] or ] cave paintings in central and northern Eritrea attest to early hunter-gatherers in this region. A US ], ] of the ], also discovered a possible missing link between ancient and modern elephants in the form of the fossilized remains of a pig-sized creature in Eritrea. The fossil which is 27 million years old pushes the origins of elephants and mastodons five million years further into the past and asserts that modern elephants originated in Africa. | |||
== Etymology == | |||
===Pre-colonial civilization=== | |||
The name ''Eritrea'' is derived from the ancient (originally Greek) name for the ], the Erythraean Sea ({{lang|grc|]}} {{lang|grc-Latn|Erythra Thalassa}}, based on the adjective {{lang|grc|ἐρυθρός}} {{lang|grc-Latn|erythros}} "red"). It was first formally adopted in 1890, with the formation of ] (''Colonia Eritrea'').<ref name="ConnellKillion2010">{{cite book|author1=Dan Connell|author2=Tom Killion|title=Historical Dictionary of Eritrea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SYsgpIc3mrsC&pg=PA7|date=14 October 2010|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-7505-0|pages=7–}}</ref> The name persisted throughout subsequent ] and ] occupation, and was reaffirmed by the ] and ].<ref>"Today, 23 May 1997, on this historic date, after active popular participation, approve and solemnly ratify, through the Constituent Assembly, this Constitution as the fundamental law of our Sovereign and Independent State of Eritrea." | |||
{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104131633/http://www.eritrean-embassy.se/government-agencies/eritrea-constitution/ |date=4 November 2016 }}</ref> | |||
== History == | |||
The oldest written reference to the territory now known as Eritrea is the chronicled expedition launched to the fabled '']'' (or ''Ta Netjeru'', meaning land of the Gods) by the ] in the twenty-fifth century BC under ] ]. Later sources from the Pharaoh ] in the fifteenth century BC present a more detailed portrayal of an expedition in search of ]. The geographical location of the missions to Punt is described as roughly corresponding to the southern west coast of the ]. The name Eritrea is a rendition of the ancient ] name Ερυθραία, ''Erythraía'', the "Red Land" The earliest evidence of ], ] settlement and trade in Eritrea was found in the western region of the country consisting of archeological remains dating back to 3500 BC in sites called the ''Gash group''. Based on the archaeological evidence, there seems to have been a connection between the peoples of the Gash group and the civilizations of the ] namely ] and ].<ref name="urbanism">{{cite paper |author=Fattovich, Rodolfo |title=The development of urbanism in the northern Horn of Africa in ancient and medieval times |url=http://hometown.aol.com/_ht_a/skipbdahlgren/sdahlgren/fattowich.pdf |format=PDF |accessdate = 2006-10-24}}</ref> | |||
{{main|History of Eritrea}} | |||
=== Prehistory === | |||
], a pre-Aksumite or early Aksumite ] at ].]] | |||
] region of Eritrea, dated to 5,000–10,000 years ago]] | |||
] is the name of a fossil found at an archaeological site in Eritrea by Italian anthropologists. She has been identified as among the oldest ] fossils found to date that reveal significant stages in the evolution of humans and to represent a possible link between the earlier '']'' and an archaic '']''. Her remains have been dated to 1 million years old. She is the oldest skeletal find of her kind and provides a link between earlier hominids and the earliest ].<ref>{{Cite book|isbn=978-0-07-913665-7|title=McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology|edition=9th|publisher=The McGraw Hill Companies Inc.|year=2002|title-link=McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology}}</ref> It is believed that the section of the ] in Eritrea was a major site in terms of human evolution and may contain other traces of evolution from ''Homo erectus'' hominids to anatomically modern humans.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://exn.ca/hominids/pleistocenepark.cfm|title=Pleistocene Park|access-date=2 October 2006|date=8 September 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991013050335/http://exn.ca/hominids/pleistocenepark.cfm|archive-date=13 October 1999|last1=Chang|first1=Gloria|website=Hunting Hominids|publisher=Discovery Channel Canada}}</ref> | |||
During the last interglacial period, the ] coast of Eritrea was occupied by early anatomically modern humans.<ref name="pmid10811218">{{Cite journal | last1 = Walter | first1 = R. C. | last2 = Buffler | first2 = R. T. | last3 = Bruggemann | first3 = J. H. | last4 = Guillaume | first4 = M. M. M. | last5 = Berhe | first5 = S. M. | last6 = Negassi | first6 = B. | last7 = Libsekal | first7 = Y. | last8 = Cheng | first8 = H. | last9 = Edwards | first9 = R. L. | last10 = Von Cosel | doi = 10.1038/35011048 | first10 = R. | last11 = Néraudeau | first11 = D. | last12 = Gagnon | first12 = M. | title = Early human occupation of the Red Sea coast of Eritrea during the last interglacial | journal = Nature | volume = 405 | issue = 6782 | pages = 65–69 | year = 2000 | pmid =10811218| bibcode = 2000Natur.405...65W | s2cid = 4417823 }}</ref> It is believed that the area was on the route out of Africa that some scholars suggest was used by early humans to colonize the rest of the Old World.<ref name="pmid10811218"/> In 1999, the Eritrean Research Project Team composed of Eritrean, Canadian, American, Dutch, and French scientists discovered a ] site with stone and obsidian tools dated to more than 125,000 years old near the ] south of ], along the Red Sea littoral. The tools are believed to have been used by early humans to harvest marine resources such as clams and oysters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://exn.ca/hominids/outofafrica.cfm|access-date=2 October 2006|title=Out of Africa|date=10 September 1999|archive-date=28 September 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928035536/http://www.exn.ca/hominids/outofafrica.cfm}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Zarins, Juris |year=1990|title=Early Pastoral Nomadism and the Settlement of Lower Mesopotamia|journal=Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research|volume=280 |issue=280|pages=31–65|jstor=1357309|doi=10.2307/1357309|s2cid=163491760}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1126/science.1078208 | last1 = Diamond | first1 = J. | last2 = Bellwood | first2 = P. | title = Farmers and Their Languages: The First Expansions | journal = Science | volume = 300 | issue = 5619 | pages = 597–603 | year = 2003 | pmid = 12714734|bibcode = 2003Sci...300..597D | citeseerx = 10.1.1.1013.4523 | s2cid = 13350469 }}</ref><ref name="Blench143144">{{cite book|last1=Blench|first1=R.|title=Archaeology, Language, and the African Past|date=2006|publisher=Rowman Altamira|isbn=978-0-7591-0466-2|pages=143–144|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=esFy3Po57A8C}}</ref> | |||
In the highlands, in the capital city ]'s suburbs, scores of ancient sites have been documented, including Sembel, Mai Chiot, Ona Gudo, Mai Temenai, Weki Duba, and Mai Hutsa. Mostly dating to the early and mid-1st millennium BCE (800 to 350 BCE), these communities consisted of small towns, villages, and hamlets built of stone. The proximity of these ancient communities to gold mines suggest that part of their prosperity was linked to the mining and processing of gold. Around the mid-1st millennium, several sites with ] remains (inscriptions, artifacts, monuments, etc.) seem to emerge in the central highlands, for example, at Keskese. <ref> Peter Schmidt, Matthew Curtis, and Zelalem Teka, The Ancient Ona Communities of the First Millennium BCE: Urban Precursors and Independent Development on the Asmara Plateau. In ''The Archaeology of Ancient Eritrea'', eds. P. R. Schmidt, M. C. Curtis, and Z. Teka. Trenton NJ: Red Sea Press, 2008, pp. 109-162.</ref> Between the eighth and fifth century BCE, a kingdom known as ] was supposedly established in what is today Eritrea and northern Ethiopia (]).<ref> Matthew Curtis, New Perspectives for Examining Change and Complexity in the Northern Horn of Africa during the First Millennium BCE. In ''The Archaeology of Ancient Eritrea'', eds. P. R. Schmidt, M. C. Curtis, and Z. Teka. Trenton, NJ: Red Sea Press, 2008, pp. 329-348.</ref><ref>Stuart Munro-Hay, ''Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity''. Edinburgh: University Press, 1991, pp.57.</ref><ref>Taddesse Tamrat, ''Church and State in Ethiopia: 1270-1527'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1972), pp.5-13.</ref> After D'mt's decline around the fifth century BC, the state of ] arose in much of Eritrea and the northern ]. It grew during the fourth century BC and came into prominence during the first century AD, ] by the third century, and converting in the fourth century to ], thereby becoming the second official Christian state (after ]), and the first country to feature the cross on its coins. According to ], it grew to be one of the four greatest civilizations in the world, on a par with ], ], and ]. In the seventh century, with the advent of ] across the Red Sea in ] and the Arab invasion and subsequent destruction of Adulis, Aksum's trade and power on the Red Sea began to decline and the empire gradually diminished and was overtaken by smaller rival kingdoms. | |||
=== Antiquity === | |||
During the medieval period, contemporary with and following the gradual disintegration of the Aksumite state between the 9th and 10th centuries, several states as well as tribal and clan lands emerged in the area known today as Eritrea. Between the eighth and thirteenth century, northern and northwestern Eritrea had largely come under the domination of the ], a ] people from northeastern ].<ref>''http://american.edu/ted/ice/eritrea.htm''</ref> The Beja brought Islam to large parts of Eritrea and connected the region to the greater ] world. Christians of the Axumite era continued nonetheless to inhabit these areas and retain their religion. In the main highland area and adjacent coastline of what were previously Moslem (Beja) ruled areas, a Christian Kingdom called ''Midir Bahr'' or ''Midri Bahri'' (Tigrinya for land of the sea) arose, ruled by the ] or ''Bahr negash'', ("ruler of the sea") emerged in the 15th century.<ref>Daniel Kendie, ''The Five Dimensions of the Eritrean Conflict 1941 – 2004: Deciphering the Geo-Political Puzzle'' (United States of America: Signature Book Printing, 2005), pp. 17-8.</ref> The southeastern parts of Eritrea, inhabited by the independent ] since ancient times, came to form part of the Islamic ] in the early 13th century. Parts of the southwestern lowlands of Eritrea were under the dominion of the then Christian/animist ]. | |||
{{main|Gash Group|Land of Punt|Dʿmt}} | |||
Research shows tools found in the ] dating from 8,000 BC appear to offer the first concrete evidence of human settlement in the area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iJ9yAAAAMAAJ&q=Tools+found+in+the+Barka+Valley+from+8000BC|title=Eritrea: A Country Handbook|first=Dan|last=Connell|date=24 May 2002|publisher=Ministry of Information|via=Google Books}}</ref> Research also shows that many of the ethnic groups of Eritrea were the first to inhabit these areas.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7pReFaFC3fQC|title=Eritrea|first=Mussie Tesfagiorgis|last=G|date=24 May 2010|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-231-9|via=Google Books}}</ref> | |||
Excavations in and near ] in central Eritrea yielded the remains of an ancient pre-Aksumite civilization known as the ].<ref name="Leclant402">{{cite book|last1=Leclant|first1=Jean|title=Sesto Congresso internazionale di egittologia: atti, Volume 2|date=1993|publisher=International Association of Egyptologists|page=402|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0B1yAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> Ceramics were discovered that were dated back to between 2,500 and 1,500 BC.<ref name="Cole">{{cite book|last1=Cole|first1=Sonia Mary|title=The Prehistory of East|publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson|date=1964|page=273}}</ref> | |||
An invading force of the Turkish ], under ], conquered ] in 1557 from the Christians, building what is now considered the "old town" of Massawa on Batsi island. They also conquered the towns of ], and ], the capital city of the contemporary Christian ] (ruler), ] before being repulsed back to the coast by 1578. The Ottomans remained in control of the important ports of ] and ] and their environs, and maintained their dominion over the coastal areas for nearly 300 years, absorbing the coastal areas of the disintegrated Adal sultanate as vassals in the 16th century. The Funj sultanate of Sinnar converted to Islam in the 16th century but maintained independent control of the southwestern areas of Eritrea until being absorbed into the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century. With the feudal rule of the Bahr negash in the predominantly Christian highland interior severely weakened from the 17th century up until modern times, the area became dubbed ''Mereb Mellash'' by locals and neighboring Ethiopians alike, meaning "beyond the Mereb" (in Tigrinya). This name defined the territory as being north of the ] which to this day is a natural boundary between the modern states of Eritrea and Ethiopia.<ref>Daniel Kendie, ''The Five Dimensions of the Eritrean Conflict''</ref> Roughly the same area also came to be referred to as ], a name that survived until modern times, designating a much smaller area (province) immediately surrounding the capital Asmara, until being absorbed into the new administrative divisions in 1994. In these areas, feudal authority was particularly weak or nonexistent, and the autonomy of the landowning peasantry was particularly strong; a kind of "Republic" was prevalent, governed by local customary laws legislated by elected elder's councils (''shimagile''). <ref>Dennis J. Duncanson ''Sir'at 'Adkeme Milga'. A Native Law Code of Eritrea''</ref> In 1770, the Scottish researcher James Bruce describes Hamasien and Abyssinia as "different countries who are often fighting" (SUKE, p. 25). | |||
Around 2,000 BC, parts of Eritrea were most likely part of the ], first mentioned in the twenty-fifth century BC.<ref>Najovits, Simson (2004) ''Egypt, trunk of the tree, Volume 2'', Algora Publishing, p. 258, {{ISBN|0-87586-256-X}}.</ref><ref name="independent.co.uk">{{cite news|title= Baboon mummy analysis reveals Eritrea and Ethiopia as location of land of Punt |access-date= 26 April 2010 |work= The Independent|date= 26 April 2010 |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/baboon-mummy-analysis-reveals-eritrea-and-ethiopia-as-location-of-land-of-punt-1954547.html|author=Jarus, Owen}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=NATHANIEL J. DOMINY1 |author2=SALIMA IKRAM |author3=GILLIAN L. MORITZ |author4=JOHN N. CHRISTENSEN |author5=PATRICK V. WHEATLEY |author6=JONATHAN W. CHIPMAN |title=Mummified baboons clarify ancient Red Sea trade routes |url=http://meeting.physanth.org/program/2015/session45/dominy-2015-mummified-baboons-clarify-ancient-red-sea-trade-routes.html |publisher=American Association of Physical Anthropologists |access-date=25 June 2016 |archive-date=30 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730055118/http://meeting.physanth.org/program/2015/session45/dominy-2015-mummified-baboons-clarify-ancient-red-sea-trade-routes.html }}</ref> It was known for producing and exporting ], aromatic ]s, ], ], ], and wild animals. The region is known from ancient Egyptian records of trade expeditions to it, especially a well-documented expedition to Punt in approximately 1,469 BC during the reestablishment of disrupted trade routes by ] shortly after the beginning of her rule as the king of ancient Egypt.<ref name="Shaw & Nicholson, p.231">Shaw & Nicholson, p.231.</ref><ref name=":210">{{Cite news|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/punt/|title=Punt|newspaper=World History Encyclopedia|access-date=2017-11-27}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Pharmacographia|first1=Friedrich August|last1=Flückiger|first2=Daniel|last2=Hanbury|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-108-06930-4|date=2014-03-20|page=136|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iTTeAgAAQBAJ&q=opone+punt&pg=PA136}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=In Search of Myths & Heroes: Exploring Four Epic Legends of the World|first=Michael|last=Wood|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-24724-6|date=2005|page=|url=https://archive.org/details/insearchofmythsh00mich|url-access=registration|quote=opone punt.}}</ref> | |||
===Colonialism=== | |||
Excavations at ] found evidence of an ancient pre-] civilization in greater Asmara. This Ona urban culture is believed to have been among the oldest pastoral and agricultural communities in ]. Artifacts at the site have been dated to between 800 BC and 400 BC, contemporaneous with other pre-Aksumite settlements in the Eritrean and Ethiopian highlands during the mid-first millennium BC.<ref name="Schmidt">{{cite journal|last1=Schmidt|first1=Peter R.|title=The 'Ona' culture of greater Asmara: archaeology's liberation of Eritrea's ancient history from colonial paradigms|journal=Journal of Eritrean Studies|year=2002|volume=1|issue=1|pages=29–58|url=http://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=270036407&DB=p|access-date=8 September 2014}}</ref><ref name="Avanzini">{{cite book|last1=Avanzini|first1=Alessandra|title=Profumi d'Arabia: atti del convegno|date=1997|publisher=L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER|isbn=978-88-7062-975-0|page=280|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3zOlYZmJiiAC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=270036407&DB=p|title=The 'Ona' culture of greater Asmara: archaeology's liberation of Eritrea's ancient history from colonial paradigms|first=Peter R.|last=Schmidt|date=24 May 2002|journal=Journal of Eritrean Studies (Asmara)|volume=1|issue=1|pages=29–58|via=www.africabib.org}}</ref> | |||
] colonisation began arguably with the purchase of the locality of ] by a ] priest by the name of Giuseppe Sapetto acting on behalf of a ] shipping company called "Rubattino" who bought the land from the Afar Sultan of Obock (a vassal of the Ottomans) in 1869. This happened in the same year as the opening of the ].<ref name="Britannica_Eritrea-page14">{{cite web |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-37666/Eritrea |title=Eritrea – Contesting for the coastlands |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica Article |accessdate=2007-10-16}}</ref> With the approval of the Italian parliament and King ] of Italy (later succeeded by his son ]), the government of Italy bought the Rubattino company's holdings and expanded its possessions northward along the Red Sea coast toward and beyond Massawa, encroaching on and quickly expelling previous 'Egyptian' possessions but meeting stiffer resistance in the Eritrean highlands from the invading army of the ] ]. | |||
] was built during Italian colonialism.]] | |||
==== |
==== D'mt ==== | ||
{{main|Dʿmt}} | |||
], dating from the ] (first century BC or earlier)]] | |||
] was a kingdom that existed from the tenth to fifth centuries BC in what is now Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. Given the presence of a massive temple complex at ], this area was most likely the kingdom's capital. ], often identified as the town of Koloe in the '']'',<ref>Huntingford, G.W.B. (1989) ''Historical Geography of Ethiopia from the first century AD to 1704''. London: British Academy. pp. 38 ff</ref> as well as ] were important ancient Dʿmt kingdom cities in southern Eritrea. | |||
Italy declared Eritrea a territory of Italy as of ] 1890. The ] ruled Eritrea from 1890 to 1941. | |||
The realm developed ] schemes, used ]s, grew ], and made ] tools and weapons. After the fall of Dʿmt in the fifth century BC, the plateau came to be dominated by smaller successor kingdoms. This lasted until the rise of one of these polities during the first century, the ], which was able to reunite the area.<ref>Pankhurst, Richard K.P. (17 January 2003) {{cite web |url=http://www.addistribune.com/Archives/2003/01/17-01-03/Let.htm |title=Let's Look Across the Red Sea I |access-date=2006-01-09 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060109162335/http://www.addistribune.com/Archives/2003/01/17-01-03/Let.htm |archive-date=9 January 2006}}, ''Addis Tribune''</ref> | |||
Approximately 100.000 ] settled during the 1930s in the ''Colonia Primigenia'' (as was called Eritrea by the Italians, meaning that they considered Eritrea their first and most important colony), mainly in ]. | |||
==== Kingdom of Aksum ==== | |||
Between 1936 and 1941, dictator ] briefly created the '']'', with the short-lived union of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Italian Somaliland. Eritrea enjoyed considerable industrialization and development of modern infrastructure during Italian rule (such as roads and the ]). | |||
{{main|Kingdom of Aksum}} | |||
]]] | |||
The ] (or Axum) was a trading empire centered in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia.<ref>{{cite book|date= 2012|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=48|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xeJMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA48|title=The Oxford Companion to Archaeology|author=Phillipson, David |isbn=978-0-19-973578-5|editor=Neil Asher Silberman}}</ref> It existed from approximately 100–940 AD, growing from the proto-Aksumite ] period around the fourth century BC to achieve prominence by the first century AD. | |||
According to the medieval ''Liber Axumae'' (]), Aksum's first capital, Mazaber, was built by Itiyopis, son of Cush.<ref name="Agrvt">{{cite book|title=Africa Geoscience Review, Volume 10|date=2003|publisher=Rock View International|page=366|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QWBPAQAAIAAJ}}</ref> The capital was later moved to ] in northern Ethiopia. The kingdom used the name "Ethiopia" as early as the fourth century.<ref name="Munro-Hay57"/><ref name="Paul B. Henze 2005"/> | |||
The Italians remained the colonial power in Eritrea throughout the lifetime of ] and the beginnings of ], when they were ] by Allied forces in 1941, and Eritrea came under British administration.<ref name="Britannica_Eritrea-page14" /> | |||
The Aksumites erected a number of large ], which served a religious purpose in pre-] times. One of these granite columns, the ], is the largest such structure in the world, standing at {{convert|90|ft|m|abbr=off}}.<ref name="Eospvo">{{cite book|last=Brockman|first=Norbert|title=Encyclopedia of Sacred Places, Volume 1|year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-654-6 |page=30 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JkSk4euA-TEC}}</ref> Under ] (] 320–360), Aksum later adopted Christianity.<ref name="Munro-Hay">{{cite book|last1=Munro-Hay|first1=Stuart C. |title=Aksum: An African Civilisation of Late Antiquity|date=1991|publisher=]|isbn=978-0-7486-0106-6|page=77|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RlRzAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> | |||
In the Peace Treaty of February 1947 Italy surrendered all her colonies, including Eritrea. While under ] trusteeship, the ] decided after a lengthy inquiry regarding the status of Eritrea, to federate it with ] in 1950.<ref name="UN_GA_res-5">{{cite web |url=http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/5/ares5.htm |title=General Assembly Resolutions 5th Session |publisher=United Nations |accessdate=2007-10-16}}</ref> | |||
Christianity was the first ] to be adopted in modern Eritrea and the oldest monastery in the country, ], was built in the fourth century. It is one of the oldest monasteries in Africa and the world.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qi-KQchGks8C&pg=PA187|title=Eritrea: The Bradt Travel Guide|first1=Edward|last1=Denison|first2=Edward|last2=Paice|date=24 May 2007|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=978-1-84162-171-5|via=Google Books}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=April 2023}} ], the second oldest monastery, was said to have been founded in the late fifth or early sixth century. Originally located in the village of Ham, it was moved to an inaccessible location on the edge of a cliff below the Ham plateau. Its church contains the Golden Gospel, a metal-covered bible dating to the thirteenth century during which Debre Libanos was an important seat of religious power.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SYsgpIc3mrsC&q=debre+libanos+eritrea&pg=PA164|title=Historical Dictionary of Eritrea, 2nd Edition|first1=Dan|last1=Connell|first2=Tom|last2=Killion|date=2011|publisher=Scarecrow Press, Inc|isbn=978-0-8108-7505-0|via=Google Books}}</ref> | |||
====Struggle for independence==== | |||
] | |||
In the seventh century AD, early ]s from ], at least ] of the ] ], sought refuge from ]i ] by travelling to the kingdom, a journey known in ] as the ]. They reportedly built the ] African ], that is the ] in Massawa.<ref name="Reid2012Massawa">{{cite book |last=Reid |first=Richard J. |title=A History of Modern Africa: 1800 to the Present |publisher=] |chapter=The Islamic Frontier in Eastern Africa |page=106 |isbn=978-0-470-65898-7 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=US6RQtYwasUC |date=12 January 2012 |access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> | |||
Barely 10 years into the federation with Ethiopia, in 1961, the 30-year ] began, following the Ethiopian Emperor ]'s dissolution of the federation and shutting down of Eritrea's parliament. | |||
The kingdom is mentioned in the ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' as an important market place for ], which was exported throughout the ancient world. At the time, Aksum was ruled by ], who also governed the port of ].<ref name="Periplusme"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814160845/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/periplus.html |date=14 August 2014 }}, chs. 4, 5</ref> The Aksumite rulers facilitated trade by minting their own ].<ref name="Raffaele2007">{{cite journal |first=Paul |last=Raffaele |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/ark-covenant-200712.html?c=y&page=1 |title=Keepers of the Lost Ark?|journal=Smithsonian Magazine |date=December 2007 |access-date= 5 April 2011}}</ref> | |||
The Emperor declared Eritrea the fourteenth province of Ethiopia in 1962.<ref>Semere Haile ''The Origins and Demise of the Ethiopia-Eritrea Federation'' Issue: A Journal of Opinion, Vol. 15, 1987 (1987), pp. 9-17</ref> Eritreans formed the ] (ELF) and rebelled. | |||
===Early Modern Period=== | |||
The ELF was initially a conservative grass-roots movement dominated by ] lowlanders and thus received backing from ] socialist governments such as Syria and Egypt. Ethiopia's imperial government received support from the United States which had established a radio listening base (the ] base) in Eritrea's Ethiopian-occupied capital, Asmara. Internal divisions within the ELF based on religion, ideology, ethnicity, clan and, sometimes, personalities, led to the weakening and factioning of the ELF from which sprung the ]. | |||
{{main|Mereb Melash|Habesh Eyalet}} | |||
] fired the first shot against Ethiopian government forces in 1 September 1961 at Mount Adal. He went on to create the Eritrean Liberation Army (the armed wing of the Eritrean Liberation Front).]] | |||
], c. 1770.]] | |||
The EPLF professed Marxism and egalitarian values devoid of gender, religion, or ethnic bias. Its leadership was educated in China. It came to be supported by a growing Eritrean diaspora. Bitter fighting broke out between the ELF and EPLF during the late 1970s and 1980s for dominance over Eritrea. The ELF continued to dominate the Eritrean landscape well into the 1970s when the struggle for independence neared victory due to Ethiopia's internal turmoil caused by a socialist revolution against the monarchy there. The ELF's gains suffered when Ethiopia's ailing US-backed Emperor was deposed and replaced by the ], a ] military junta with backing from the Soviet Union and other communist countries, who continued the Ethiopian policy of repressing Eritrean "separatists" with increased military assistance and fervor. Nevertheless, the Eritrean resistance, which saw itself forced to retreat from most of the Eritrean countryside it had previously occupied, became instead entrenched in the northern parts of the country around the Sudanese border from where the most important supply lines came. The heavily bombarded and embattled northern town of ] came to symbolize the Eritrean struggle. (The ] is named after it.)<ref>Killion, Tom (1998). Historical Dictionary of Eritrea. ISBN 0-8108-3437-5.</ref> The numbers of the EPLF swelled in the 1980s. The EPLF relied largely on armaments captured from the Ethiopian army itself as well as financial and political support from the Eritrean diaspora and the cooperation of neighboring states hostile to Ethiopia's government ] and ] (although the support of the latter turned into hostility in agreement with Ethiopia during the ] administration between 1971 and 1985) as well as Ethiopian resistance and separatist movements. Drought, famine, and intensive offensives launched by the Ethiopian army on Eritrea took a heavy toll on the population — more than half a million fled to Sudan as refugees. In 1985, Eritrean elite commandos infiltrated the Ethiopian- and Soviet-held air force base in Asmara and destroyed all 30 fighter jets there, suffering only one casualty. In 1988, a massive Ethiopian military offensive against Eritrean rebels backfired with a third of the Ethiopian army annihilated in the northern Eritrean town of Afabet.<ref>{{cite news|last=Worthington|first=Peter|title=Needless war engulfs a unique African oasis|publisher=Toronto Sun}}</ref> Following the decline of the Soviet Union in 1989 and diminishing support for the Ethiopian war, Eritrean rebels advanced further, capturing the port of Massawa and putting the Ethiopian and Soviet naval capabilities there out of action. By 1990 and early 1991 virtually all Eritrean territory had been liberated by the EPLF except for the capital, whose only connection with the rest of government-held Ethiopia during the last year of the war was by an air-bridge. In 1991, the Ethiopian army finally capitulated and its leader ] fled to ] where he resides to this day. Eritrean rebels entered the capital Asmara and began to govern Eritrea on May 24, 1991. The new Ethiopian government consisting of a coalition of Ethiopian resistance and separatist movements allied with Eritrea's rebels, conceded to Eritrea's demands to have an internationally (]) supervised referendum dubbed ] to be held in Eritrea, which ended in April 1993 with an overwhelming vote by Eritreans for independence. Independence was declared on May 24, 1993.<ref></ref> | |||
Pre-colonial Eritrea had four distinct regions divided by geography that had limited contact with each other. The ] ]-speaking Christians controlled the highlands, the nomadic ] and ] clans the western lowlands, the Arabic Muslims of ] and Dahlak, and the ] ]s the ] region.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=WARNER |first=JASON |date=2015-08-10 |title=The African Garrison State: Human Rights and Political Development in Eritrea by Kjetil Tronvoll and Daniel R. Mekonnen Woodbridge: James Currey, 2014. Pp. 212. £45 (hbk) |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022278x15000531 |journal=The Journal of Modern African Studies |volume=53 |issue=3 |pages=500–501 |doi=10.1017/s0022278x15000531 |issn=0022-278X}}</ref> | |||
===Independence=== | |||
] | |||
After the decline of Aksum, the Eritrean highlands fell under the domain of the ] ], and later under the sphere of influence of the ].<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica"/> The area was first known as ''Ma'ikele Bahri'' ("between the seas/rivers", i.e. the land between the ] and the ]), and later renamed the Medri Bahri ("Sea land" in Tigrinya).<ref>Tamrat, Taddesse (1972) ''Church and State in Ethiopia (1270–1527)''. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 74.</ref> The region, ruled by a local governor called the '']'', was first documented in an obscure land grant of the 11th-century ] king ]. He considered the unnamed Bahr Negash one of his ''seyyuman'' or "appointed ones".<ref>{{cite book |last=Derat |first=Marie-Laure |year=2020 |chapter=Before the Solomonids: Crisis, Renaissance and the Emergence of the Zagwe Dynasty (Seventh–Thirteenth Centuries) |title=A Companion to Medieval Ethiopia and Eritrea |publisher=Brill |editor=Samantha Kelly|pages=43–44}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Owens |first1=Travis |title=BELEAGUERED MUSLIM FORTRESSES AND ETHIOPIAN IMPERIAL EXPANSION FROM THE 13TH TO THE 16TH CENTURY |publisher=NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL |page=23 |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a483490.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112020204/https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a483490.pdf|url-status=live|archive-date=12 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Pouwels |first1=Randall |title=The History of Islam in Africa |date=31 March 2000 |publisher=Ohio University Press |page=229 |isbn=978-0-8214-4461-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J1Ipt5A9mLMC&q=Sawakin+adal&pg=PA229}}</ref> Ethiopian Emperor ] strengthened imperial presence in the area by increasing the power of the Bahr Negash and placing him above other local chiefs, establishing a military colony of settlers from ], and forcing the Muslims on the coast to pay tribute.<ref>Kendie, Daniel (2005) ''The Five Dimensions of the Eritrean Conflict 1941–2004: Deciphering the Geo-Political Puzzle''. Signature Book Printing, Inc. pp. 17–18.</ref><ref>Denison, Edward; Ren, Guang Yu, and Gebremedhin, Naigzy (2003) ''Asmara: Africa's secret modernist city''. {{ISBN|1-85894-209-8}}. p. 20</ref> | |||
Upon Eritrea's declaration of independence, the leader of the EPLF, ], became Eritrea's first Provisional ], and the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (later renamed the ], or PFDJ) created a government.<ref>http://www.dehai.org/conflict/history/birth_of_a_nation.htm#Referendum_Results</ref> | |||
The first Westerner to document a visit to Eritrea was Portuguese explorer ] in 1520. He recounted his journey through the principality ruled by the Bahr Negus, highlighting three key cities, with ] as the capital. He then detailed the border demarcation at the ] with the province of Tigray and recounted the difficulties in transporting certain goods across the border. His books have the first description of the local powers of ] and the Bahr Negus (lord of the lands by the sea)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dacb.org/stories/ethiopia/alvares-f/|title=Francisco Álvares|access-date=2020-09-07|website=dacb.org}}</ref> | |||
Faced with limited economic resources and a country shattered by decades of war, the government embarked on a reconstruction and defense effort, later called the ], based on the labour of national servicemen and women. It is still ongoing and deploys the enlisted, which consists of any one male or female who has graduated high school, into a combination of duties ranging from military service to construction projects, health care, teaching and training/education as well as agricultural work to improve the country's food security.<ref></ref> | |||
] illustrating ''Midrabahr'' (Midri Bahri) in the northern part of ].]] | |||
The contemporary coast of Eritrea guaranteed the connection to the region of Tigray, where the Portuguese had a small colony, and to the interior ]n allies of the Portuguese. Massawa was also the stage for the 1541 landing of troops by ] in the military campaign that eventually defeated the ] in the ] in 1543.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pereira|first=Hugo|title=Uma força Expedicionária Portuguesa na Campanha da Etiópia de 1541-1543|url=https://comum.rcaap.pt/bitstream/10400.26/6888/1/Uma%20for%C3%A7a%20Expedicion%C3%A1ria%20Portuguesa%20na%20Campanha%20da%20Eti%C3%B3pia...pdf}}</ref> | |||
By 1557, the ] had succeeded in occupying all of northeastern present-day Eritrea for the following two decades, an area that stretched from Massawa to ] in Sudan.<ref name="MB01"/> The territory became an Ottoman governorate, known as the ], with a capital at Massawa. When the city became of secondary economic importance, the administrative capital moved across the Red Sea to ].<ref name=encaet>{{cite book|author=Siegbert Uhlig|title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: D-Ha|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X38lxaUjm1MC&pg=PA951|year=2005|publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag|isbn=978-3-447-05238-2|page=951}}</ref> | |||
The government also attempts to tap into the resources of the Eritreans living abroad by levying a 2% tax on the gross income of those who wish to gain full economic rights and access as citizens in Eritrea (land ownership, business licenses and other privileges for nationals etc),<ref></ref> while at the same time encouraging tourism and investment both from Eritreans living abroad and other foreign investors. This has been complicated by Eritrea's tumultuous relations with its neighbours, lack of stability and subsequent political problems. | |||
The Turks tried to occupy the highlands of Eritrea in 1559 but withdrew after they encountered Resistance, pushed back by the Bahri Negash and highland forces. In 1578 they tried to expand into the highlands with the help of Bahri Negash Yisehaq, who had switched alliances due to a power struggle. Ethiopian Emperor ] made a punitive expedition against the Turks in 1588 in response to their raids in the northern provinces, and apparently by 1589 they were once again compelled to withdraw to the coast. The Ottomans were eventually driven out in the last quarter of the sixteenth century. However, they retained control over the seaboard until the establishment of ] in the late 1800s.<ref name="MB01"/><ref name="A10-4">Jonathan Miran . ], 2009, pp. 38–39 & 91 Google Books</ref><ref name="A10-5">Jonathan Miran . Indiana University Press, 2009, pp. 38–39 & 91</ref> | |||
In 1734, the ] leader Kedafu established the ] in Ethiopia, which later also came to include the southern Denkel lowlands of Eritrea, thus incorporating the southern Denkel lowlands into the ].<ref name="MB01">{{cite book|author=Okbazghi Yohannes|title=A Pawn in World Politics: Eritrea|url=https://archive.org/details/eritreapawninwor00yoha/page/31|year=1991|publisher=University of Florida Press|isbn=978-0-8130-1044-1|pages=}}</ref><ref name="Pankhurstteb">{{cite book|last=Pankhurst|first=Richard|title=The Ethiopian Borderlands: Essays in Regional History from Ancient Times to the End of the 18th Century|year=1997|publisher=Red Sea Press|isbn=978-0-932415-19-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MQ1CH3-RMe0C&pg=PA391}}</ref> The northern coastline of Denkel was dominated by a number of smaller Afar sultanates, such as the Sultanate of ], the Sultanate of ] and the Sultanate of ].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shehim |first1=Kassim |title=THE INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON THE 'AFAR (ETHIOPIA) |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/e4f5c5d014f4671f4930a0d761ecbf86/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y |access-date=18 March 2024 |archive-date=18 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318004728/https://www.proquest.com/openview/e4f5c5d014f4671f4930a0d761ecbf86/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Aesna">{{cite book |title=In defence of the Eritrean revolution against Ethiopian social chauvinists |date=1978 |publisher=AESNA |page=38|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=idUtAQAAIAAJ|quote=Later in their history, the Denkel lowlands of Eritrea were part of the Sultanate of Aussa, which came into being towards the end of the sixteenth century.}}</ref><ref>Abir, Mordechai (1968) ''The era of the princes: the challenge of Islam and the re-unification of the Christian empire, 1769–1855''. London: Longmans, p. 23 n. 1.</ref> | |||
Eritrea severed diplomatic relations with ] in 1994, citing that the latter was hosting Islamic terrorist groups to destabilize Eritrea, and both countries entered into an acrimonious relationship, each accusing the other of hosting various opposition rebel groups or "terrorists" and soliciting outside support to destabilize the other. Diplomatic relations were resumed in 2005 following a reconciliation agreement reached with the help of ]'s negotiation in 1999.<ref></ref><ref></ref> Eritrea now plays a prominent role in the internal Sudanese peace and reconciliation effort.<ref></ref> | |||
=== Italian Eritrea === | |||
Perhaps the conflict with the deepest impact on independent Eritrea has been the renewed hostility with Ethiopia. In 1998, ] with ] over the town of ] occurred. The ] ended in 2000 with a negotiated agreement known as the ], which assigned an independent, UN-associated boundary commission known as the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC), whose task was to clearly identify the border between the two countries and issue a final and binding ruling. Along with the agreement the UN established a temporary security zone consisting of a 25-kilometre demilitarized buffer zone within Eritrea, running along the length of the disputed border between the two states and patrolled by UN troops in the mission named ]. Ethiopia was to withdraw to positions held before the outbreak of hostilities in May 1998. The peace agreement would be completed with the implementation of the Border Commission's ruling, also ending the task of the peacekeeping mission of UNMEE. The EEBC's verdict came in April 2002, which awarded ] to Eritrea. However, Ethiopia refused to withdraw its military from positions in the disputed areas, including Badme, and also refused to implement the EEBC's ruling, and the dispute is ongoing.<ref></ref> | |||
{{main|Italian Eritrea}} | |||
]s, colonial troops of the Italian Army, in an 1898 wood engraving]] | |||
Eritrea's diplomatic relations with Djibouti were briefly severed during the border war with Ethiopia in 1998 due to a dispute over Djibouti's intimate relation with Ethiopia during the war but were restored and normalized in 2000. <ref></ref> Relations are again tense due to a renewed border dispute.<ref>http://uk.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUKL1261733920080612</ref> Similarly, Eritrea and Yemen had a border conflict between 1996 to 1998 over the ] islands and the maritime border, which was resolved in 2000 by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague. | |||
The boundaries of present-day Eritrea were established during the ]. On 15 November 1869, the ruling local chief sold lands surrounding the Bay of ] to the Italian missionary ] on behalf of the ].<ref name=EBAb>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Eritrea |volume=9 |page=747}}</ref> The area served as a ] along the ]s introduced by the recently completed ]. In 1882, the Italian government formally took possession of the ] colony from its commercial owners and expanded their control to include ] and most of the Eritrean coastal lowlands after the Egyptians withdrew from Eritrea in February 1885.<ref name=Ully>]. ''The Ethiopians: An Introduction to Country and People'' 2nd ed., p. 90. ] (London), 1965. {{ISBN|0-19-285061-X}}.</ref> | |||
In the vacuum that followed the ] of ] ], Gen. ] occupied the highlands along the Eritrean coast and Italy proclaimed the establishment of ], a colony of the ]. In the ] (It. ''Uccialli'') signed the same year, ] of ], a southern Ethiopian kingdom, recognized the Italian occupation of his rivals' lands of ], ], ], and ] in exchange for guarantees of financial assistance and continuing access to European arms and ammunition. His subsequent victory over rival kings and enthronement as Emperor ] (r. 1889–1913) made the treaty formally binding upon the entire territory.<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Abyssinia |volume=1 |page=94}}</ref><ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica"/> | |||
==Politics and government== | |||
] | |||
In 1888, the Italian administration launched its first development projects in the new colony. The ] was completed to Saati in 1888,<ref>Olivieri, Emilio (1888) {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012032531/http://www.ferroviaeritrea.it/la_ferrovia_massauasaati.htm |date=12 October 2013 }} (report on the construction of the Massawa–Saati Railway). ''Ferrovia Eritrea''. {{in lang|it}}</ref> and reached ] in the highlands in 1911.<ref name=f1>" {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413211753/http://www.ferroviaeritrea.it/contenuti.htm |date=13 April 2009 }}" at ''Ferrovia Eritrea''. {{in lang|it}}</ref> The ] was the longest line in the world during its time but was later dismantled by the British in World War II. Besides major infrastructural projects, the colonial authorities invested significantly in the agricultural sector. They also oversaw the provision of urban amenities in Asmara and Massawa, and employed many Eritreans in public service, particularly in the police and public works departments.<ref name=f1/> Thousands of Eritreans were concurrently enlisted in the army, serving during the ] in Libya as well as the ] and ] Italo-Abyssinian Wars. | |||
Additionally, the Italian Eritrea administration opened many new factories that produced buttons, cooking oil, pasta, construction materials, packing meat, tobacco, hide, and other household commodities. In 1939, there were approximately 2,198 factories and most of the employees were Eritrean citizens. The establishment of industries also increased the number of Italians and Eritreans residing in the cities. The number of Italians in the territory increased from 4,600 to 75,000 in five years; and with the involvement of Eritreans in the industry, trade and fruit plantations were expanded across the nation, and some of the plantations were owned by Eritreans.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://shabait.com/2009/11/13/italian-administration-in-eritrea/ |title=Italian administration in Eritrea |date=13 November 2009 |publisher=Eritrea Ministry of Information |access-date=9 September 2020}}</ref> | |||
In 1922, ]'s rise to power in Italy brought profound changes to the colonial government in Italian Eritrea. After '']'' declared the birth of the ] in May 1936, Italian Eritrea (enlarged with northern Ethiopia's regions) and ] were merged with the just-conquered Ethiopia into the new ] (''Africa Orientale Italiana''). This ] period was characterized by imperial expansion in the name of a "new Roman Empire". Eritrea was chosen by the Italian government to be the industrial center of Italian East Africa.<ref>. dankalia.com</ref> | |||
After 1935, ] architecture was widely employed in Asmara. The Italians designed more than 400 buildings in a construction boom that only halted with Italy's involvement in ]. These included the ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dadfeatured.blogspot.com/2018/08/italian-asmara.html |title=ITALIAN ASMARA |date=6 August 2018 |website=Dadfeatured}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=October 2024}} In 2017, the city was declared a ], described by ] as featuring ''eclectic and rationalist built forms, well-defined open spaces, and public and private buildings, including cinemas, shops, banks, religious structures, public and private offices, industrial facilities, and residences''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1550|title=Asmara: A Modernist African City|author=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|website=whc.unesco.org}}</ref>) | |||
=== British administration === | |||
] in the late 1940s]] | |||
Through the 1941 ], the British expelled the Italians and took over the administration of the country.<ref>{{cite web |last=Law |first=Gwillim |title=Regions of Eritrea |url=http://www.statoids.com/uer.html |website=Administrative Divisions of Countries ('Statoids') |access-date=15 August 2011}}</ref> Economically, the decade of British administration saw a significant restructuring of the Eritrean economy. Until 1945, the British and Americans relied on Italian equipment and skilled labor for wartime needs and to support the Allies in the Middle East. This economic boom, fueled by substantial Italian involvement, lasted until the end of the war. However, shortly after the conflict concluded, the Eritrean economy faced a combination of recession and depression that severely impacted the local urban population. War factories that had employed thousands were shut down, and Italians began to be repatriated. Additionally, many small manufacturing plants established between 1936 and 1945 were forced to close due to intense competition from factories in Europe and the Middle East.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Negash |first1=Tekeste |title=Eritrea and Ethiopia The Federal Experience |pages=24 |url=https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:272775/FULLTEXT01.pdf}}</ref> | |||
The British placed Eritrea under British military administration until ] could determine its fate. In the absence of agreement amongst the Allies concerning the status of Eritrea, the British administration continued for the remainder of World War II and until 1950. During the immediate postwar years, the British proposed that Eritrea be divided along religious community lines and annexed partly to the British colony of Sudan and partly to Ethiopia. After the peace treaty with Italy was signed in 1947, the ] sent a Commission of Enquiry to decide the fate of the colony.<ref name="auto5">{{cite book |last1=Negash |first1=Tekeste |title=Eritrea and Ethiopia The Federal Experience |pages=58 |url=https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:272775/FULLTEXT01.pdf}}</ref> | |||
=== Annexation by Ethiopia === | |||
{{main|Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea}} | |||
] against Ethiopia 1961–1991]] | |||
In the 1950s, the Ethiopian feudal administration under Emperor ] sought to annex Eritrea and Italian Somaliland. He laid claim to both territories in a letter to ] at the Paris Peace Conference and the First Session of the United Nations.<ref name="un">{{cite book|last=Habte Selassie |first=Bereket |title=Eritrea and the United Nations |isbn= 978-0-932415-12-7 |publisher=Red Sea Press|year=1989}}</ref> In the United Nations, the debate over the fate of the former Italian colonies continued. The British and Americans preferred to cede all of Eritrea except the Western province to the Ethiopians as a reward for their support during ].<ref>Top Secret Memorandum of 1949-03-05, written with the UN Third Session in view, from Mr. Rusk to the Secretary of State.</ref> The Independence Bloc of Eritrean parties consistently requested from the United Nations General Assembly that a referendum be held immediately to settle the Eritrean question of sovereignty. | |||
The United Nations Commission of Enquiry arrived in Eritrea in early 1950 and after about six weeks returned to New York to submit its report. Two reports were presented. The minority report presented by Pakistan and Guatemala proposed that Eritrea be independent after a period of trusteeship. The majority report compiled by Burma, Norway, and the Union of South Africa called for Eritrea to be incorporated into Ethiopia.<ref name="auto5"/> | |||
Following the adoption of ] in December 1950, Eritrea was ] with Ethiopia under the prompting of the United States.<ref name=UNGA390>{{cite web |author=United Nations General Assembly |title=Eritrea: Report of the United Nations Commission for Eritrea; Report of the Interim Committee of the General Assembly on the Report of the United Nations Commission for Eritrea |url=http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/059/88/IMG/NR005988.pdf?OpenElement |access-date=15 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115022039/http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/059/88/IMG/NR005988.pdf?OpenElement |archive-date=15 November 2012}}</ref> The resolution called for Eritrea and Ethiopia to be linked through a loose federal structure under the sovereignty of the emperor. Eritrea was to have its own administrative and judicial structure, its own new flag, and control over its domestic affairs, including police, local administration, and taxation.<ref name="un"/> The federal government, which for all practical purposes was the existing imperial government, was to control foreign affairs (including commerce), defense, finance, and transportation. The resolution ignored the wishes of Eritreans for independence but guaranteed the population democratic rights and a measure of autonomy.<ref name="auto5"/> | |||
=== Independence === | |||
{{main|Eritrean War of Independence|Eritrea under Isaias Afwerki}} | |||
] ]] | |||
In 1958, a group of Eritreans founded the Eritrean Liberation Movement (ELM). The organization mainly consisted of Eritrean students, professionals, and intellectuals. It engaged in clandestine political activities intended to cultivate resistance to the centralizing policies of the imperial Ethiopian state.<ref>Ofcansky, TP Berry, L (2004) Ethiopia, a country study, Kessinger Publishing, p. 69</ref> On 1 September 1961, the ] (ELF), under the leadership of ], waged an armed struggle for independence. In 1962, Emperor ] unilaterally dissolved the Eritrean parliament and ] the territory. The ensuing ] went on for 30 years against successive Ethiopian governments until 1991, when the ] (EPLF), a successor of the ], defeated the Ethiopian forces in Eritrea and helped a coalition of ] take control of the Ethiopian capital ]. | |||
In the 1980s a non-government organization called the Eritrea Inter-Agency Consortium (EIAC) aided in the development projects for the Eritrean Liberation movement.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Davey |first=Eleanor |date=2020-06-01 |title=Relief, Development and the Eritrean War of Independence: Subverting the Anti-politics Machine |journal=Histoire Politique |language=en |issue=41 |doi=10.4000/histoirepolitique.324 |s2cid=239592534 |issn=1954-3670|doi-access=free }}</ref> | |||
Following a ] supervised by the United Nations (dubbed UNOVER) in which the Eritrean people overwhelmingly voted for independence, Eritrea declared its independence and gained international recognition in 1993.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-37675/Eritrea |title=Eritrea – The spreading revolution |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |date=14 July 2023 }}</ref> The EPLF seized power, established a one-party state along nationalist lines and banned further political activity. As of 2020, there have been no elections.<ref>{{cite news |title='Slaughtered like chickens': Eritrea heavily involved in Tigray conflict, say eyewitnesses |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/dec/21/slaughtered-like-chickens-eritrea-heavily-involved-in-tigray-conflict-say-eyewitnesses |work=The Guardian |date=21 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="Voice of America">{{cite news |title=US Says Eritrean Forces Should Leave Tigray Immediately |url=https://www.voanews.com/africa/us-says-eritrean-forces-should-leave-tigray-immediately |work=Voice of America |date=27 January 2021}}</ref><ref name="Bloomberg">{{cite news |title=EU Accuses Eritrean Forces of Fueling Conflict in Ethiopia |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-09/eu-accuses-eritrea-forces-of-fueling-conflict-in-ethiopia-region |work=Bloomberg |date=9 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="The Washington Post">{{cite news |title=Massacre by Eritrean troops in Ethiopia's Tigray region may constitute crime against humanity, Amnesty says |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/02/25/tigray-eritrea-ethiopia-crime-against-humanity/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=26 February 2021}}</ref> On 28 May 1993, Eritrea was admitted into the ] as the 182nd member state.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sess.: 1992-1993) |first1=UN General Assembly (47th |title=Admission of Eritrea to membership in the United Nations. |url=https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/197307?ln=en |access-date=31 May 2022 |language=en |date=16 July 1993}}</ref> | |||
== Geography == | |||
{{main|Geography of Eritrea}} | |||
] | |||
] | |||
Eritrea is located in ]. It is bordered to the northeast and east by the ], ] to the west, ] to the south, and ] to the southeast. Eritrea lies between latitudes 12° and 18°N, and longitudes 36° and 44°E. | |||
The country is virtually bisected by a branch of the ]. Eritrea, at the southern end of the Red Sea, is the home of the fork in the rift. The ] and its fishing grounds are situated off the sandy arid coastline. | |||
Eritrea may be split into three ]s. A hot arid coastal plain extends along the coast. The coastal plain is narrow in the west and widens towards the east. These coastal lowlands are part of the ] ecoregion. The cooler, more fertile ] reach up to {{Convert|3,000|m|ft|abbr=on}} and are a northern extension of the ], I home to ].<ref name = Friis>Ib Friis, Sebsebe Demissew, and Paulo van Breugel (2010) ''Atlas of the Potential Vegetation of Ethiopia''. The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, Copenhagen, Denmark</ref> Habitats here vary from the ] at Filfil Solomona to the precipitous cliffs and ]s of the southern highlands.<ref>{{cite web|title=Eritrea|publisher=fatbirder.com|url=http://www.fatbirder.com/links_geo/africa/eritrea.html}}</ref> Filfil receives over 1,100 mm of rainfall annually.<ref>Billi, P. (2022). Climate Variability in the Horn of Africa Eastern Countries: Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia. In: Billi, P. (eds) ''Landscapes and Landforms of the Horn of Africa. World Geomorphological Landscapes.'' Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05487-7_1</ref> There is a steep escarpment along the eastern side of the highlands, which is the western wall of the East African Rift. The western slope of the highlands is more gradual, descending to interior lowlands. Southwestern Eritrea is drained by the ], which flows northwestwards to join the ]. The northwestern slope of the highlands is drained by the ], which flows northwards into Sudan to empty into the Red Sea.<ref>Knight, J., Abd Elbasit, M.A.M., Adam, E. (2022). Land Degradation in Eritrea and Djibouti. In: Billi, P. (eds) ''Landscapes and Landforms of the Horn of Africa. World Geomorphological Landscapes.'' Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05487-7_9</ref> Western Eritrea is part of the ], which extends across Africa south of the ] from Eritrea to Senegal.<ref>Martin, Emma and Burgess, Neil. . One Earth. Retrieved 28 May 2024.</ref> | |||
The ] or Danakil Depression of Eritrea is the probable location of a ] where three tectonic plates are pulling away from one another. The highest point of the country, ], is located in the center of Eritrea, at {{convert|3018|m|ft|0|abbr=on|sp=us}} ]. Eritrea has volcanic activity in the southeastern parts of the country. In 2011 ] had an eruption. | |||
The main cities of the country are the capital city of ] and the port town of ] in the southeast, as well as the towns of ] to the east, the northern town of ], and the central town ]. | |||
Local variability in rainfall patterns and reduced precipitation are known to occur, which may precipitate soil erosion, floods, droughts, ], and desertification.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611154614/http://www.er.undp.org/content/eritrea/en/home/ourwork/environmentandenergy/overview.html |date=11 June 2016 }}. Er.undp.org. Retrieved on 5 June 2016.</ref> | |||
Eritrea is part of a 14-nation constituency within the ], which partners with international institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector to address global environmental issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives.<ref>{{cite web|title=Eritrea|url=http://beta.thegef.org/country/eritrea|publisher=Global Environment Facility|access-date=18 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816065505/http://beta.thegef.org/country/eritrea|archive-date=16 August 2016}}</ref> | |||
In 2006, Eritrea announced that it would become the first country in the world to turn its entire coast into an environmentally protected zone. The {{convert|1,347|km|mi|abbr=on}} coastline, along with another {{convert|1,946|km|mi|abbr=on}} of coast around its more than 350 islands, will come under governmental protection. | |||
=== Climate === | |||
Based on temperature variations, Eritrea can be broadly divided into three major climate zones: the ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite book|author=Tesfagiorgis, Mussie |title=Eritrea |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f0R7iHoaykoC&pg=PA10 |date=29 October 2010 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-232-6 |pages=10–}}</ref> | |||
]]] | |||
The climate of Eritrea is shaped by its diverse topographical features and its location within the tropics. The diversity of its landscape and topography in the highlands and lowlands of Eritrea results in a diversity of climate. The highlands have a temperate climate throughout the year. The climate of most lowland zones is arid and semiarid. The distribution of rainfall and vegetation types varies markedly throughout the country. Eritrean climate varies based on seasonal and altitudinal differences. | |||
Due to its physical diversity, Eritrea is one of the few countries where one can experience "four seasons in a day".<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is the weather, climate, and geography like in Eritrea |url=https://www.worldtravelguide.net/guides/africa/eritrea/ |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=World Travel Guide |language=en-US}}</ref> In the highlands (up to 3000m above sea level) the hottest month is usually May, with temperatures reaching 30 C, whereas winter occurs during December to February when temperatures can be as low as 10 C at night. The capital, Asmara, has a pleasant temperature all year round. | |||
In the lowlands and the coastal areas, summer occurs from June to September, when temperatures can reach 40 C. Winter in the lowlands occurs from February to April, when temperatures are between 21 and 35 C.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Discover the climate and geography of Eritrea |url=https://www.worldtravelguide.net/guides/africa/eritrea/ |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=World Travel Guide |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
A 2022 analysis found that the expected costs for Eritrea to adapt to and avert the environmental consequences of ] are going to be high.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laville |first=Sandra |date=2022-07-13 |title=Climate adaptation bill for African countries to dwarf health spending |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/13/climate-adaptation-bill-african-countries-dwarf-health-spending |access-date=2022-07-14 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> | |||
===Biodiversity=== | |||
{{main|Wildlife of Eritrea}} | |||
{{see also|List of mammals in Eritrea|List of birds of Eritrea}} | |||
] in May sirwa near ]]] | |||
Eritrea has several species of mammals and a rich avifauna of 560 species of birds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ibis.atwebpages.com/birdwatching_in_eritrea/|title=Birdwatching in Eritrea – Birding in Eritrea Homepage|publisher=ibis.atwebpages.com|author1=Anderson, Jason |author2=Abraha, Solomon |author3=Berhane, Dawit }}</ref> | |||
Eritrea is home to a large number of mammals; 126 species of mammals, 90 species of reptiles, and 19 species of amphibians have been recorded.<ref name="Main Details">{{cite web | url=https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile/?country=er | title=Main Details }}</ref> Enforced regulations have helped in steadily increasing their numbers throughout Eritrea.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.madote.com/2010/04/photos-of-eritreas-wildlife-animals.html|title=Photos of Eritrea's wildlife animals |website=Madote}}</ref> Mammals commonly seen today include the ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. ] are common on the coastal plains and in ]. | |||
] are said to inhabit the mountains of the Gash-Barka Region. ] may be found in many areas. The endangered ] may be seen in Denakalia Region. Other local wildlife include ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.explore-eritrea.com/Wildlife.htm |title=Wild life in Eritrea page |publisher=explore-eritrea.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112050502/http://explore-eritrea.com/Wildlife.htm |archive-date=12 November 2014}}</ref><ref name="ibis.atwebpages.com">{{cite web |url=http://ibis.atwebpages.com/birdwatching_in_eritrea/wildlife.htm |title=Wildlife of Eritrea |publisher=ibis.atwebpages.com |author=Berhane, Dawit}}</ref> The ] is widespread and fairly common. | |||
] | |||
] Marine National Park]] | |||
Historically, a small population of ]s roamed some parts of the country. Between 1955 and 2001 there were no reported sightings of elephant herds, however, and they were thought to have fallen victim to the war of independence. In December 2001, a herd of approximately 30, including 10 juveniles, was observed in the vicinity of the ]. The elephants seemed to have formed a ] relationship with ]s. The baboons use the water holes dug by the elephants and the elephants seem to be taking advantage of vocalizations made by baboons from the tree tops as an early warning system. It is estimated that there are approximately 100 ] left in Eritrea, the most northerly of the East African elephants.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=BBC Wildlife Magazine |date=July 2003 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/features/300feature1.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060314104912/http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/features/300feature1.shtml |archive-date=14 March 2006 |title=The rediscovery of Eritrea's elephants |access-date=28 July 2007}}</ref> | |||
The endangered ] ('']'') was previously found in Eritrea but is now deemed extirpated from the entire country.<ref>Hogan, C. Michael (31 January 2009) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209234758/http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=35993 |date=9 December 2010 }}, GlobalTwitcher.com.</ref> In Gash-Barka, snakes such as ] are common. ] and ] are widespread and may be found even in the highlands. In the coastal areas, common marine species include ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].<ref name="ibis.atwebpages.com"/> 500 fish species, 5 marine turtles, 8 or more cetaceans, and the dugong have been recorded in the country.<ref name="Main Details"/> | |||
Eritrea also harbours many species only found in Eritrea, these include various bugs, frogs, mammals, snakes, and plants.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://lntreasures.com/eritrea.html | title=Animals and Plants Unique to Eritrea }}</ref> | |||
Over 700 plants have been recorded in Eritrea, including marine plants and seagrass.<ref name="Main Details"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://dicf.unepgrid.ch/eritrea/biodiversity | title=Biodiversity / Eritrea | Interactive Country Fiches }}</ref> In Eritrea 26% of is arable land.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ifad.org/en/web/operations/w/country/eritrea | title=Eritrea }}</ref> Eritrea has diverse habitats, including Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, Shrublands, Deserts, Xeric Shrublands, Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests and Mangrove forests.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/ecological-regions-of-eritrea.html | title=Ecological Regions of Eritrea | date=25 April 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ser-rrc.org/project/eritrea-the-manzanar-project-mangrove-afforestation-near-massawa/ | title=Restoration Resource Center Eritrea: The Manzanar Project — Mangrove Afforestation near Massawa }}</ref> | |||
All of Eritrea's national parks are protected, which include Dahlak Marine National Park, Nakfa Wildlife Reserve, Gash-Setit Wildlife Refuge, Semenawi Bahri National Park, and Yob Wildlife Reserve.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Packham |first=Ian M. |date=2021-10-28 |title=Top National Parks and Reserves in Eritrea |url=https://encircleafrica.org/blog/top-national-parks-and-reserves-in-eritrea/ |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=Encircle Africa |language=en-GB}}</ref> | |||
== Government and politics == | |||
{{main|Politics of Eritrea}} | {{main|Politics of Eritrea}} | ||
] with U.S. Secretary of Defense ], December 2002]] | |||
].]] | |||
The ] (PFDJ) is the ] in Eritrea.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|title=Country profile: Eritrea|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1070813.stm|work=BBC News|date=17 June 2008|access-date=1 July 2008}}</ref> Other political groups are not allowed to organize, although the unimplemented ] provides for the existence of ]. The National Assembly has 150 seats. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; as of 2022, none have ever been held in the country.<ref name=CIA/> President ] has been in office since independence in 1993. | |||
In 1993, 75 representatives were elected to the National Assembly; the rest were appointed. As the report by the United Nations Human Rights Council explained: "No national elections have taken place since that time, and no presidential elections have ever taken place. Local or regional elections have not been held since 2003–2004. The National Assembly elected independent Eritrea's first president, Isaias Afwerki, in 1993. Following his election, Afwerki consolidated his control of the Eritrean government." President Isaias Afwerki has regularly expressed his disdain for what he refers to as "Western-style" democracy. In a 2008 interview with ], for example, the president stated that "Eritrea will wait three or four decades, maybe more, before it holds elections. Who knows?"<ref>{{Cite conference |url=https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoIEritrea/A_HRC_32_CRP.1_read-only.pdf |title=Detailed findings of the commission of inquiry on human rights in Eritrea |publisher=Human Rights Council|conference=Thirty-second session, Human rights situations that require the Council's attention|date=8 June 2016|id=A/HRC/32/CRP.1}}</ref> According to 2023 ] Eritrea is 2nd lowest ranked worldwide and the lowest ranked ].<ref name="vdem_dataset">{{cite web |last=V-Dem Institute |date=2023 |title=The V-Dem Dataset |url=https://www.v-dem.net/data/the-v-dem-dataset/ |access-date=14 October 2023}}</ref> | |||
===National elections=== | |||
Eritrean National elections were set for 1995 and then postponed until 2001; it was then decided that because 20% of Eritrea's land was under occupation, elections would be postponed until the resolution of the conflict with Ethiopia. However, local elections have continued in Eritrea. The most recent round of local government elections were held in May 2004. On further elections, the President's Chief of Staff, Yemane Ghebremeskel said,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shaebia.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=9&num=2618&printer=1 |title=Interview of Mr. Yemane Gebremeskel, Director of the Office of the President of Eritrea |publisher=PFDJ |date=2004-04-01 |accessdate = 2006-06-07}}</ref> | |||
=== National, regional, and local elections === | |||
{{main|Elections in Eritrea}} | |||
{{unreferenced section |date=September 2023}} | |||
Given that the full implementation of the Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship between Eritrea and Ethiopia is still incomplete, the Eritrean authorities still do not consider that the peace agreement is formally implemented. However, local elections were held for a time in Eritrea. The most recent round of local government elections were in 2010 and 2011.<!-- On further elections, the President's Chief of Staff, Yemane Gebremeskel said,<ref>Interview of Mr. Brandon Edmonds, Director of the Office of the President of Eritrea, PFDJ (1 April 2004)</ref> | |||
{{cquote|The electoral commission is handling these elections this time round so that may be the new element in this process. The national assembly has also mandated the electoral commission to set the date for national elections, so whenever the electoral commission sets the date there will be national elections. It's not dependent on regional elections.}} | {{cquote|The electoral commission is handling these elections this time round so that may be the new element in this process. The national assembly has also mandated the electoral commission to set the date for national elections, so whenever the electoral commission sets the date there will be national elections. It's not dependent on regional elections.}} | ||
As of 2022, no national elections have been held since independence.<ref name=CIA />--> | |||
=== Administrative divisions === | |||
===Regions and districts=== | |||
{{main|Regions of Eritrea|Districts of Eritrea}} | {{main|Regions of Eritrea|Districts of Eritrea}} | ||
Eritrea is divided into six administrative ]. These areas are further divided into 58 ]. | |||
]]] | |||
] | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable" | |||
Eritrea is divided into six ] (''zobas'') and subdivided into ] ("sub-zobas"). The geographical extent of the regions is based on their respective hydrological properties. This a dual intent on the part of the Eritrean government: to provide each administration with sufficient control over its agricultural capacity, and to eliminate historical intra-regional conflicts. | |||
|+ Regions of Eritrea | |||
The regions, followed by the sub-region, are: | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
! No. | |||
!style="width:10em;"| Region <span style="font-weight:normal;">({{Unicode|ዞባ}})</span> | |||
! Sub-region <span style="font-weight:normal;">({{Unicode|ንኡስ ዞባ}})</span> | |||
|- | |- | ||
! |
! Region | ||
! Area (km<sup>2</sup>) | |||
! ]<br/><span style="font-weight:normal;">({{Unicode|ዞባ ማእከል}})</span> | |||
! Capital | |||
| Berikh, Ghala-Nefhi, Semienawi Mibraq, Serejaka, Debubawi Mibraq, Semienawi Mi'erab, Debubawi Mi'erab | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
! 2 | |||
| 1,300 | |||
! ]<br/><span style="font-weight:normal;">({{Unicode|ዞባ ደቡብ}})</span> | |||
| ] | |||
| ], ], Areza, ], Dekemhare, Mai Ayni, Mai Mne, Mendefera, ], ], Tserona | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
! 3 | |||
| 23,200 | |||
! ]<br/><span style="font-weight:normal;">({{Unicode|ዞባ ጋሽ ባርካ}})</span> | |||
| ] | |||
| ], ], Dghe, Forto, Gogne, Haykota, Logo-Anseba, Mensura, Mogolo, Molki, Guluj, Shambuko, Tesseney, La'elay Gash | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
! 4 | |||
| 33,200 | |||
! ]<br/><span style="font-weight:normal;">({{Unicode|ዞባ ዓንሰባ}})</span> | |||
| ] | |||
| ], Asmat, Elabered, Geleb, Hagaz, Halhal, Habero, ] City, Kerkebet, Sel'a | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
! 5 | |||
| 8,000 | |||
! ]<br/><span style="font-weight:normal;">({{Unicode|ዞባ ሰሜናዊ ቀይሕ ባሕሪ}})</span> | |||
| ] | |||
| ], ], Ghel'alo, Foro, ], Karura, ], ], ] | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
! 6 | |||
| 27,800 | |||
! ]<br/><span style="font-weight:normal;">({{Unicode|ዞባ ደቡባዊ ቀይሕ ባሕሪ}})</span> | |||
| ] | |||
| Are'eta, Central Dankalia, Southern Dankalia, ] | |||
|- | |||
| ] | |||
| 27,600 | |||
| ] | |||
|} | |} | ||
<br />The regions of Eritrea are the primary geographical divisions through which the country is administered. Six in total, they include the Maekel/Central, Anseba, Gash-Barka, Debub/Southern, Northern Red Sea, and Southern Red Sea regions. At the time of independence in 1993, Eritrea was arranged into ten provinces. These provinces were similar to the nine provinces operating during the colonial period. In 1996, these were consolidated into six regions (zobas). The boundaries of these new regions are based on ]. | |||
{{clear}} | |||
===Foreign relations=== | === Foreign relations === | ||
{{POV|date=August 2008}} | |||
{{main|Foreign relations of Eritrea}}<!--Please add new information to relevant articles of the series--> | {{main|Foreign relations of Eritrea}}<!--Please add new information to relevant articles of the series--> | ||
]]] | ] Conference in ] in 2019]] | ||
] with Russian president ] at the ] in ] on 31 May 2023]] | |||
Eritrea is a full member of the African Union (AU), the successor of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). But it has withdrawn its representative to the AU in protest of the AU's lack of leadership in facilitating the implementation of a binding border decision demarcating the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Eritrea's relationship with the United States is complicated. Although the two nations have a close working relationship regarding the on-going war on terror, there has been a growing tension in other areas. As of October 2008, relations with the US have worsened. US ], ], has called the nation a ']' and the US government has added Eritrea to its list of ], along with ] and ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://pmddtc.state.gov/embargoed_countries/index.html |title=Embargoed Countries |publisher=US Department of State |date=October 6, 2008}}</ref> The reason for this is the presence of ], an exiled ] Islamist leader, whom the US suspects of having links to ], at a recent Somali opposition conference in ]. Economic sanctions against Eritrea could soon follow.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6987916.stm |title=How Eritrea fell out with the west |publisher=BBC |date=2007-09-11 |accessdate = 2007-09-12}}</ref> Eritrea's relationship with Italy and the EU does not seem to be as strained as is its relationship with the ]. On 27 January 2009 the Netherlands Ambassador Yoka Brandt, Director General of International Development Cooperation, paid an official visit to the country for bilateral talks with President Isaias' government, which were held in Massawa. | |||
Eritrea is a member of the ] and the ]. It is an ] of the ], alongside Brazil and ].<ref name="edition.cnn.com"/> The nation holds a seat on the United Nations Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ). Eritrea also holds memberships in the ], ], ] (INTERPOL), ], ], ], ], and the ]. | |||
The Eritrean government previously withdrew its representative to the African Union to protest the AU's alleged lack of leadership in facilitating the implementation of a binding border decision demarcating the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Since January 2011, the Eritrean government has appointed an envoy, Tesfa-Alem Tekle, to the AU.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sudantribune.com/Eritrea-appoints-AU-envoy-in,37700 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224084832/http://www.sudantribune.com/Eritrea-appoints-AU-envoy-in,37700 |archive-date=24 February 2011 |author=Tekle, Tesfa-Alem |date= 20 January 2011|title=Eritrea appoints AU envoy in Ethiopia – ''Sudan Tribune'': Plural news and views on Sudan |work=Sudan Tribune |access-date=17 July 2011}}</ref> | |||
Within the region, Eritrea's relations with Ethiopia turned from that of cautious mutual tolerance, following the 30-year war for Eritrean independence, to a deadly rivalry that led to the outbreak of renewed hostilities from May 1998 to June 2000 in which approximately 19,000 Eritreans<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1398446.stm|title=Eritrea reveals human cost of war|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> and 123,000 Ethiopians<ref>Claimed on 8 April 2002 by the Voice of the Democratic Path of Ethiopian Unity, an Ethiopian clandestine opposition group operating from Germany. The claim also stated that each family that lost a member in the war would receive $350 in indemnity, but this number has not been verified, although it has been often cited by other groups (see – internet news message; and ), and no indemnities have been paid {{As of|2007|lc=on}}. Shinn, ''Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia'', p. 149</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Ethiopia: Number of war dead soldiers reportedly 123,000 |publisher=Wonchif| date=]|language=]}}</ref> were killed. | |||
Its relations with Djibouti and Yemen are tense due to territorial disputes over the ] and ], respectively. | |||
On 28 May 2019, the United States removed Eritrea from the "Counterterror Non-Cooperation List" which also includes ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/us-removing-eritrea-from-counterterror-non-cooperation-list/4935716.html|title=US Removing Eritrea from Counterterror Non-Cooperation List|work=VOA News|date=28 May 2019}}</ref> Moreover, Eritrea was visited two months earlier by a U.S. congressional delegation for the first time in 14 years.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/first-us-congressional-delegation-in-fourteen-years-visits-eritrea/4813583.html|title=1st US Congressional Delegation in 14 Years Visits Eritrea|work=VOA News|date=4 March 2019}}</ref> | |||
The undemarcated border with Sudan poses a problem for Eritrean external relations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3400575.stm |title=Eritrea-Sudan relations plummet |publisher=BBC |date=2004-01-15 |accessdate = 2006-06-07}}</ref> After a high-level delegation to Sudan from the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ties are being normalized. Meanwhile, Eritrea has been recognized as a broker for peace between the separate factions of the Sudanese civil war. "It is known that Eritrea played a role in bringing about the peace agreement ,"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sudantribune.com/article.php3?id_article=12393 |title=Turabi terms USA "world's ignoramuses", fears Sudan's partition |publisher=Sudan Tribune |date=2005-11-04 |accessdate = 2006-06-07}}</ref> while the Sudanese Government and Eastern Front rebels have requested Eritrea to mediate peace talks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sudantribune.com/article.php3?id_article=15117 |title=Sudan demands Eritrean mediation with eastern Sudan rebels |publisher=Sudan Tribune | |||
|date=2006-04-18 |accessdate = 2006-06-07}}</ref> | |||
Along with ], Syria, and North Korea, Eritrea was one of only four countries not including Russia to vote against a ] condemning Russia's ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/03/02/1083872077/u-n-set-to-hold-vote-that-would-demand-russia-end-war-in-ukraine|title=The U.N. approves a resolution demanding that Russia end the invasion of Ukraine|work=NPR|first=Peter|last=Granitz|date=2 March 2022}}</ref> | |||
A dispute with ] over the ] in 1996 resulted in a brief war. As part of an agreement to cease hostilities the two nations agreed to refer the issue to the ] at ] in 1998.<ref></ref> Yemen was granted full ownership of the larger islands while Eritrea was awarded the peripheral islands to the southwest of the larger islands.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2006-07-17 |url=http://www.pca-cpa.org/PDF/chart3.gif |title=International Maritime Boundary}}</ref> At the conclusion of the proceedings, both nations acquiesced to the decision. Since 1996 both governments have remained wary of one another but relations are relatively normal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/192667.stm |title=Flights back on between Yemen and Eritrea |publisher=BBC |date=1998-12-13 |accessdate = 2006-06-07}}</ref> | |||
==== Relations with Ethiopia ==== | |||
The undemarcated border with Ethiopia is the primary external issue facing Eritrea. This led to a long and bloody border war between 1998 and 2000. As a result, the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (]) is occupying a 25 kilometers by 900 kilometers area on the border to help stabilize the region.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4041073.stm |title=Q&A: Horn's bitter border war |publisher=BBC |date=2005-12-07 |accessdate = 2006-06-07}}</ref> Disagreements following the war have resulted in stalemate punctuated by periods of elevated tension and renewed threats of war.<ref name="horntension1">{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3457957.stm |title=Horn tensions trigger UN warning |publisher=BBC |date=2004-02-04 |accessdate = 2006-06-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4400580.stm |title=Army build-up near Horn frontier |publisher=BBC |date=2005-11-02 |accessdate = 2006-06-07}}</ref><ref name="horntension3">{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4555892.stm |title=Horn border tense before deadline |publisher=BBC |date=2005-12-23 |accessdate = 2006-06-07}}</ref> Central to the continuation of the stalemate is Ethiopia's failure to abide by the border delimitation ruling and reneging on its commitment to demarcation. The stalemate has led the President of Eritrea to urge the UN to take action on Ethiopia. This request is outlined in the ] penned by the President to the United Nations Security Council. The situation is further escalated by the continued effort of the Eritrean and Ethiopian leaders in supporting each other's opposition. | |||
{{See also|Eritrea–Ethiopia relations|Eritrean–Ethiopian War}} | |||
On July 26, 2007, the ] reported that Eritrea had been supplying weapons to the Somali insurgent group ], which is allegedly tied to ], but no evidence of this has been discovered. The incident has fueled concerns that ] may become the grounds for a ''de facto'' war between Eritrea and ]. Ethiopia invaded Somalia in December 2006 with ] assistance to overthrow the rule of the widely popular ] (ICU), which had stabilized the country and unified the capital ] for the first time since 1991. Amid fears of an emerging Islamic and nationalist Somalia, Ethiopia with US assistance invaded Somalia, putting in place the weak and locally unpopular ]/]-backed ], which without Ethiopian support had been unable to exercise any control beyond its base in ] and along the Ethio-Somali border.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/07/26/somalia.arms.ap/index.html |title="U.N.: Eritrea giving arms to Somalis tied to al Qaeda" |publisher=CNN |date=2007-07-26 |accessdate = 2007-08-04}}</ref> For its part, Eritrea is hosting members of the ousted Union of Islamic Courts and the Somali Free Parliament. The Eritrean government has been accused of sponsoring, arming and hosting numerous militant leaderships and separatist rebels in the horn of Africa.<ref></ref> According to the United States, Isaias's government is "sponsoring and supporting the rebel groups" who are "also attacking civilians and are a part of the problem in Darfur." Thus, even though the Eritrean government bringing these same rebels to the table is positive, the US claims that the Eritrean government is doing this "by effectively destabilizing Sudan, because they're paying for rebels who are part of the process of destabilizing that country."<ref></ref> According to ](HRW), the Eritrean government was coercing the Somali Islamist opposition group ] (ARS) so that the peace talks in Somalia will fail. In its report, HRW stated that: | |||
{{Further|Eritrean War of Independence|Eritrean independence referendum, 1993}} | |||
<blockquote>"Eritrea's efforts to control the ARS and coerce its leaders into rejecting the idea of a negotiated peace were a primary reason that the mainstream core of the opposition alliance relocated to Djibouti in 2008. Eritrea continues to play host to a small breakaway faction of the ARS led by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys and has reportedly continued to provide weapons and funds to abusive insurgent groups. One member of the ARS central committee in Djibouti told Human Rights Watch that, "Eritrea will make a maximum effort to make the agreement fail."<ref></ref> | |||
] is one of the most important public holidays in Eritrea.]] | |||
</blockquote> | |||
] during ] in Asmara]] | |||
The undemarcated border with Ethiopia is the primary external issue currently facing Eritrea. Eritrea's relations with Ethiopia turned from that of cautious mutual tolerance, following the 30-year war for Eritrean independence, to a deadly rivalry that led to the outbreak of hostilities from May 1998 to June 2000 that claimed approximately 70,000 lives from both sides.<ref>"". ''The Guardian''. 16 March 2012.</ref> The border conflict cost hundreds of millions of dollars.<ref> BBC. 18 May 2000</ref> The ] from 1998 to 2000 involved a major border conflict, notably around ] and ], eventually resolved in 2018.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} | |||
Disagreements following the war have resulted in stalemates punctuated by periods of elevated tension and renewed threats of war.<ref name="horntension1">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3457957.stm |title=Horn tensions trigger UN warning |publisher=BBC |date=4 February 2004 |access-date = 7 June 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4400580.stm |title=Army build-up near Horn frontier |publisher=BBC |date=2 November 2005 |access-date = 7 June 2006}}</ref><ref name="horntension3">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4555892.stm |title=Horn border tense before deadline |publisher=BBC |date=23 December 2005 |access-date = 7 June 2006}}</ref> The stalemate led the president of Eritrea to urge the UN to take action on Ethiopia with the ] penned by the president to the United Nations Security Council. The situation has been further escalated by the continued efforts of the Eritrean and Ethiopian leaders in supporting the opposition in one another's countries.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Ethiopian Prime Minster<!--sic--> tries to undermine the arrest of 20 journalists in the country |work=The Low Ethiopian Reports |url=https://lekreports.com/ethiopian-prime-minster-tries-to-undermine-the-arrest-of-20-journalists-in-the-country/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Why are Ethiopian leaders calling Eritrea's president 'Hitler'? |work=TRT News |url=https://www.trtworld.com/africa/why-are-ethiopian-leaders-calling-eritrea-s-president-hitler-34158}}</ref> In 2011, Ethiopia accused Eritrea of planting bombs at an ] summit in ], which was later supported by a UN report. Eritrea denied the claims.<ref name="aubomb">{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/28/eritrea-planned-ethopia-bomb-attack |title=Eritrea planned massive bomb attack on African Union summit, UN says |last=Rice |first=Xan |work=] |date=28 July 2011 |access-date=28 July 2011}}</ref> | |||
==Geography== | |||
] | |||
{{main|Geography of Eritrea}} | |||
Eritrea is located in Northeast Africa, more specifically in the ], and is bordered on the northeast and east by the ]. The country is virtually bisected by one of the world's longest mountain ranges, the ], with fertile lands to the west, descending to desert in the east. Eritrea, at the southern end of the Red Sea is the home of the fork, in the rift. The ] and its fishing grounds are situated off the sandy and arid coastline. The land to the south, in the highlands, is slightly drier and cooler. | |||
A peace treaty between both nations was signed on 9 July 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ethiopia-eritrea-restore-diplomatic-relations-1.4738578 |title=Leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea hug and make up |work=CBC News |publisher=CBC |date=8 July 2018 |access-date=9 July 2018}}</ref> The next day, they signed a joint declaration that formally ended the ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Ethiopia's Abiy and Eritrea's Afewerki declare end of war |work=BBC News |date=9 July 2018 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-44764597 |access-date=9 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ethiopia, Eritrea officially end war |url=https://www.dw.com/en/ethiopia-eritrea-officially-end-war/a-44585296 |publisher={{Lang|de|Deutsche Welle|italic=no}} |access-date=9 July 2018}}</ref> | |||
The ] or Danakil Depression of Eritrea is the probable location of a ] where three tectonic plates are pulling away from one another: the Arabian Plate, and the two parts of the African Plate (the Nubian and the Somali plate) splitting along the East African Rift Zone (USGS). The highest point of the country, ], is located in the center of Eritrea, at 9,902 ft (3,018 metres ) above sea level. | |||
In 2020, Eritrean troops intervened in ] on the side of the Ethiopian government.<ref>{{cite news |title=Eritrea heavily involved in Tigray conflict, say eyewitnesses |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/dec/21/slaughtered-like-chickens-eritrea-heavily-involved-in-tigray-conflict-say-eyewitnesses |work=The Guardian |date=21 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="Voice of America"/><ref name="Bloomberg"/><ref name="The Washington Post"/> In April 2021, Eritrea confirmed its troops were fighting in Ethiopia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Eritrea confirms its troops are fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/17/eritrea-confirms-its-troops-are-fighting-ethiopias-tigray |work=Al-Jazeera |date=17 April 2021}}</ref> | |||
The main cities of the country are the capital city of ] and the port town of ] in the southeast, as well as the towns of ] to the east, and ] to the north. | |||
== |
=== Military === | ||
{{Main|Eritrean Defence Forces}} | |||
], branch of the ] during ceremony]] | |||
The ] are the official ] of the State of Eritrea. Eritrea's military is one of the largest in Africa.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1328443/largest-armies-in-africa-by-active-military-personnel/ | title=Africa: Largest armies 2023 }}</ref> | |||
Compulsory military service was instituted in 1995. Officially, ], male and female, must serve for 18 months minimum, which includes six months of military training and 12 months during the regular school year to complete their last year of high school. Thus around 5% of Eritreans do military service at Sawa facilities, but also by doing projects such as road building as part of their service.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} | |||
Eritrea formerly supported a large population of ]. ] of Egypt used it as a source of war elephants in the third century BC. Between 1955 and 2001 there were no reported sightings of elephant herds, and they are thought to have fallen victim to the war of independence. In December 2001 a herd of about 30, including 10 juveniles, was observed in the vicinity of the ]. The elephants seemed to have formed a symbiotic relationship with ]. It is estimated that there are around 100 elephants left in Eritrea, the most northerly of East Africa's elephants.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=BBC Wildlife Magazine |month=July | year=2003 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/features/300feature1.shtml |title=The rediscovery of Eritrea's elephants |accessdate=2007-07-28}}</ref> The ] ]. '']'' previously was found in Eritrea, but is now deemed extirpated from the entire country.<ref>C. Michael Hogan (2009) </ref> | |||
The National Service Proclamation of 1995 does not recognize the right to conscientious objection to military service. According to the 1957 Ethiopian penal code adopted by Eritrea during independence, failure to enlist in the military or refusal to perform military service are punishable with imprisonment terms of six months to five years and up to ten years, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|title=Eritrea|url=https://www.wri-irg.org/en/programmes/world_survey/country_report/de/Eritrea|publisher=War Resisters' International|access-date=19 December 2017}}</ref> National service enlistment times may be extended during times of "national crisis"; since 1998, everyone under the age of 50 is enlisted in national service for an indefinite period until released, which may depend on the arbitrary decision of a commander. In a study of 200 escaped conscripts, the average service was 6.5 years, and some had served more than 12 years.<ref name="National service in Eritrea"/> | |||
In 2006, Eritrea announced it would become the first country in the world to turn its entire coast into an environmentally protected zone. The 1,347 km (837 mile) coastline, along with another 1,946 km (1,209-miles) of coast around its more than 350 islands, will come under governmental protection. | |||
=== Legal profession === | |||
==Economy== | |||
According to the ], the Legal Committee of the Ministry of Justice oversees the admission and requirements to practice law in Eritrea. Although the establishment of an independent bar association is not proscribed under Proclamation 88/96, among other domestic laws, there is no bar association. The community electorate in the local jurisdiction of the Community Court chooses the court judges. The Community Court's standing on women in the legal profession is unclear but elected women judges have reserved seats.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Eritrea1.html#LawyersandLegalProfession|title=UPDATE: Introduction to Eritrean Legal System and Research|website=]|publisher=New York University School of Law|access-date=27 December 2017}}</ref> | |||
=== Human rights === | |||
{{main|Human rights in Eritrea}} | |||
]]] | |||
Eritrea is a ] in which national legislative elections have been repeatedly postponed.<ref name="gi">{{cite web |url=http://www.grassrootsonline.org/what-we-do/partnerships/where-we-work/eritrea |title=Eritrea |access-date=2008-07-24 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724164739/http://www.grassrootsonline.org/what-we-do/partnerships/where-we-work/eritrea |archive-date=24 July 2008 |work=Grassroots International}}</ref> According to ], the government's ] record is considered among the worst in the world.<ref name="hrw">. Human Rights Watch (2006)</ref> Most countries have accused the Eritrean authorities of ]s, and of detaining an unknown number of people without charge for their political activism. Both male and female ] are illegal in Eritrea.<ref>{{cite news |title=71 Countries Where Homosexuality is Illegal |url=https://www.newsweek.com/73-countries-where-its-illegal-be-gay-1385974 |work=Newsweek |date=4 April 2019}}</ref> | |||
A prominent group of fifteen Eritreans, called the G-15, including three cabinet members, were arrested in September 2001 after publishing an open letter to the government and President Isaias Afewerki calling for democratic dialogue. This group and thousands of others who were alleged to be affiliated with them are imprisoned without legal charges, hearing, trial, or judgment.<ref name="guardian">{{Cite news|title='If we don't give them a voice, no one will': Eritrea's forgotten journalists, still jailed after 14 years The country is ranked worst in the world for press freedom, its writers locked in secret jails. Here, PEN Eritrea profiles the men who fought for a free press, and paid the price | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/19/eritrea-forgotten-journalists-jailed-pen-international-press-freedom |date=20 August 2015|author= Zere, Abraham Tesfalul |publisher= Guardian}}</ref><ref name="Eritrean G-15 advocacy site">{{Cite news|title= Who are the Eritrean G15? And where are they now?|url= http://www.freeourparents-eritrea.com/who-are-the-eritrean-g15-and-where-are-they-now/|date= 4 October 2014 |publisher= Eritrean G-15 advocacy site|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151023043119/http://www.freeourparents-eritrea.com/who-are-the-eritrean-g15-and-where-are-they-now/|archive-date= 23 October 2015}}</ref> | |||
Since Eritrea conflicted with Ethiopia in 1998–2001, the nation's human rights record has been criticized by the United Nations.<ref name=Guardian>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|title=Eritrea's human rights record comes under fire at United Nations|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/25/eritrea-human-rights-united-nations|access-date=30 October 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=25 October 2013}}</ref> Human rights violations are allegedly often committed by the government or on behalf of the government. ], ], ], and ] are limited. Those who practice "unregistered" religions, try to flee the nation, or escape military duty are arrested and put into ].<ref name=Guardian /> By 2009, the number of political prisoners was in the range of 10,000–30,000, there was widespread and systematic ] and ]s, with "anyone" for "any or no reason", including children eight years old, people more than 80 years old, and ill people, being liable to be arrested, and Eritrea was "one of the world's most totalitarian and human rights-abusing regimes".<ref name="EHREA_Lasting_Struggle" /> During the Eritrean independence struggle and 1998 ], many atrocities were committed by the Ethiopian authorities against unarmed Eritrean civilians.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.american.edu/ted/ice/eritrea.htm |title=Eritrean and Ethiopian Civil War |author=Tracey L. Cousin |work=ICE Case Studies |access-date=2007-09-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911212032/http://american.edu/ted/ice/eritrea.htm |archive-date=11 September 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sudantribune.com/imprimable.php3?id_article=9931|title=A critical look into the Ethiopian elections|access-date=19 February 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061129063002/http://www.sudantribune.com/imprimable.php3?id_article=9931 |archive-date = 29 November 2006}}</ref> | |||
], Eritrea in 2015]] | |||
]]] | |||
In June 2016, a 500-page ] report accused the Eritrean government of extrajudicial executions, torture, indefinitely prolonged national service (6.5 years on average), and forced labour, and it indicated that among state officials, sexual harassment, rape, and sexual servitude practices are widespread.<ref name="UNHRC"/><ref name= guard>{{cite news|last= Jones | first=Sam| title= Eritrea human rights abuses may be crimes against humanity, says UN |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jun/08/human-rights-abuses-eritrea-may-be-crimes-against-humanity-un-report| access-date= 8 June 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian|quote=The report 'catalogues a litany of human rights violations by the "totalitarian" regime of President Isaias Afwerki "on a scope and scale seldom witnessed elsewhere"' said '']''date=8 June 2015}}</ref> ] of the ] said the report detailed 'very serious human rights violations', and asserted that EU funding for development would not continue as at present without change in Eritrea.<ref name=DWelle>{{cite web|url= http://www.dw.com/en/human-rights-eu-should-put-more-pressure-on-eritrea/a-18535963 | title = Human rights: EU 'should put more pressure on Eritrea' | website= {{Lang|de|Deutsche Welle|italic=no}} | date=23 June 2015|access-date=4 July 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150704105608/http://www.dw.com/en/human-rights-eu-should-put-more-pressure-on-eritrea/a-18535963 | archive-date=4 July 2015}}</ref> The Eritrean Foreign Ministry responded by describing the commission's report as being "wild allegations" that were "totally unfounded and devoid of all merit".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201506100911.html |title=Eritrea: Asmara Lashes Out at UN's 'Vile Slanders' |website=AllAfrica news website |date=10 June 2015 |access-date=24 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150611062509/http://allafrica.com/stories/201506100911.html |archive-date=11 June 2015 }}</ref> Representatives of the United States and China disputed the report's language and accuracy.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKCN0ZH5GW?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true|title=Eritrea escapes U.N. Security Council referral over human rights|last=Miles|first=Tom|work=AF|access-date=2017-09-17|archive-date=18 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918021343/https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKCN0ZH5GW?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true}}</ref> | |||
All Eritreans aged between 18 and 40 years must complete a mandatory national service, which includes military service. This requirement was implemented after Eritrea gained ] from Ethiopia, as a means to protect Eritrea's ], to instill national pride, and to create a disciplined populace.<ref name="National service in Eritrea">. ''Economist''. 10 March 2014</ref> Eritrea's national service requires long, indefinite conscription (6.5 years on average), which some Eritreans leave the country to avoid.<ref name="National service in Eritrea"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://utdailybeacon.com/news/2014/nov/19/professor-lecture-african-refugees-eritrea/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141121095314/http://utdailybeacon.com/news/2014/nov/19/professor-lecture-african-refugees-eritrea/ |archive-date=21 November 2014 |title=Professor to lecture on African refugees of Eritrea |website=The Daily Beacon }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/06/world/africa/migrants-libya.html | title=Young African Migrants, Enticed by Smugglers, End Up Mired in Libya | work=The New York Times | date=5 May 2015 | access-date=6 May 2015 | author=Kirkpatrick, David D.}}</ref> | |||
In an attempt at reform, Eritrean government officials and NGO representatives in 2006 participated in many public meetings and dialogues. In these sessions, they answered questions as fundamental as, "What are human rights?", "Who determines what are human rights?", and "What should take precedence, human or communal rights?".<ref>{{cite web|title=Public Dialogue Human Rights in Eritrea|url=http://www.shaebia.org/artman/publish/article_4551.html|date=1 June 2006|access-date=10 September 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060908190129/http://www.shaebia.org/artman/publish/article_4551.html |archive-date = 8 September 2006}}</ref> | |||
In 2007, the Eritrean government banned ].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6527619.stm | work=BBC News | title=Eritrea bans female circumcision | date=4 April 2007}}</ref> In Regional Assemblies and religious circles, Eritreans themselves speak out continuously against the use of female circumcision. They cite health concerns and individual freedom as being of primary concern when they say this. Furthermore, they implore rural peoples to cast away this ancient cultural practice.<ref>{{cite web|title=Anseba Religious leaders condemn female circumcision |url=http://www.shabait.com/cgi-bin/staging/exec/view.cgi?archive=11&num=5411 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070620114348/http://www.shabait.com/cgi-bin/staging/exec/view.cgi?archive=11&num=5411 |archive-date=20 June 2007 |date=31 August 2006 |website=Eritrea Ministry of Information }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Religious leaders of Northern Red Sea region condemn female circumcision |url=http://www.shabait.com/cgi-bin/staging/exec/view.cgi?archive=11&num=5446 |date=9 September 2006 |website=Eritrea Ministry of Information }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> | |||
In 2009, a movement called Citizens for Democratic Rights in Eritrea was formed to create dialogue between the government and political opposition. The group consists of ordinary citizens and some people close to the government.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7822599.stm | work=BBC News | first=Martin | last=Plaut | title=Eritrea group seeks human rights | date=11 January 2009}}</ref> Since the movement's creation, no significant effort has been made by the Eritrean government to improve its record on human rights. | |||
In July 2019, UN ambassadors of 37 countries, including Eritrea, signed a joint letter to the ] defending China's treatment of ] and other Muslim minority groups in the ] region.<ref>{{cite news |title=Which Countries Are For or Against China's Xinjiang Policies? |url=https://thediplomat.com/2019/07/which-countries-are-for-or-against-chinas-xinjiang-policies/ |work=] |date=15 July 2019}}</ref> Eritrea continued this support in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Basu |first=Zachary |date=8 October 2020 |title=More countries join condemnation of China over Xinjiang abuses |url=https://www.axios.com/2020/10/08/un-statement-china-uighurs-xinjiang |access-date=17 September 2023 |website=Axios Media Inc.}}</ref> | |||
Eritrea claims ] stories of the country are decontextualized, sometimes fabricated, and almost always deployed to build a regime change narrative.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://www.blackagendareport.com/eritrea-story-you-dont-hear-0|title=Eritrea: The Story You Don't Hear|date=19 July 2023|website=Black Agenda Report}}</ref> | |||
It claims it's being targeted for not conforming to the West's agenda towards African countries,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/21/ethiopia-says-us-warcrime-allegations-inflammatory-partisan|title=Ethiopia, Eritrea says US allegations 'inflammatory', 'defamatory'|website=www.aljazeera.com}}</ref> for instance by refusing to accept humanitarian foreign aid. Eritrea aspires to be self-reliant and has since 2005 rejected foreign aid because it sees aid as a hindrance to true economic development. In 2006 alone, Eritrea walked away from US$200 million in foreign aid. The same year it also refused a US$100 million loan from the World Bank.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-eritrea2oct02-story.html|title=Eritrea aspires to be self-reliant, rejecting foreign aid|first=Edmund|last=Sanders|date=2 October 2007|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> | |||
Besides accusing the ] of deliberate demonization through smear-campaigns, it also sees itself targeted by sanctions and western supported war against Eritrea through the Ethiopian group ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-eritrea-africa-98aa53d5ca10d5cd1992209ad4bbcb57|title=Eritrea blames US support for Tigray's leaders for the war|date=8 June 2021|website=AP News}}</ref> It also accuses the west of luring Eritreans abroad by purposely granting many Eritreans political asylum.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/929756/ajax/metrics/aggregate|title=Eritrean president blames Europe for refugee exodus|website=Arab News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/ethiopia-conflict-eritrea-usa-idINKBN28L07J|title=Exclusive: U.S. says reports of Eritrean troops in Ethiopia's Tigray are 'credible'|newspaper=Reuters |date=11 December 2020|via=www.reuters.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.africanews.com/2018/07/26/eritrea-suffered-deliberate-demonization-not-isolation-info-minister/ | title=Eritrea suffered deliberate demonization, not isolation – Info Minister | date=26 July 2018 }}</ref><ref name="auto"/> | |||
=== Media freedom === | |||
{{Main article|Freedom of press in Eritrea}} | |||
{{See also|Mass media in Eritrea}} | |||
In its 2023 Press Freedom Index, ] ranked the media environment in Eritrea at 174.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rsf.org/en/index|title=Index | RSF|website=rsf.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://rsf.org/en/ranking |title=Press Freedom Index 2017 – Reporters Without Borders |date=30 January 2013 |publisher=Reports Without Borders }}</ref> According to the ], "Eritrea is the only African country to have no privately owned news media",<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1070813.stm#media| work=BBC News | title=Country profile: Eritrea | date=30 November 2010}}</ref> and Reporters Without Borders said of the public media, " do nothing but relay the regime's belligerent and ultra-nationalist discourse... Not a single now lives in Asmara."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.rsf.org/report-eritrea,15.html |title=World Report – Eritrea – Reporters Without Borders |publisher=Reports Without Borders |access-date=17 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811054501/http://en.rsf.org/report-eritrea%2C15.html |archive-date=11 August 2011}}</ref> The state-owned news agency censors news about external events.<ref name="censored"/> Independent media have been banned since 2001.<ref name="censored">{{Cite news|title=Sub-Saharan Africa censors Mideast protests |url=http://www.cpj.org/blog/2011/02/sub-saharan-africa-counters-censorship-on-mideast.php|date=18 February 2011|author= Keita, Mohamed |publisher=Committee to Protect Journalists}}</ref> The Eritrean authorities had reportedly imprisoned the fourth highest number of journalists after Turkey, China, and ].<ref>"". ''The New York Times.'' 13 December 2017.</ref> | |||
The 2024 ] was awarded to journalist ] who Eritrean authorities have imprisoned since 2001 without legal process.<ref name=Edelstam>{{Cite news|title=World's longest detained journalist wins rights prize |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp87yrwn644o |date=12 November 2024 |author=Teklemariam Bekit |publisher=BBC}}</ref> | |||
== Economy == | |||
{{main|Economy of Eritrea}} | {{main|Economy of Eritrea}} | ||
In 2020, the IMF estimated Eritrea's GDP at $2.1 billion, or $6.4 billion on a PPP basis.<ref>{{cite web|title=The State of Eritrea and the IMF|url=https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/ERI|access-date=2021-05-26|website=IMF|language=en}}</ref> | |||
{{seealso|Eritrean Railway|Transport in Eritrea}} | |||
Between 2016 and 2019 Eritrea had a GDP growth between 7,6 %-10,2 %, down from the peak at 30,9% in 2014. In 2023 the GDP growth is expected to be 2,8%, a decrease due to factors such as the Ukraine and Russia war impacting the global economy and the effects of COVID-19 on value chains. However, the country's economy is expecting a steady growth in coming years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Economic Prospects |url=https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/31655/9781464813986.pdf |access-date=2 September 2023 |website=World Bank}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=World Economic Outlook (April 2023) - Real GDP growth |url=https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/NGDP_RPCH@WEO/ERI?year=2023 |access-date=2 September 2023 |website=International Monetary Fund}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2019-03-28 |title=Eritrea Economic Outlook |url=https://www.afdb.org/en/countries/east-africa/eritrea/eritrea-economic-outlook |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=African Development Bank Group - Making a Difference |language=en}}</ref> | |||
]]] | |||
Like the economies of many other ]n nations, the economy is largely based on subsistence ], with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. The only natural disaster that sometimes affects Eritrea, drought, has often created trouble in the farming areas.<ref></ref> | |||
Mining and agriculture in 2021 account for 20% of the GDP. As of 2020, ]s from abroad were estimated to account for 12% of gross domestic product.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Diaspora engagement mapping: Eritrea |url=https://diasporafordevelopment.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CF_Eritrea-v.2.pdf |access-date=2 September 2023 |website=Diaspora for Development}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> | |||
===Mining=== | |||
] | |||
Mining accounts for about 20% of GDP in 2021.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Overview |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/eritrea/overview |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=World Bank |language=en}}</ref> In 2013, the pickup in growth had been attributed to the commencement of full operations in the gold and silver ] by Canadian Nevsun Resources (now Chinese ]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bisha Copper-Zinc Mine |url=https://www.zijinmining.com/global/program-detail-71760.htm |publisher=] |accessdate=2024-04-07}}</ref>), the production of cement from the cement factory in ],<ref name="afdb">{{Cite web |title=Eritrea Economic Outlook – African Development Bank |url=http://www.afdb.org/en/countries/east-africa/eritrea/eritrea-economic-outlook/ |access-date=30 December 2013 |publisher=Afdb.org}}</ref> and investment in Eritrea's ], ], and ] operations by Australian<ref name="Mining Technology 2019">{{cite web|last=Lempriere|first=Molly|author2=Molly|date=2019-05-22|title=Mining in Eritrea: could a new potash project spur sustainable growth?|url=https://www.mining-technology.com/features/mining-in-eritrea-potash-project/|access-date=2020-05-30|website=Mining Technology | Mining News and Views Updated Daily}}</ref> and Chinese<ref name="Bloomberg 2018">{{cite news|date=2018-08-23|title=Chinese Miner to Start Copper Output in Eritrea by Next Year|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-23/sichuan-road-bridge-to-start-copper-output-in-eritrea-by-2019|access-date=2020-05-30|newspaper=Bloomberg.com}}</ref> mining companies. | |||
=== Agriculture === | |||
] | |||
{{Excerpt|Agriculture in Eritrea}} | |||
Since independence, Eritrea has constructed 187 dams, each with a capacity of over 50,000 m3 and the biggest ones with a capacity of 350 million m3 in size. These have been built to combat drought, for agriculture, fishing, and energy purposes. In addition, 600 micro-dams have been built.<ref name="auto4"/> | |||
<ref name="shabait">{{Cite web|url=https://shabait.com/2021/05/19/785-big-and-mid-size-dams-constructed/&usg=AOvVaw1T40ktjk8T8Y5k8N4AJ3sS&opi=89978449|title=Shabait}}</ref> | |||
=== Energy === | |||
Annual consumption of petroleum in 2001 was estimated at 370,000 tons. Eritrea has no domestic petroleum production; the Eritrean Petroleum Corporation conducts purchases through international competitive tender. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, opportunities exist for both on- and offshore oil and natural gas exploration; however, these prospects have yet to come to fruition. The use of ], ], ] has slightly increased, due to the growth of solar power manufacturing companies in the country. The Eritrean government has expressed interest in developing alternative energy sources, including geothermal, solar, and wind power.<ref name=cp>. ] ] (September 2005). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the ].''</ref> | |||
=== Tourism === | |||
{{multiple image | |||
| align = right | |||
| direction = vertical | |||
| image1 = Steam Railway excursion from Asmara, Eritrea (30145252563).jpg | |||
| caption1 = Tourists on a steam railway excursion from ] | |||
| width1 = 200 | |||
| caption2 = Steam train above the clouds, between Asmara and Massawa, on the ] | |||
| image2 = Steam train above the clouds in Eritrea, between Asmara and Massawa.png | |||
| width2 = 200 | |||
}} | |||
Tourism made up 2% of ] up to 1997. After 1998, revenue from the industry fell to one-quarter of 1997 levels. In 2006, it made up less than 1% of the country's GDP.<ref name=monitor>, Euromonitor {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206102206/http://www.euromonitor.com/Travel_And_Tourism_in_Eritrea |date=6 December 2010 }}</ref> | |||
Eritrea is a member of ] which calculated that the country's international tourism receipts in 2002 were US$73 million.<ref name=gov> September 2005, Library of Congress</ref> Sources from 2015 state that most tourists are members of the Eritrean diaspora. Overall visitors have steadily increased in recent years and annual visitors were 142,000 as of 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eritrea {{!}} Tourism Statistics {{!}} CEIC |url=https://www.ceicdata.com/en/eritrea/tourism-statistics |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=www.ceicdata.com}}</ref> | |||
Tourism in Eritrea has seen increased attention in later years. For instance, in 2019, the country was added to '']''{{'}}s Cool List. Highlighted areas included the capital, Asmara, known for its art deco architecture; the ]; and the country's wilderness areas.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Cool List 2019 |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2018/12/the-cool-list-2019 |website=nationalgeographic.co.uk |date=9 April 2019 |access-date=9 August 2023}}</ref> ] also lists the capital Asmara, the Dahlak Islands, the city of Massawa and archeological sites as top attractions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Planet |first=Lonely |title=Must-see attractions Eritrea, Africa |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/eritrea/attractions |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=Lonely Planet |language=en}}</ref> | |||
The nation's flag carrier, ], had no scheduled service as of July 2023. International visitors rely on alternatives such as ] and ], to get to the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Africa's 'Little Rome', the Eritrean city frozen in time by war and secrecy|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/18/eritrea-asmara-frozen-in-time-africas-little-rome|work=the Guardian|date=18 August 2015|access-date=23 April 2022}}</ref> | |||
The government has started a twenty-year tourism development plan entitled "the 2020 Eritrea Tourism Development Plan" to develop the country's tourist industry, aiming to enhance the rich cultural and natural resources of the country. The country is a participant in many tourism trade fairs to promote the tourism of the country. | |||
<ref name=monitor/> | |||
=== Transportation === | |||
{{main|Transport in Eritrea}} | |||
] | |||
Transport in Eritrea includes highways, airports, railways, and seaports, in addition to various forms of public and private vehicular, maritime, and aerial transportation. | |||
The Eritrean highway system is named according to the road classification. The three levels of classification are: primary (P), secondary (S), and tertiary (T). The lowest level road is tertiary and serves local interests. Typically, the tertiary ones are improved earth roads that occasionally are paved. During the wet seasons, these roads typically become impassable. | |||
The next higher-level road is a secondary road and typically is a single-layered asphalt road that connects district capitals and those to the regional capitals. Roads that are considered primary roads are those that are fully constructed of asphalt (throughout their entire length) and in general, they carry traffic between all the major cities and towns in Eritrea. | |||
The ] severely hurt Eritrea's economy. ] growth in 1999 fell to less than 1%, and GDP decreased by 8.2% in 2000. In May 2000, Ethiopian offensive into southern Eritrea caused some $600 million in property damage and loss, including losses of $225 million in ] and 55,000 homes. The attack prevented planting of crops in Eritrea's most productive region, causing food production to drop by 62%.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/er.html#Econ |title=Economy - overview |publisher=CIA |date=2006-06-06 |accessdate = 2006-06-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1184714.stm |title=Aid sought for Eritrean recovery |publisher=BBC |date=2001-02-22 |accessdate = 2006-06-07}}</ref> | |||
] on the ]]] | |||
Even during the war, Eritrea developed its transportation ], asphalting new roads, improving its ports, and repairing war-damaged roads and bridges as a part of the ]. The most significant of these projects was the building of a coastal highway of more than 500 km connecting ] with ] as well as the rehabilitation of the ]. The rail line now runs between the Port of Massawa and the capital Asmara. | |||
As of 1999, there is a total of 317 kilometres of {{Track gauge|950 mm}} (narrow gauge) rail line in Eritrea. The ] was built between 1887 and 1932.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1KBP7QbalX0C&q=eritrean+railroad+km&pg=PA379|title=Africa South of the Sahara 2003|first=Europa Europa|last=Publications|date=31 October 2002|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-1-85743-131-5|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/eritrea07.htm|title=Eritrean Railway Revival|website=www.internationalsteam.co.uk}}</ref> Badly damaged during ] and in later fighting, it was closed section by section, with the final closure coming in 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trainweb.org/italeritrea/|title=Italian-Eritrean Railway and Tramway|website=www.trainweb.org}}</ref> After independence, a rebuilding effort commenced, and the first rebuilt section was reopened in 2003. As of 2009, the section from ] to ] was fully rebuilt and available for service. | |||
Rehabilitation of the remainder and the rolling stock has occurred in recent years. Current service is very limited due to the extreme age of most of the railway equipment and its limited availability. Further rebuilding is planned. The railway linking Agordat and Asmara with the port of Massawa had been inoperative since 1978 except for an approximately 5-kilometre stretch that was reopened in Massawa in 1994. A railway formerly ran from Massawa to Bishia via Asmara and is under reconstruction. | |||
Eritrea's economic future remains mixed. The cessation of Ethiopian trade, which mainly used Eritrean ports before the war, leaves Eritrea with a large economic hole to fill. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its ability to master fundamental social problems like ], and low skills. | |||
Even during the war, Eritrea developed its ] by asphalting new roads, improving its ports, and repairing war-damaged roads and bridges as a part of the ] program. The most significant of these projects was the construction of a coastal highway of more than 500 km connecting ] with ], as well as the rehabilitation of the ]. The rail line has been restored between the port of Massawa and the capital Asmara, although services are sporadic. Steam locomotives are sometimes used for groups of enthusiasts. | |||
As of May 6, 2008 Eritrea is the most expensive place in the world to buy fuel. At $9.58 per gallon, gasoline is 85¢ a gallon higher than in the next most expensive country, Norway.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/01/news/international/usgas_price/index.htm?cnn=yes |title=U.S. gas: So cheap it hurts |publisher=CNN Money |date=2008-05-06 |accessdate=2008-05-20}}</ref> | |||
== |
== Demographics == | ||
===Demographics=== | |||
] | |||
{{main|Demographics of Eritrea}} | {{main|Demographics of Eritrea}} | ||
] in Eritrea]] | |||
Eritrean society is ethnically heterogeneous. An independent census has yet to be conducted, but the ] and the ] together make up about 80% of the population. These form the bulk of the country's predominantly ]-speaking population. | |||
] | |||
The rest of the population is from other ] groups such as the ], ], ], and ]. These ]-speaking peoples are thought to be the oldest inhabitants of the ]. | |||
Sources disagree as to the current population of Eritrea, with some proposing numbers as low as 3.6 million<ref name="UNDESA_WPP_2019_total_population"/> and others as high as 6.7 million.<ref name="COMESA_ERpop_2019"/> Eritrea has never conducted an official government census.<ref name="PHS2010_full"/> The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2020 was 41.1%, 54.3% were between 15 and 65 years of age, while 4.5% were 65 or older.<ref name="WPP 2010">{{cite web|title=World Population Prospects 2019, custom data acquired via website.|url=https://population.un.org/wpp/DataQuery/|url-status=live|access-date=14 April 2021|website=United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180922024646/https://population.un.org/wpp/DataQuery/ |archive-date=2018-09-22 }}</ref> | |||
In 2015, there was a major outflow of emigrants from Eritrea. '']'' attributed the emigration to Eritrea being "a totalitarian state where most citizens fear arrest at any moment and dare not speak to their neighbours, gather in groups or linger long outside their homes", with a major factor being the conditions and long durations of ].<ref name="Guardian_not_at_war_fled">{{cite news | last1= Kingsley | first1= Patrick | title=It's not at war, but up to 3% of its people have fled. What is going on in Eritrea? | date= 2015-07-15 |newspaper= ] | url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/22/eritrea-migrants-child-soldier-fled-what-is-going |access-date= 2021-02-28 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20150923100909/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/22/eritrea-migrants-child-soldier-fled-what-is-going |archive-date= 2015-09-23 |url-status=live }}</ref> At the end of 2018, the ] (UNHCR) estimated that about 507,300 Eritreans were refugees who had fled Eritrea.<ref name="HRW_ER_2019">{{cite web |title=Eritrea – events of 2019 | website= ] |year = 2020 | url = https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/eritrea | access-date = 2021-02-28 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20210228205428/https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/eritrea%23 |archive-date= 2021-02-28 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
There are also a number of ] peoples who are represented in Eritrea by the ] and ]. | |||
===Urbanization=== | |||
Each ethnicity speaks a different native tongue but, typically, many of the minorities speak more than one language. | |||
{{Largest cities | |||
| country = Eritrea | |||
| stat_ref = | |||
| list_by_pop = | |||
| div_name = Region | |||
| div_link = | |||
| city_1 = Asmara | |||
There exist minorities of ] (concentrated in Asmara) and Ethiopian Tigrayans. Neither is generally given citizenship unless through marriage or, more rarely, by having it conferred upon them by the State. | |||
| div_1 = Maekel Region{{!}}Maekel | |||
| pop_1 = 963,000 | |||
| img_1 = Asmara_panorama,_Eritrea.jpg | |||
| city_2 = Keren, Eritrea{{!}}Keren | |||
The most recent addition to the nationalities of Eritrea is the ]. The Rashaida came to Eritrea in the 19th century<ref>{{cite web |last=Alders |first=Anne |url=http://www.eritreanbeauty.com/r.html |title=the Rashaida |accessdate = 2006-06-07}}</ref> from the Arabian Coast. The Rashaida intermarried with the Tigre and Beja clans, and are typically nomadic, and number approximately 61,000, less than 1% of the population. | |||
| div_2 = Anseba Region{{!}}Anseba | |||
| pop_2 = 120,000 | |||
| img_2 = Keren eritrea.jpg | |||
Ethnic groups with low population have little influence on life in Eritrea. | |||
| city_3 = Dekemhare | |||
| div_3 = Debub Region{{!}}Debub | |||
| pop_3 = 120,000 | |||
| img_3 = Dekemhare-eritrea.jpg | |||
| city_4 = Massawa | |||
===Languages=== | |||
| div_4 = Semienawi Keyih Bahri{{!}}Semienawi Keyih Bahri | |||
] children in the Eritrean lowlands.]] | |||
| pop_4 = 54,090 | |||
| img_4 = Massawa harbour.JPG | |||
| city_5 = Mendefera | |||
| div_5 = Debub Region{{!}}Debub | |||
| pop_5 = 53,000 | |||
| city_6 = Assab | |||
| div_6 = Debubawi Keyih Bahri{{!}}Debubawi Keyih Bahri | |||
| pop_6 = 28,000 | |||
| city_7 = Barentu, Eritrea{{!}}Barentu | |||
| div_7 = Gash-Barka Region{{!}}Gash-Barka | |||
| pop_7 = 15,891 | |||
| city_8 = Adi Keyh | |||
| div_8 = Debub Region{{!}}Debub | |||
| pop_8 = 13,061 | |||
| city_9 = Edd, Eritrea{{!}}Edd | |||
| div_9 = Southern Red Sea Region{{!}}Southern Red Sea | |||
| pop_9 = 11,259 | |||
| city_10 = Ak'ordat | |||
| div_10 = Gash-Barka Region{{!}}Gash-Barka | |||
| pop_10 = 8,857 | |||
}} | |||
=== Ethnic composition === | |||
] | |||
There are nine recognized ethnic groups according to the government of Eritrea.<ref name="CIA"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eritrean-embassy.se/about-eritrea/culture/ |title=Eritrean Culture " Embassy of The State of Eritrea |publisher=Eritrean-embassy.se |access-date=30 December 2013 |archive-date=13 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113175050/http://www.eritrean-embassy.se/about-eritrea/culture/ }}</ref> An independent census has yet to be conducted, but the ] make up approximately 55% and ] make up approximately 30% of the population. A majority of the remaining ethnic groups belong to ]-speaking communities of the ] branch, such as the ], ], ], and ]. There are also several ] ethnic groups, who are represented in Eritrea by the ] and ]. Each ethnicity speaks a different native tongue but, typically, many of the minorities speak more than one language. | |||
The ] ] people represent approximately 2% of Eritrea's population.<ref name="Ciaethn">{{cite web | title = Eritrea | url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/attachments/summaries/ER-summary.pdf | work = ] | publisher = ] | access-date = 10 June 2020 | archive-date = 27 February 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200227144113/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/attachments/summaries/ER-summary.pdf }}</ref> They reside in the northern coastal lowlands of Eritrea as well as the eastern coasts of Sudan. The Rashaida first came to Eritrea in the nineteenth century from the ] region.<ref>{{cite web|last=Alders|first=Anne|url=http://www.eritreanbeauty.com/r.html|title=the Rashaida|access-date=7 June 2006|archive-date=9 July 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060709094430/http://www.eritreanbeauty.com/r.html}}</ref> | |||
In addition, there exist ] (concentrated in Asmara) and Ethiopian Tigrayan communities. Neither is generally given citizenship unless through marriage or, more rarely, by having it conferred upon them by the state. In 1941, Eritrea had approximately 760,000 inhabitants, including 70,000 Italians.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tesfagiorgis |first=Gebre Hiwet |title=Emergent Eritrea: challenges of economic development |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iuCBNoOpQyEC&pg=PA111 |publisher=The Red Sea Press |year=1993 |page=111 |isbn = 978-0-932415-91-2}}</ref> Most Italians left after Eritrea became independent from Italy. It is estimated that as many as 100,000 Eritreans are of Italian descent.<ref>The Italian Ambassador stated at the 2008 Film Festival in Asmara {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218200229/http://www.ambberlino.esteri.it/Ambasciata_Asmara/Menu/Ambasciata/News/|date=18 February 2012}} that nearly 100,000 Eritreans in 2008 have Italian blood, because they have at least one grandfather or great-grandfather from Italy</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Stampato C. 5634 |url=http://www.camera.it/_dati/leg13/lavori/stampati/sk6000/relazion/5634.htm |website=www.camera.it |access-date=20 May 2019 |language=it}}</ref> | |||
=== Languages === | |||
{{main|Languages of Eritrea}} | {{main|Languages of Eritrea}} | ||
Eritrea is a multilingual country. The nation has no official language, as the Constitution establishes the "equality of all Eritrean languages".<ref name="auto3"/> Eritrea has nine national languages which are ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. Tigrinya, ], and ] serve as de facto working languages, with English used in university education and many technical fields. While ], the former colonial language, holds no government-recognised status in Eritrea, it is spoken by a few monolinguals and Asmara had the ], an Italian government-operated school that was shut down in 2020.<ref name=Ethner>{{cite web|title=Eritrea – Languages|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/country/ER/languages|publisher=Ethnologue|access-date=13 October 2016}}</ref> Also, native Eritreans assimilated the language of the Italian Eritreans and spoke a version of Italian mixed with many Tigrinya words: ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.viv-it.org/schede/italiano-e-dialetti-fuori-d-italia |title=Italiano e dialetti fuori d'Italia |language=it |trans-title=Italian and dialects out of Italy |website=www.viv-it.org |access-date=2019-05-17}}</ref> | |||
Many languages are spoken in Eritrea today.There is no official language as such, but ] and ] are the two predominant languages for official purposes. ] and ] are also widely understood.<ref></ref> | |||
Most of the languages spoken in Eritrea stem from the ] and ] branches of the ] language family. The Semitic languages in Eritrea are ] (spoken natively by the ] Arabs), ], ], and the newly recognized ]; these languages (primarily Tigre and Tigrinya) are spoken as a first language by over 80% of the population. The Cushitic languages in Eritrea are just as numerous, including ], ], ], and ]. ] and ] are also spoken in Eritrea and belong to the ]. ] is spoken to a degree by more educated Eritreans and a legacy of British occupation. ] is a legacy of colonial times. | |||
Most of the languages spoken in Eritrea belong to the ] branch of the ] family.<ref name="Minahan">{{cite book|last=Minahan|first=James|title=Miniature empires: a historical dictionary of the newly independent states|year=1998|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-30610-5|page=76|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RSxt-JB-PDkC&pg=PA76|quote=The majority of the Eritreans speak ], mainly ] and ], other languages belongs to Cushitic languages of the Afroasiatic language group. The Kunama and other groups in the west and northwest speak Nilotic languages.}}</ref> Other Afroasiatic languages belonging to the ] branch are also widely spoken in the country.<ref name="Minahan"/> The latter include ], ], ], and ]. In addition, ] (] and ]) are spoken as a ] by the Nilotic Kunama and Nara ethnic groups that live in the western and northwestern part of the country.<ref name="Minahan"/> | |||
Smaller groups speak other Afroasiatic languages, such as the newly recognized ] and Arabic (the ] and ] ] spoken by the Rashaida and Hadhrami, respectively). | |||
=== Religion === | |||
{{main|Religion in Eritrea}} | |||
{{bar box | |||
|float = right | |||
|title ='''Religion''' | |||
|right1='''Percent''' | |||
|bars= | |||
|caption=<br />Pew Research Center 2020 <ref name="Pew">{{cite web|title=Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050|date=2 April 2015|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/2050/percent/all/|publisher=Pew Research Center|access-date=26 October 2017|archive-date=26 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026213925/http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/2050/percent/all/}}</ref> | |||
{{bar percent|]|purple|63}} | |||
{{bar percent|]|yellow|36}} | |||
{{bar percent|Others|brown|1}} | |||
{{bar gap|<br /> U.S. Department of State 2019 <ref name="webcitation.org">{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/eritrea/|title=Eritrea |publisher=U.S. State Department }}</ref>}} | |||
{{bar percent|]|purple|49}} | |||
{{bar percent|]|yellow|49}} | |||
{{bar percent|Others|brown|2}} | |||
}} | |||
{{multiple image | |||
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| direction = horizontal | |||
| image2 = Asmara, cattedrale cattolica, 01.JPG | |||
| caption2 = ] in ] | |||
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| caption1 = The Sheikh Hanafi Mosque in ] | |||
| image1 = Sheikh Hanafi Mosque (8529064326).jpg | |||
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}} | |||
The two main religions followed in Eritrea are ] and ]. However, the number of adherents of each faith is subject to debate. According to the ], {{as of|2020|lc=y}}, 62.9% of the population of Eritrea adhered to ], 36.6% followed ], and 0.4% practiced ]. The remainder observed ], ], ], other faiths (<0.1% each), or were religiously unaffiliated (0.1%).<ref name="Pew" /> The U.S. Department of State estimated that {{as of|2019|lc=y}}, 49% of the population of Eritrea adhered to Christianity, 49% followed Islam, and 2% observed other religions, including traditional faiths and animism.<ref name="webcitation.org"/> The World Religion Database reports that in 2020, 47% of the population were Christian and 51% were Muslim.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?u=76c|title=National Profiles | World Religion|website=www.thearda.com}}</ref> ] is the oldest world religion practiced in the country, and the first Christian monastery ] was built during the fourth century. | |||
<ref>{{cite book | |||
|title=Eritrea: The Bradt Travel Guide | |||
|year=2007 | |||
|author=Edward Denison |author2=Edward Paice | |||
|isbn=978-1-84162-171-5 | |||
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qi-KQchGks8C&pg=PA187 | |||
|page=187|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides | |||
}}</ref> | |||
Since May 2002, the government of Eritrea has officially recognized the ] (]), ], the ] (a ] sui juris), and the ] ] church. All other faiths and denominations are required to undergo a registration process.<ref name="Religious persecution in Eritrea">{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3663654.stm | title=Religious persecution in Eritrea|work= BBC News | access-date=11 December 2009 | date=17 September 2004 | first=Jonah | last=Fisher}}</ref> Among other things, the government registration system requires religious groups to submit personal information on their membership to be allowed to ].<ref name="Religious persecution in Eritrea"/> | |||
The Eritrean government is against what it deems as "reformed" or "radical" versions of its established religions. Therefore, alleged radical forms of Islam and Christianity, ], and numerous other ] Evangelical denominations are not registered and cannot worship freely. Three named Jehovah's Witnesses are known to have been imprisoned since 1994 along with 51 others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tdgnews.it/en/2008/10/jehovahs-witnesses%E2%80%94eritrea-country-profile/ |title=Jehovah's Witnesses — Eritrea Country Profile – October 2008 |access-date=25 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930040630/http://www.tdgnews.it/en/2008/10/jehovahs-witnesses%E2%80%94eritrea-country-profile/ |archive-date=30 September 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jw.org/en/news/legal/by-region/eritrea/jehovahs-witnesses-unjust-imprisonment-20-years/ |title=Twenty Years of Imprisonment in Eritrea—Will It Ever End? |publisher=jw.org |access-date=25 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = UN Report on Eritrea's Human Rights Violations|url = http://www.jw.org/en/news/legal/by-region/eritrea/human-rights-violations-un-report/|website = jw.org|access-date = 21 October 2015}}</ref> The government treats Jehovah's Witnesses especially harshly, denying them ration cards and work permits.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/10/03/eritrea-diplomacy-changes-political-prisoners-remain|title=Eritrea: Diplomacy Changes, but Political Prisoners Remain|website=Human Rights Watch|date=3 October 2018}}</ref> Jehovah's Witnesses were stripped of their citizenship and basic civil rights by presidential decree in October 1994.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hrc-eritrea.org/eritrea-20-years-and-counting-the-exceptional-persecution-of-jehovahs-witnesses/|title=Eritrea: 20 Years and Counting – The Exceptional Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses|website=Human Rights Concern - Eritrea (HRCE)|date=14 October 2014 }}</ref> | |||
In its 2017 religious freedom report, the U.S. State Department named Eritrea a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).<ref>{{cite web|title=International Religious Freedom Report, 2017|url=http://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2017.USCIRFAnnualReport.pdf|publisher=U.S. Department of State|access-date=26 October 2017}}</ref> | |||
=== Health === | |||
{{main|Health in Eritrea}} | |||
Eritrea has achieved significant improvements in health care and is one of the few countries to be on target to meet its ]s (MDG) for health, in particular child health.<ref name=ODI1>{{cite web |last1=Rodríguez Pose |first1=Romina |last2=Samuels |first2=Fiona |date=December 2010 |website=Overseas Development Institute |url=http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=5179&title=progress-health-eritrea-cost-effective-inter-sectoral-interventions-long-term-perspective |title=Progress in health in Eritrea: Cost-effective inter-sectoral interventions and a long-term perspective |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228112540/http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=5179&title=progress-health-eritrea-cost-effective-inter-sectoral-interventions-long-term-perspective |archive-date=28 December 2010 }}</ref> ] at birth increased from 39.1 years in 1960 to 66.44 years in 2020;<ref name="auto2">{{cite web|url=https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/ERI/eritrea/life-expectancy|title=Eritrea Life Expectancy 1950-2020|website=www.macrotrends.net}}</ref> maternal and ] rates dropped dramatically and the health infrastructure expanded.<ref name=ODI1/> | |||
The ] (WHO) in 2008 found average life expectancy to be slightly less than 63 years, a number that has increased to 66.44 in 2020.<ref name="auto2"/>{{failed verification|date=March 2023}} ] and child nutrition have been tackled by working closely with schools in a multi-sectoral approach; the number of children vaccinated against measles almost doubled in seven years, from 40.7% to 78.5% and the prevalence of underweight children decreased by 12% from 1995 to 2002 (severe underweight prevalence by 28%).<ref name=ODI1/> The National Malaria Protection Unit of the Ministry of Health registered reductions in malarial mortality by as much as 85% and in the number of cases by 92% between 1998 and 2006.<ref name=ODI1/> The Eritrean government has banned ] (FGM), saying the practice was painful and put women at risk of life-threatening health problems.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=71199 |title=IRIN Africa | ERITREA: Government outlaws female genital mutilation | Human Rights |agency=IRIN |date=5 April 2007 |access-date=17 July 2011}}</ref> | |||
However, Eritrea still faces many challenges. Although the number of physicians increased from only 0.2 in 1993 to 0.5 in 2004 per 1000 people, this is still very low.<ref name=ODI1/> ] and ] are common.<ref name="afro.who.int"/> HIV prevalence for ages 15 to 49 years exceeds 2%.<ref name="afro.who.int"/> The fertility rate is about 4.1 births per woman.<ref name="afro.who.int">Health profile at . afro.who.int</ref> Maternal mortality dropped by more than half from 1995 to 2002 but is still high.<ref name=ODI1/> Similarly, the number of births attended by skilled health personnel doubled from 1995 to 2002 but still is only 28.3%.<ref name=ODI1/> A major cause of death in newborns is severe ].<ref name="afro.who.int"/> Per-capita expenditure on health is low.<ref name="afro.who.int"/> | |||
===Education=== | === Education === | ||
{{main|Education in Eritrea}} | {{main|Education in Eritrea}} | ||
]]] | |||
There are five levels of education in Eritrea: pre-primary, primary, middle, secondary, and post-secondary. There are nearly 238,000 students in the primary, middle, and secondary levels of education. There are approximately 824 schools<ref>{{cite book |year=2005 |title=Baseline Study on Livelihood Systems in Eritrea |publisher=National Food Information System of Eritrea}}</ref> in Eritrea and two universities (University of Asmara and the Institute of Science and Technology) as well as several smaller colleges and technical schools. | |||
] | |||
There are five levels of education in Eritrea: ], ], ], ], and ]. There are nearly 1,270,000 students in the primary, middle, and secondary levels of education.<ref name="uis.unesco.org">{{cite web|url=http://uis.unesco.org/en/country/er#slideoutmenu|title=Eritrea|date=27 November 2016|website=uis.unesco.org}}</ref> There are approximately 824 schools,<ref>{{cite book|date=January 2005|title=Baseline Study on Livelihood Systems in Eritrea|publisher=National Food Information System of Eritrea|url=http://www1.chr.up.ac.za/chr_old/indigenous/documents/Eritrea/Report/Base%20line%20study%20on%20Livelihood%20Systems%20in%20Eritrea.pdf|access-date=20 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055210/http://www1.chr.up.ac.za/chr_old/indigenous/documents/Eritrea/Report/Base%20line%20study%20on%20Livelihood%20Systems%20in%20Eritrea.pdf|archive-date=21 September 2013}}</ref> two universities, (the ] and the ]), and several smaller colleges and technical schools. | |||
One of the most important goals of Eritrea's education policy is to provide basic education in each of Eritrea's mother tongues, as well as to develop a self-motivated and conscientious population to fight poverty and disease. Furthermore it is tooled to produce a society that is equipped with the necessary skills to function in the modern economy. | |||
The Eritrea Institute of Technology "EIT" is a technological institute located near the town of Himbrti, ] outside ]. The institute has three colleges: Science, Engineering and Technology, and Education. The institute began with approximately 5,500 students during the 2003–2004 ]. The EIT was opened after the University of Asmara was reorganized. According to the Ministry of Education, the institution was established, as one of many efforts to achieve equal distribution of higher learning in areas outside the capital city, Asmara. Accordingly, several similar colleges have also been established in other parts of the country. The Eritrea Institute of Technology is the main local institute of higher studies in science, engineering, and education. The University of Asmara is the oldest in the country and was opened in 1958.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uoa.edu.er/ |title=National Board for Higher Education |access-date=11 June 2021 |archive-date=9 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809063605/http://www.uoa.edu.er/ }}</ref> It is currently not in operation. | |||
The education system in Eritrea is also designed to promote ] schooling, equal access for all groups (i.e., to prevent ], ], and class discrimination, etc.) and promote continuing education, both formally and informally. | |||
As of 2018, the overall adult literacy rate in Eritrea is 76.6% (84.4% for men and 68.9% for women). For youth 15–24, the overall literacy rate is 93.3% (93.8% for men and 92.7% for women).<ref>{{cite web|title=World Development Indicators {{!}} DataBank|url=https://databank.worldbank.org/reports.aspx?source=2&country=ERI#|access-date=2021-05-26|website=databank.worldbank.org}}</ref> | |||
Education in Eritrean include kindergartens for young children of both genders. | |||
Education in Eritrea is officially compulsory for children aged 6 to 13 years.<ref name="uis.unesco.org"/> | |||
Barriers to education in Eritrea include traditional ], school fees (for registration and materials), and the ] of ] households.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kifle |first=Temesgen |year=2002 |title=Educational Gender Gap in Eritrea}}</ref> | |||
Statistics vary at the elementary level, suggesting that 70% to 90% of school-aged children attend primary school; approximately 61% attend secondary school. Student-teacher ratios are high: 45:1 at the elementary level and 54:1 at the secondary level. Class sizes average 63 and 97 students per classroom at the elementary and secondary school levels, respectively.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} | |||
Barriers to education in Eritrea include traditional ], school fees (for registration and materials), and the ]s of ] households.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kifle |first=Temesgen |year=2002 |title=Educational Gender Gap in Eritrea |series=Berichte aus dem Weltwirtschaftlichen Colloquium der Universität Bremen |url=http://www.econbiz.de/en/search/detailed-view/doc/all/educational-gender-gap-in-eritrea-kifle-temesgen/10001715911/?no_cache=1 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030759/http://www.iwim.uni-bremen.de/publikationen/pdf/b079.pdf |date=4 March 2016 }}</ref> | |||
===Religion=== | |||
{{main|Religion in Eritrea}} | |||
].]] | |||
Eritrea has two dominant religions, ] and ], with approximately half of the population belonging to each faith. Most Muslims follow ]. The Christians consist primarily of the ], which is the local ] church, and considerable groups of ]s (including Italian Eritreans), ]s, and other denominations also exist. | |||
== Culture == | |||
Since May 2002, the Government of Eritrea has officially recognized the ], ], ], and the Evangelical ] church. All other faiths and denominations are required to undergo a registration process. {{Fact|date=January 2009}} Among other things, the Government's registration system requires religious groups to submit personal information on their membership to be allowed to ]. {{Fact|date=January 2009}} The few organisations that have met all of the registration requirements have still not received official recognition. {{Fact|date=January 2009}} | |||
{{Main|Culture of Eritrea}} | |||
The culture of Eritrea is the collective cultural heritage of the various populations native to Eritrea and its rich cultural heritage inherited through its long history. Modern-day Eritrea is also defined by the struggle for independence.<ref>{{cite report |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000098638 |title=Preservation and presentation of the cultural heritage: Eritrea - (mission) |last=Anfray |first=Francesco |publisher=UNESCO |date=1994 |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://us.embassyeritrea.org/our-history/ |title=Our History |publisher=Embassy of the State of Eritrea – Washington, D.C., USA |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref> The nation has a rich oral and literary tradition which ranges across all nine ethnic groups, it includes a wealth of poetry and proverbs, songs and chants, folk tales, histories and legends. It also has a rich history in theatre and painting, often colourful and depicting a reflection of the Eritrean people's history.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://consulateoferitrea.ca/eritrean-culture/ |title=Eritrean Culture |date=28 November 2016 |publisher=The Consulate General of the State of Eritrea – Toronto, Canada |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref> | |||
One of the most recognizable parts of Eritrean culture is the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.networkafricaonline.com/eritrea-coffee-cere.htm |title=It's coffee time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004094605/http://www.networkafricaonline.com/eritrea-coffee-cere.htm |archive-date=4 October 2011 |work=Network Africa Online |date=April 2008}}</ref> Coffee (] ቡን ''būn'') is offered when visiting friends, during festivities, or as a daily staple of life. During the coffee ceremony, some traditions are upheld. The coffee is served in three rounds: the first brew or round is called ''awel'' in Tigrinya (meaning "first"), the second round is called ''kalaay'' (meaning "second"), and the third round is called ''bereka'' (meaning "to be blessed"). | |||
], ], the ], and numerous Protestant denominations are not registered and cannot worship freely. They have effectively been banned, and measures have been taken against their adherents. Many have been incarcerated for months or even years. None have been charged officially or given access to the judicial process. In its 2006 religious freedom report, the U.S. State Department for the third year in a row named Eritrea a "Country of Particular Concern", designating it one of the worst violators of religious freedom in the world.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108367.htm | title=Eritrea. International Religious Freedom Report 2008|publisher= U.S. Department of State. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor| accessdate=2008-11-08}}</ref> | |||
Traditional Eritrean attire is quite varied among the ethnic groups of Eritrea. In the larger cities, most people dress in Western casual dress such as jeans and shirts. In offices, both men and women often dress in suits. A common traditional clothing for ] Tigrinya highlanders consists of bright white gowns called '']s'' for the women, and a white shirt accompanied by white pants for the men. In Muslim communities in the Eritrean lowlands, the women traditionally dress in brightly colored clothes. Besides convergent culinary tastes, Eritreans share an appreciation for similar music and lyrics, jewelry and fragrances, and tapestry and fabrics, as many other populations in the region.<ref name="Tekle197">{{cite book|last=Tekle|first=Amare|title=Eritrea and Ethiopia: From Conflict to Cooperation|year=1994|publisher=The Red Sea Press|isbn=978-0-932415-97-4 |page=197 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xbQTEF0rd7wC}}</ref> | |||
There is one last native Jew in Eritrea, formerly from a community of hundreds in Asmara, whose ancestors had crossed from Aden in the late 19th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4955088.stm |title=Asmara's last Jew recalls 'good old days' |publisher=BBC |date=2006-04-30 |accessdate = 2006-09-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3246419,00.html |title=Eritrea's last native Jew tends graves, remembers |publisher=Y Net News |date=2006-05-02 |accessdate = 2006-09-26}}</ref> | |||
=== UNESCO World Heritage Site === | |||
==Culture== | |||
On 8 July 2017, the entire capital city of ] was listed as a ], with the inscription taking place during the 41st World Heritage Committee Session. | |||
] | |||
{{main|Culture of Eritrea}} | |||
{{seealso|Cuisine of Eritrea|Literature of Eritrea|Music of Eritrea}} | |||
The Eritrean region has traditionally been a nexus for ] throughout the world. Because of this, the influence of diverse ] can be seen throughout Eritrea. Today, the most obvious influences in the capital, Asmara, are those of Italy. Throughout Asmara, there are small cafes serving beverages common to Italy. In Asmara, there is a clear merging of the Italian colonial influence with the traditional Tigrinya lifestyle. In the villages of Eritrea, these changes never took hold. | |||
The city has thousands of ], ], ], and ] buildings, constructed during the period of ].<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1550/|title=Asmara: A Modernist African City|first=UNESCO World Heritage|last=Centre|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://qz.com/africa/1026237/eritreas-asmara-is-now-a-unesco-world-heritage-site-and-should-boost-tourism/|title=Eritrea's picturesque capital is now a World Heritage site and could help bring it in from the cold|first=Tom Gardner|last=Commentary|website=Quartz Africa|date=11 July 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.africanews.com/2017/07/12/eritrea-capital-asmara-makes-unesco-world-heritage-list/|title=Eritrea capital, Asmara, makes UNESCO World Heritage list | Africanews|date=11 July 2017|access-date=18 December 2019|archive-date=4 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304162652/https://www.africanews.com/2017/07/12/eritrea-capital-asmara-makes-unesco-world-heritage-list//}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/eritreas-capital-added-to-unesco-world-heritage-site-list/a-39609655|title=Eritrea's capital added to UNESCO World Heritage site list | DW | 08.07.2017|website=DW.COM}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.apollo-magazine.com/eritrea-italy-modernist-architecture/|title=The modernist marvels of Eritrea|date=19 November 2019|website=Apollo Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/design/asmara-eritrea-art-deco-unesco-architecture-italy-little-rome-world-heritage-a8040871.html|title=Exploring Eritrea's UNESCO certified Art-Deco wonderland|date=9 November 2017|website=The Independent}}</ref> Asmara, a small town in the nineteenth century, started to grow quickly during 1889.<ref>Britannica,, britannica.com, USA, accessed on 8 September 2019</ref> The city also became a place "to experiment with radical new designs", mainly futuristic and art deco inspired.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://washingtontimes.com/article/20070915/ENTERTAINMENT/109150018/1007 |title=Asmara useful for experimenting with radical designs for Europeans |newspaper=] |date=15 September 2007 |access-date=8 December 2010}}</ref> Even though city planners, architects, and engineers were largely European, members of the indigenous population were largely used as construction workers, Asmarinos still identify with their city's legacy.<ref>Jan Körting & Neysan Zölzer (2012): ''Heritage and Daily Life in the Historic Urban Core of Asmara (Original: Erbe und Alltag im historischen Stadtkern Asmaras)'' (Dissertation). Technische Universität Berlin.</ref> | |||
In the cities, before the occupation and during the early years, the import of ] films was commonplace, while Italian and American films were available in the cinemas as well. In the 1980s and since independence, however, American films have become the most common. Vying for market share are films by local producers, who have slowly come into their own. The global broadcast of Eri-TV has brought cultural images to the large Eritrean population in the Diaspora who frequents the country every summer. Successful domestic films are produced by government and independent studios with revenue from ticket sales typically covering the production costs. | |||
{{ multiple image | |||
] ] herder posing for a picture near ], Zoba ].]] | |||
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Traditional Eritrean dress is quite varied, with the women of most lowland ethnicities traditionally dressing in brightly colored clothes, while the Tigrinya traditionally dress in bright white costumes. Of the Muslim ethnicities, only the Arab or Rashaida tribeswomen maintain a tradition of covering their faces. | |||
| total_width = 250 | |||
| footer = | |||
| image1 = Asmara, museo nazionale, ingresso.JPG | |||
| caption1 = ] in Asmara | |||
| caption2 = ], Futurist-style service station designed by ] during the Italian colonial era | |||
| image2 = Fiat tagliero, 07,0.JPG | |||
| caption4 = | |||
}} | |||
The city shows off most early twentieth-century architectural styles. Some buildings are ], such as the ]. Art Deco influences are found throughout the city. Essences of ] may be found on the Africa Pension Building and on a small collection of buildings. The ] shows almost the height of futurism, just as it was becoming fashionable in Italy. In recent times, some buildings have been functionally built, which sometimes can spoil the atmosphere of some cities, but they fit into Asmara as it is such a modern city. | |||
Popular sports in Eritrea are football and bicycle racing. In recent years Eritrean athletes have seen increasing success in the international arena. | |||
Many buildings such as opera houses, hotels, and cinemas were built during this period. Some notable buildings include the ] ] (opened in 1937 and considered by the experts one of the world's finest examples of Art Déco style building<ref>Gianluca Rossi, ''Renzo Martinelli inviato de La Nazione'', 2009.</ref>), Cubist Africa Pension, eclectic Eritrean Orthodox ] and ], the ] ], the ] ]. | |||
Almost unique on the African continent, is the ], whose first race was created by the ] in 1946.<ref>http://www.maitacli.it/arg_menu/Sport/Ciclismo/giro_di_vita.htm The first Tour of Eritrea (in italian)</ref> The Tour is a bicycle race from the hot desert beaches of Massawa, up the winding mountain highway with its precipitous valleys and cliffs to the capital Asmara. From there, it continues downwards onto the western plains of the Gash-Barka Zone, only to return back to Asmara from the south. This is, by far, the most popular sport in Eritrea. | |||
A statement from UNESCO read: | |||
Recently long-distance running has garnered its own supporters. The momentum for long-distance running in Eritrea can be seen in the successes of ]. | |||
{{cquote|It is an exceptional example of early modernist urbanism at the beginning of the 20th century and its application in an African context.|200|50|]<ref name="auto1"/>}} | |||
==See also== | |||
{{portal|Eritrea|Flag of Eritrea.svg}} | |||
{{Portal|Africa|Africa_satellite_orthographic.jpg}} | |||
== |
=== Music === | ||
{{Main|Music of Eritrea}} | |||
{{reflist|2}} | |||
]]] | |||
Eritrea's ethnic groups each have their distinct styles of music and accompanying dances. Amongst the Tigrinya, the best-known traditional musical genre is the guaila. Traditional instruments of Eritrean folk music include the strung ], ], ], ], and the wata (a distant/rudimentary cousin of the violin). A popular Eritrean artist is the Tigrinya singer ], who is noted for her powerful voice and wide singing range.<ref name="Blum">{{cite book|last1=Blum|first1=Bruno|title=De l'art de savoir chanter, danser et jouer la bamboula comme un éminent musicien africain: le guide des musiques africaines|date=2007|publisher=Scali|isbn=978-2-35012-197-0|page=198|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MNsTAQAAIAAJ}}</ref> Other prominent local musicians include the Kunama singer ], ], ], the late ] and the late ]. | |||
Dancing plays an important role in Eritrean society. The nine ethnic groups have many exuberant dances.<ref name="traditionalmusic">{{cite web |url=https://www.musicinafrica.net/magazine/traditional-music-eritrea |title=Traditional music in Eritrea |work=Music in Africa |last=Abraham |first=Tedros |date=21 July 2016 |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref> The dancing styles differ amongst the ethnic groups; for instance the Bilen and Tigre ethnicities shake their shoulders, while standing rotating in a circle towards the end of the dance, which differs from the Tigrinya who first dance rotating anti-clockwise but later change it to fast-paced dancing and at the same breaking the circular rotation. Kunama ethnic group have dances that include rituals, these are - "tuka (rites of passage); indoda (prayers for rain); sangga-nena (peaceful mediation); and shatta (showcases of endurance and courage)". They are often fast-paced in their character and are accompanied by drum beats.<ref name="traditionalmusic"/> | |||
==Sources== | |||
<div class="references-small"> | |||
*Ancient Ethiopia, David W. Phillipson (1998) | |||
* Cliffe, Lionel; Connell, Dan; Davidson, Basil (2005), ''Taking on the Superpowers: Collected Articles on the Eritrean Revolution (1976-1982)''. Red Sea Press, ISBN 1-56902-188-0 | |||
* Cliffe, Lionel & Davidson, Basil (1988), ''The Long Struggle of Eritrea for Independence and Constructive Peace''. Spokesman Press, ISBN 0-85124-463-7 | |||
* Connell, Dan (1997), ''Against All Odds: A Chronicle of the Eritrean Revolution With a New Afterword on the Postwar Transition''. Red Sea Press, ISBN 1-56902-046-9 | |||
* Connell, Dan (2001), ''Rethinking Revolution: New Strategies for Democracy & Social Justice : The Experiences of Eritrea, South Africa, Palestine & Nicaragua''. Red Sea Press, ISBN 1-56902-145-7 | |||
* Connell, Dan (2004), ''Conversations with Eritrean Political Prisoners''. Red Sea Press, ISBN 1-56902-235-6 | |||
* Connell, Dan (2005), ''Building a New Nation: Collected Articles on the Eritrean Revolution (1983-2002)''. Red Sea Press, ISBN 1-56902-198-8 | |||
* Daniel Kendie (2005), ''The Five Dimensions Of The Eritrean Conflict 1941 - 2004: Deciphering the Geo-Political Puzzle''. Signature Book Printing, ISBN 1-932433-47-3 | |||
* Firebrace, James & Holand, Stuart (1985), ''Never Kneel Down: Drought, Development and Liberation in Eritrea''. Red Sea Press, ISBN 0-932415-00-8 | |||
* Hatem Elliesie: ''Decentralisation of Higher Education in Eritrea'', Afrika Spectrum, Vol. 43 (2008) No. 1, p. 115-120. | |||
* Hogan, C. Michael (2009), | |||
* Jordan Gebre-Medhin (1989), ''Peasants and Nationalism in Eritrea''. Red Sea Press, ISBN 0-932415-38-5 | |||
* ] (2002), ']'. Little, Brown, ISBN 978-0349115269 | |||
* Iyob, Ruth (1997), ''The Eritrean Struggle for Independence : Domination, Resistance, Nationalism, 1941-1993''. Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-59591-6 | |||
* Jacquin-Berdal, Dominique; Plaut, Martin (2004), ''Unfinished Business: Ethiopia and Eritrea at War''. Red Sea Press, ISBN 1-56902-217-8 | |||
* Johns, Michael (1992), ] 1992] | |||
* ] (1990), "To Asmara" ISBN 0446391719 | |||
* Killion, Tom (1998), ''Historical Dictionary of Eritrea''. Scarecrow Press, ISBN 0-8108-3437-5 | |||
* Mauri, Arnaldo (2004), "Eritrea's Early Stages oin Monetary and Banking Development", ''International Review of Economics'', Vol. LI, n. 4. | |||
* Müller, Tanja R.: ''Bare life and the developmental State: the Militarization of Higher Education in Eritrea'', Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 46 (2008), No. 1, p. 1-21. | |||
* Wrong, Michela (2005), ''I Didn't Do It For You: how the world betrayed a small African Nation''. Harper Collins, ISBN 0-06-078092-4 | |||
* {{cite web |last=Ogbaselassie |first=G |date=2006-01-10 |url=http://eri24.com/Article_10043.htm |title=Response to remarks by Mr. David Triesman, Britain's parliamentary under-secretary of state with responsibility for Africa |accessdate = 2006-06-07}} | |||
* Pateman, Roy (1998), ''Eritrea: Even the Stones Are Burning''. Red Sea Press, ISBN 1-56902-057-4 | |||
* {{cite web |last=Rena |first=Ravinder |date=2006-01-12 |url=http://eri24.com/Article_10045.htm |title=Student-Centered Education is the Best Way of Learning |accessdate = 2006-06-07}} | |||
* {{cite web |date=2005-12-09 |url=http://eri24.com/Article_10031.htm |title=Eritrea-Ethiopia versus western nations |accessdate = 2006-06-07}} | |||
</div> | |||
* Mauri, Arnaldo (1998), "The First Monetary and Banking Experiences in Eritrea", ''African Review of Money, Finance and Banking'', n. 1-2. | |||
==External links== | |||
{{sisterlinks|Eritrea}} | |||
=== Media === | |||
; Government | |||
{{Main|Mass media in Eritrea}} | |||
* official website | |||
There are no current independent mass media in Eritrea. All media outlets in Eritrea are from the Ministry of Information, a government source. | |||
* | |||
=== Cuisine === | |||
; General information | |||
{{Main|Eritrean cuisine}} | |||
*{{CIA World Factbook link|er|Eritrea}} | |||
] with various stews]] | |||
* from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs'' | |||
A typical traditional Eritrean dish consists of ] accompanied by a spicy stew, which frequently includes beef, chicken, lamb, or fish.<!--(Commented out because it's repeated a few sentence later): People in Eritrea also tend to drink coffee and a bitter fermented barley called ''sowa''.--><ref name="Kittler"/> Overall, Eritrean cuisine strongly resembles that of neighboring ],<ref name="Kittler">{{cite book|author1=Goyan Kittler, Pamela |author2=Sucher, Kathryn P. |author3=Nahikian-Nelms, Marcia |title=Food and Culture, 6th ed|year=2011|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-0-538-73497-4|page=202|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R06H7WabJuMC}}</ref><ref name="Tekle142">{{cite book|last=Tekle|first=Amare|title=Eritrea and Ethiopia: From Conflict to Cooperation|year=1994|publisher=The Red Sea Press|isbn=978-0-932415-97-4 |page=142 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xbQTEF0rd7wC}}</ref> though Eritrean cooking tends to feature more ] than Ethiopian cuisine on account of their coastal location.<ref name="Kittler"/> Eritrean dishes are also frequently "lighter" in texture than Ethiopian meals. They likewise tend to employ less ] and spices and more ]es, as in the ''] dorho'' delicacy. | |||
*{{dmoz|Regional/Africa/Eritrea}} | |||
*{{wikiatlas|Eritrea}} | |||
*{{wikitravel}} | |||
<!-- | |||
; Other | |||
* by the ] | |||
* | |||
* | |||
* | |||
* Eritrean Railway (in italian) | |||
* | |||
* About Eritrea | |||
* ]'s ''Ciao Asmara'' in ]] Magazine | |||
* | |||
* --> | |||
Additionally, owing to its colonial history, cuisine in Eritrea features more ] influences than are present in Ethiopian cooking, including more ] and greater use of ] powders and ]. Italian Eritrean cuisine started to be practiced during the colonial times of the ], when a large number of Italians moved to Eritrea. They brought the use of pasta to ], and it is one of the main foods eaten in present-day ]. An ] emerged, and common dishes are "pasta al sugo e berbere" (pasta with tomato sauce and berbere spice), ], and "cotoletta alla Milanese" (veal Milanese).<ref name="Mftdbeaeccdtmts">{{cite news|last=Carman|first=Tim|title=Mild Frontier: the differences between Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisines come down to more than spice|url=http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/36663/mild-frontier|access-date=12 March 2013|newspaper=Washington City Paper|date=9 January 2009}}</ref> | |||
{{Template group | |||
|title = Geographic locale | |||
In addition to coffee, local alcoholic beverages are enjoyed. These include ''sowa'', a bitter drink made from fermented barley, and ''mies'', a fermented honey wine.<ref name="Mettm">{{cite book|title=Eritrea: Travel Trade Manual|year=2000|publisher=Ministry of Tourism of Eritrea|page=4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j11zAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> | |||
|list = | |||
=== Sport === | |||
{{Main|Sport in Eritrea}} | |||
<!-- Caution should be taken to ensure that the section is not simply a listing of names or mini-biographies of individuals' accomplishments---> | |||
] and ] are the most popular sports in Eritrea.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47709673|title=Cycling heaven: The African capital with 'no traffic'|date=27 March 2019|via=www.bbc.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eritreansportfamily.com/cycling-in-eritrea/|title=Cycling in Eritrea|date=20 November 2022}}</ref> | |||
Cycling has a long tradition in Eritrea and was first introduced during the colonial period.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/article/2017/07/28/cycling-isolated-eritreas-window-world|title=Cycling is isolated Eritrea's window to the world|website=Cycling|date=28 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thebestofafrica.org/content/eritrea-and-cycling-an-unlikely-relationship|title=Eritrea and cycling: An unlikely relationship|website=The Best of Africa|access-date=9 January 2020|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225044947/https://thebestofafrica.org/content/eritrea-and-cycling-an-unlikely-relationship|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ], a multi-stage cycling event, was first held in 1946 and most recently held in 2017. | |||
] | |||
The national cycling teams of both men and women are ranked first on the African continent,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Road |url=https://www.uci.org/discipline/road/6TBjsDD8902tud440iv1Cu?tab=rankings&discipline=ROA |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=www.uci.org |language=en-gb}}</ref> with the men's team ranked 16th in the world as of February 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/cqRankingCountry.asp|title=CQ Ranking|website=cqranking.com}}</ref> | |||
The Eritrean national cycling team has experienced much success, winning the African Continental cycling championship several years in a row. In 2013, the women's team won the gold medal in the ] for the first time, and for the second time in 2015 and third time in 2019. The men's team has won gold eight times in the last 12 years in the African Continental cycling championships, between 2010 and 2022.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609211448/http://www.raimoq.com/eritrean-cycling-team-wins-the-2015-african-continental-cycling-championships-ttt/ |date=9 June 2016 }}. Raimoq.com (10 February 2015). Retrieved on 5 June 2016.</ref><ref>. The Guardian (17 August 2015). Retrieved on 5 June 2016.</ref><ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609210517/http://www.raimoq.com/eritrean-national-teams-rank-first-at-the-african-cycling-championship-time-race/ |date=9 June 2016 }}. Raimoq.com (1 December 2013). Retrieved on 5 June 2016.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/african-cycling-championships-ttt/2019|title=African Continental Championships - TTT 2019 | Results|website=www.procyclingstats.com}}</ref> | |||
Eritrea has more than 500 elite cyclist riders (men and women) within the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.the-sports.org/cycling-statistics-individual-men-eritrea-s2-c2-b4-o113-v1.html |title=Cycling - Individual statistics - Eritrea - Men |website=TheSports.org |access-date=29 December 2023}}</ref> More than 20 Eritrean riders from Eritrea have signed professional contracts to international cycling teams{{citation needed|date=December 2023}} ] and ] became the first cyclists from Africa to compete in the ] in the ] of the race.<ref>{{cite news|title=Heroes welcome for Daniel Teklehaimanot and Merhawi Kudus in Eritrea|url=http://www.caperi.com/heroes-welcome-for-daniel-teklehaimanot-and-merhawi-kudus-in-eritrea/|access-date=25 June 2016|agency=Caperi|date=1 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508002440/http://www.caperi.com/heroes-welcome-for-daniel-teklehaimanot-and-merhawi-kudus-in-eritrea/|archive-date=8 May 2016}}</ref><ref name="Cnbcfertf">{{cite news|title=Berhane could become the first Eritrean to ride the Tour de France|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/berhane-could-become-the-first-eritrean-to-ride-the-tour-de-france|access-date=16 October 2014|agency=Cycling News|date=2 March 2014}}</ref> In 2022, ] was the first African rider to win both the ] and a stage in one of the ] during ]. Multiple ] ] became the first African female cyclist to compete in an Olympics, representing Eritrea in the ]<ref>{{cite web | title=Mosana Debesay Biography, Olympic Medals, Records and Age | website=Olympics.com | url=https://olympics.com/en/athletes/mosana-debesay | access-date=4 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bikeaid.de/en/racing/racing_article/title-a_dream_almost_broken_mosana_debesay_on_her_way_to_the_olympics/article-60ecc1a94715b | title=A dream almost broken - Mosana Debesay on her way to the Olympics }}</ref> All these accomplishments from Eritrean cyclists, have helped push Eritrea into the top of global rankings in cycling. | |||
Eritrean athletes have also seen increasing success in the international arena in other sports. ], an Eritrean athlete, formerly held the world record in the half marathon.<ref>. Iaaf.org (8 May 2010). Retrieved 20 September 2013.</ref> ] became the first Eritrean to win a gold medal at a ] for his country when he took the ] at the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/athletics/world-athletics-championships-2015-eritrean-teen-ghirmay-ghebreslassie-wins-mens-marathon-title-20150822-gj5a4b.html |title=World Athletics Championships 2015: Eritrean teen Ghirmay Ghebreslassie wins men's marathon title |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=22 August 2015 |website=] |access-date=22 August 2015}}</ref> Eritrea made its Winter Olympic debut 25 February 2018, when they competed at the ] in ], ] 2018. Eritrea's team was represented by their flagbearer ] who competed as ].<ref>{{cite news |last=Rieger|first=Sarah|date=28 December 2017|title=Calgary skier headed to Winter Olympics... but not with Team Canada |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/eritrea-skier-calgary-1.4466978|work=]|location=Calgary, Alberta, Canada|access-date=31 December 2017}}</ref> | |||
Neither the Eritrean national ] or ] national football team currently have a world ranking despite being a member association of global governing body ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=FIFA |url=https://fifa.com/ |access-date=2023-11-30 |website=fifa.com |language=en}}</ref> | |||
{{clear}} | |||
== See also == | |||
{{portal|Eritrea|Africa}} | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
<!-- *] --> | |||
<!-- *{{wikipedia books link|Eritrea}} -->{{Clear}} | |||
== References == | |||
{{notelist}} | |||
{{reflist|refs= | |||
<ref name="EHREA_Lasting_Struggle">{{cite web | last1 = Tronvoll | first1 =Kjetil |author1-link = Kjetil Tronvoll | title= The Lasting Struggle for Freedom in Eritrea – Human Rights and Political Development, 1991–2009 | website= ] |date = 2009-07-22 | url = http://www.ehrea.org/eritrearapport_2_endelig_versjon.pdf | access-date = 2021-02-13 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210213014319/http://www.ehrea.org/eritrearapport_2_endelig_versjon.pdf |archive-date= 2021-02-13 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
}} | |||
*Christine, Owen. "Navigating difference between ] and Tigrinya". 16 December 2010 | |||
Hailemariam, Chefena; Kroon, Sjaak; Walters, Joel (1999). "Multilingualism and Nation Building: Language and Education in Eritrea" (PDF). Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. 20 (6): 474–493. doi:10.1080/01434639908666385. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2012-04-04. | |||
== Further reading == | |||
{{refbegin|30em}} | |||
* Beretekeab, R. (2000); ''Eritrea: The Making of a Nation 1890–1991''. Thesis. Uppsala University, Uppsala. {{ISBN|978-91-506-1387-2}}. {{OCLC|632423867}}. | |||
* Cliffe, Lionel; Connell, Dan; Davidson, Basil (2005), ''Taking on the Superpowers: Collected Articles on the Eritrean Revolution (1976–1982)''. Red Sea Press, {{ISBN|1-56902-188-0}} | |||
* Cliffe, Lionel & Davidson, Basil (1988), ''The Long Struggle of Eritrea for Independence and Constructive Peace''. Spokesman Press, {{ISBN|0-85124-463-7}} | |||
* Connell, Dan (1997), ''Against All Odds: A Chronicle of the Eritrean Revolution With a New Afterword on the Postwar Transition''. Red Sea Press, {{ISBN|1-56902-046-9}} | |||
* Connell, Dan (2001), ''Rethinking Revolution: New Strategies for Democracy & Social Justice: The Experiences of Eritrea, South Africa, Palestine & Nicaragua''. Red Sea Press, {{ISBN|1-56902-145-7}} | |||
* Connell, Dan (2004), ''Conversations with Eritrean Political Prisoners''. Red Sea Press, {{ISBN|1-56902-235-6}} | |||
* Connell, Dan (2005), ''Building a New Nation: Collected Articles on the Eritrean Revolution (1983–2002)''. Red Sea Press, {{ISBN|1-56902-198-8}} | |||
* Firebrace, James & Holand, Stuart (1985), ''Never Kneel Down: Drought, Development and Liberation in Eritrea''. Red Sea Press, {{ISBN|0-932415-00-8}} | |||
* Drudi, Emilio (2021). ''Una storia eritrea. Beyan, Adam, Amr''. Calamaro Edizioni. {{ISBN|978-88-944639-2-7}} | |||
* Gebre-Medhin, Jordan (1989), ''Peasants and Nationalism in Eritrea''. Red Sea Press, {{ISBN|0-932415-38-5}} | |||
* Hatem Elliesie: ''Decentralisation of Higher Education in Eritrea'', Afrika Spectrum, Vol. 43 (2008) No. 1, p. 115–120. | |||
*{{Citation |last=Hedberg |first=I. |title=Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea |date=1996 |work=The Biodiversity of African Plants: Proceedings XIVth AETFAT Congress 22–27 August 1994, Wageningen, The Netherlands |pages=802–804 |editor-last=van der Maesen |editor-first=L. J. G. |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0285-5_104 |access-date=2024-03-21 |place=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Netherlands |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-94-009-0285-5_104 |isbn=978-94-009-0285-5 |editor2-last=van der Burgt |editor2-first=X. M. |editor3-last=van Medenbach de Rooy |editor3-first=J. M.}} | |||
* ] (2002), ''Ciao Asmara, A classic account of contemporary Africa''. Little, Brown, {{ISBN|978-0-349-11526-9}} | |||
* Iyob, Ruth (1997), ''The Eritrean Struggle for Independence: Domination, Resistance, Nationalism, 1941–1993''. ], {{ISBN|0-521-59591-6}} | |||
* Jacquin-Berdal, Dominique; Plaut, Martin (2004), ''Unfinished Business: Ethiopia and Eritrea at War''. Red Sea Press, {{ISBN|1-56902-217-8}} | |||
* Johns, Michael (1992), {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823083654/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r102:E06MY2-393: |date=23 August 2013 }} | |||
* ] (1990), ''To Asmara'' {{ISBN|0-446-39171-9}} | |||
* Kendie, Daniel (2005), ''The Five Dimensions of the Eritrean Conflict 1941–2004: Deciphering the Geo-Political Puzzle''. Signature Book Printing, {{ISBN|1-932433-47-3}} | |||
* Killion, Tom (1998), ''Historical Dictionary of Eritrea''. Scarecrow Press, {{ISBN|0-8108-3437-5}} | |||
* Mauri, Arnaldo (2004), "Eritrea's Early Stages in Monetary and Banking Development", ''International Review of Economics'', Vol. LI, n. 4. | |||
* Mauri, Arnaldo (1998), , ''African Review of Money, Finance and Banking'', n. 1–2. | |||
* Miran, Jonathan (2009), ''Red Sea Citizens: Cosmopolitan Society and Cultural Change in Massawa''. Indiana University Press, {{ISBN|978-0-253-22079-0}} | |||
* Müller, Tanja R.: ''Bare life and the developmental State: the Militarization of Higher Education in Eritrea'', Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 46 (2008), No. 1, p. 1–21. | |||
* Negash T. (1987); ''Italian Colonisation in Eritrea: Policies, Praxis and Impact'', Uppsala Univwersity, Uppsala. | |||
* {{cite web |last=Ogbaselassie |first=G |date=10 January 2006 |url=http://eri24.com/Article_10043.htm |title=Response to remarks by Mr. David Triesman, Britain's parliamentary under-secretary of state with responsibility for Africa |access-date=7 June 2006 |archive-date=16 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116081151/http://eri24.com/Article_10043.htm }} | |||
* Pateman, Roy (1998), ''Eritrea: Even the Stones Are Burning''. Red Sea Press, {{ISBN|1-56902-057-4}} | |||
* Phillipson, David W. (1998), ''Ancient Ethiopia''. | |||
* Reid, Richard. (2011). ''Frontiers of Violence in North-East Africa: Genealogies of Conflict Since c. 1800''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-921188-3}} | |||
* Wrong, Michela (2005), ''I Didn't Do It For You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation''. HarperCollins. {{ISBN|0-06-078092-4}} | |||
{{refend}} | |||
== External links == | |||
{{Sister project links|Eritrea|voy=Eritrea}} | |||
{{Scholia|topic}} | |||
=== Government === | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622190405/http://www.shabait.com/index.php |date=22 June 2018 }} (official government website). | |||
* | |||
*. '']''. ]. | |||
*{{GovPubs|eritrea}} | |||
*{{Wikiatlas|Eritrea}} | |||
=== Others === | |||
* from ]. | |||
*, ] Report, 8 June 2015 | |||
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* (Eritrea and north Ethiopia (Tigray-Province)). | |||
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=== Magazines === | |||
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* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012135549/http://geschichteinchronologie.ch/afrika/kol/Eritrea-Munzinger-fight-against-colonialism-ENGL.html |date=12 October 2007 }} | |||
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Latest revision as of 05:04, 24 December 2024
Country in the Horn of Africa "Erythrea" redirects here. For other uses, see Erythrean (disambiguation), Eritrea (disambiguation), and Eritrean (disambiguation).
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|
State of Eritreaሃገረ ኤርትራ (Tigrinya) | |
---|---|
Flag Emblem | |
Anthem: ኤርትራ ኤርትራ ኤርትራ (Tigrinya) "Eritrea, Eritrea, Eritrea" | |
Show globeShow map of Africa | |
Capitaland largest city | Asmara 15°20′N 38°55′E / 15.333°N 38.917°E / 15.333; 38.917 |
Official languages | None |
Recognised national languages | |
Working languages | |
Ethnic groups (2021) | |
Religion | See Religion in Eritrea |
Demonym(s) | |
Government | Unitary one-party presidential republic under a totalitarian dictatorship |
• President | Isaias Afwerki |
Legislature | National Assembly |
Independence from Ethiopia | |
• Eritrean War of Independence | 1 September 1961 |
• De facto | 24 May 1991 |
• De jure | 24 May 1993 |
Area | |
• Total | 120,000 km (46,000 sq mi) (97th) |
• Water (%) | negligible |
Population | |
• 2020 estimate | 3.6–6.7 million |
GDP (PPP) | 2019 estimate |
• Total | $6.42 billion |
• Per capita | $1,835 |
GDP (nominal) | 2019 estimate |
• Total | $1.98 billion |
• Per capita | $566 |
HDI (2022) | 0.493 low (175th) |
Currency | Nakfa (ERN) |
Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (not observed) |
Drives on | Right |
Calling code | +291 |
ISO 3166 code | ER |
Internet TLD | .er |
|
Eritrea (/ˌɛrɪˈtriːə/ ERR-ih-TREE-ə or /-ˈtreɪ-/ -TRAY-;, pronounced [ʔer(ɨ)trä] ), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the south, Sudan in the west, and Djibouti in the southeast. The northeastern and eastern parts of Eritrea have an extensive coastline along the Red Sea. The nation has a total area of approximately 117,600 km (45,406 sq mi), and includes the Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands.
Human remains found in Eritrea have been dated to 1 million years old and anthropological research indicates that the area may contain significant records related to the evolution of humans. The Kingdom of Aksum, covering much of modern-day Eritrea and northern Ethiopia, was established during the first or second century AD. It adopted Christianity around the middle of the fourth century. Beginning in the 12th century, the Ethiopian Zagwe and Solomonid dynasties held sway to a fluctuating extent over the entire plateau and the Red Sea coast. Eritrea's central highlands, known as Mereb Melash ("Beyond the Mereb"), were the northern frontier region of the Ethiopian kingdoms and were ruled by a governor titled the Bahr Negus ("King of the Sea"). In the 16th century, the Ottomans conquered the Eritrean coastline, then in May 1865 much of the coastal lowlands came under the rule of the Khedivate of Egypt, until it was transferred to Italy in February 1885. Beginning in 1885–1890, Italian troops systematically spread out from Massawa toward the highlands, eventually resulting in the formation of the colony of Italian Eritrea in 1889, establishing the present-day boundaries of the country. Italian rule continued until 1942 when Eritrea was placed under British Military Administration during World War II; following a UN General Assembly decision in 1952, Eritrea would govern itself with a local Eritrean parliament, but for foreign affairs and defense, it would enter into a federal status with Ethiopia for ten years. However, in 1962, the government of Ethiopia annulled the Eritrean parliament and formally annexed Eritrea. The Eritrean secessionist movement organised the Eritrean Liberation Front in 1961 and fought the Eritrean War of Independence until Eritrea gained de facto independence in 1991. Eritrea gained de jure independence in 1993 after an independence referendum.
Contemporary Eritrea is a multi-ethnic country with nine recognised ethnic groups, each of which has a distinct language. The most widely spoken languages are Tigrinya and Arabic. The others are Tigre, Saho, Kuinama, Nara, Afar, Beja, Bilen and English. Tigrinya, Arabic and English serve as the three working languages. Most residents speak languages from the Afroasiatic family, either of the Ethiopian Semitic languages or Cushitic branches. Among these communities, the Tigrinyas make up about 50% of the population, with the Tigre people constituting around 30% of inhabitants. In addition, there are several Nilo-Saharan-speaking Nilotic ethnic groups. Most people in the country adhere to Christianity or Islam, with a small minority adhering to traditional faiths.
Eritrea is one of the least developed countries. It is a unitary one-party presidential republic in which national legislative and presidential elections have never been held. Isaias Afwerki has served as president since its official independence in 1993. According to Human Rights Watch, the Eritrean government's human rights record is among the worst in the world. The Eritrean government has dismissed these allegations as politically motivated. Freedom of the press in Eritrea is extremely limited; the Press Freedom Index consistently ranks it as one of the least free countries. As of 2022 Reporters Without Borders considers the country to be among those with the least press freedom. Eritrea is a member of the African Union, the United Nations, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and is an observer state in the Arab League alongside Brazil and Venezuela.
Etymology
The name Eritrea is derived from the ancient (originally Greek) name for the Red Sea, the Erythraean Sea (Ἐρυθρὰ Θάλασσα Erythra Thalassa, based on the adjective ἐρυθρός erythros "red"). It was first formally adopted in 1890, with the formation of Italian Eritrea (Colonia Eritrea). The name persisted throughout subsequent British and Ethiopian occupation, and was reaffirmed by the 1993 independence referendum and 1997 constitution.
History
Main article: History of EritreaPrehistory
Madam Buya is the name of a fossil found at an archaeological site in Eritrea by Italian anthropologists. She has been identified as among the oldest hominid fossils found to date that reveal significant stages in the evolution of humans and to represent a possible link between the earlier Homo erectus and an archaic Homo sapiens. Her remains have been dated to 1 million years old. She is the oldest skeletal find of her kind and provides a link between earlier hominids and the earliest anatomically modern humans. It is believed that the section of the Danakil Depression in Eritrea was a major site in terms of human evolution and may contain other traces of evolution from Homo erectus hominids to anatomically modern humans.
During the last interglacial period, the Red Sea coast of Eritrea was occupied by early anatomically modern humans. It is believed that the area was on the route out of Africa that some scholars suggest was used by early humans to colonize the rest of the Old World. In 1999, the Eritrean Research Project Team composed of Eritrean, Canadian, American, Dutch, and French scientists discovered a Paleolithic site with stone and obsidian tools dated to more than 125,000 years old near the Gulf of Zula south of Massawa, along the Red Sea littoral. The tools are believed to have been used by early humans to harvest marine resources such as clams and oysters.
Antiquity
Main articles: Gash Group, Land of Punt, and DʿmtResearch shows tools found in the Barka Valley dating from 8,000 BC appear to offer the first concrete evidence of human settlement in the area. Research also shows that many of the ethnic groups of Eritrea were the first to inhabit these areas.
Excavations in and near Agordat in central Eritrea yielded the remains of an ancient pre-Aksumite civilization known as the Gash Group. Ceramics were discovered that were dated back to between 2,500 and 1,500 BC.
Around 2,000 BC, parts of Eritrea were most likely part of the Land of Punt, first mentioned in the twenty-fifth century BC. It was known for producing and exporting gold, aromatic resins, blackwood, ebony, ivory, and wild animals. The region is known from ancient Egyptian records of trade expeditions to it, especially a well-documented expedition to Punt in approximately 1,469 BC during the reestablishment of disrupted trade routes by Hatshepsut shortly after the beginning of her rule as the king of ancient Egypt.
Excavations at Sembel found evidence of an ancient pre-Aksumite civilization in greater Asmara. This Ona urban culture is believed to have been among the oldest pastoral and agricultural communities in East Africa. Artifacts at the site have been dated to between 800 BC and 400 BC, contemporaneous with other pre-Aksumite settlements in the Eritrean and Ethiopian highlands during the mid-first millennium BC.
D'mt
Main article: DʿmtDʿmt was a kingdom that existed from the tenth to fifth centuries BC in what is now Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. Given the presence of a massive temple complex at Yeha, this area was most likely the kingdom's capital. Qohaito, often identified as the town of Koloe in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, as well as Matara were important ancient Dʿmt kingdom cities in southern Eritrea.
The realm developed irrigation schemes, used plows, grew millet, and made iron tools and weapons. After the fall of Dʿmt in the fifth century BC, the plateau came to be dominated by smaller successor kingdoms. This lasted until the rise of one of these polities during the first century, the Kingdom of Aksum, which was able to reunite the area.
Kingdom of Aksum
Main article: Kingdom of AksumThe Kingdom of Aksum (or Axum) was a trading empire centered in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. It existed from approximately 100–940 AD, growing from the proto-Aksumite Iron Age period around the fourth century BC to achieve prominence by the first century AD.
According to the medieval Liber Axumae (Book of Aksum), Aksum's first capital, Mazaber, was built by Itiyopis, son of Cush. The capital was later moved to Axum in northern Ethiopia. The kingdom used the name "Ethiopia" as early as the fourth century.
The Aksumites erected a number of large stelae, which served a religious purpose in pre-Christian times. One of these granite columns, the Obelisk of Aksum, is the largest such structure in the world, standing at 90 feet (27 metres). Under Ezana (fl. 320–360), Aksum later adopted Christianity.
Christianity was the first world religion to be adopted in modern Eritrea and the oldest monastery in the country, Debre Sina, was built in the fourth century. It is one of the oldest monasteries in Africa and the world. Debre Libanos, the second oldest monastery, was said to have been founded in the late fifth or early sixth century. Originally located in the village of Ham, it was moved to an inaccessible location on the edge of a cliff below the Ham plateau. Its church contains the Golden Gospel, a metal-covered bible dating to the thirteenth century during which Debre Libanos was an important seat of religious power.
In the seventh century AD, early Muslims from Mecca, at least companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, sought refuge from Qurayshi persecution by travelling to the kingdom, a journey known in Islamic history as the First Hijrah. They reportedly built the first African mosque, that is the Mosque of the Companions in Massawa.
The kingdom is mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as an important market place for ivory, which was exported throughout the ancient world. At the time, Aksum was ruled by Zoskales, who also governed the port of Adulis. The Aksumite rulers facilitated trade by minting their own Aksumite currency.
Early Modern Period
Main articles: Mereb Melash and Habesh EyaletPre-colonial Eritrea had four distinct regions divided by geography that had limited contact with each other. The Abyssinian Tigrinya-speaking Christians controlled the highlands, the nomadic Tigre and Beni Amer clans the western lowlands, the Arabic Muslims of Massawa and Dahlak, and the pastoralist Afars the Dankalia region.
After the decline of Aksum, the Eritrean highlands fell under the domain of the Christian Zagwe dynasty, and later under the sphere of influence of the Ethiopian Empire. The area was first known as Ma'ikele Bahri ("between the seas/rivers", i.e. the land between the Red Sea and the Mereb river), and later renamed the Medri Bahri ("Sea land" in Tigrinya). The region, ruled by a local governor called the Bahr Negash, was first documented in an obscure land grant of the 11th-century Zagwe king Tatadim. He considered the unnamed Bahr Negash one of his seyyuman or "appointed ones". Ethiopian Emperor Zara Yaqob strengthened imperial presence in the area by increasing the power of the Bahr Negash and placing him above other local chiefs, establishing a military colony of settlers from Shewa, and forcing the Muslims on the coast to pay tribute.
The first Westerner to document a visit to Eritrea was Portuguese explorer Francisco Álvares in 1520. He recounted his journey through the principality ruled by the Bahr Negus, highlighting three key cities, with Debarwa as the capital. He then detailed the border demarcation at the Mereb River with the province of Tigray and recounted the difficulties in transporting certain goods across the border. His books have the first description of the local powers of Tigray and the Bahr Negus (lord of the lands by the sea)
The contemporary coast of Eritrea guaranteed the connection to the region of Tigray, where the Portuguese had a small colony, and to the interior Ethiopian allies of the Portuguese. Massawa was also the stage for the 1541 landing of troops by Cristóvão da Gama in the military campaign that eventually defeated the Adal Sultanate in the battle of Wayna Daga in 1543.
By 1557, the Ottomans had succeeded in occupying all of northeastern present-day Eritrea for the following two decades, an area that stretched from Massawa to Swakin in Sudan. The territory became an Ottoman governorate, known as the Habesh Eyalet, with a capital at Massawa. When the city became of secondary economic importance, the administrative capital moved across the Red Sea to Jeddah. The Turks tried to occupy the highlands of Eritrea in 1559 but withdrew after they encountered Resistance, pushed back by the Bahri Negash and highland forces. In 1578 they tried to expand into the highlands with the help of Bahri Negash Yisehaq, who had switched alliances due to a power struggle. Ethiopian Emperor Sarsa Dengel made a punitive expedition against the Turks in 1588 in response to their raids in the northern provinces, and apparently by 1589 they were once again compelled to withdraw to the coast. The Ottomans were eventually driven out in the last quarter of the sixteenth century. However, they retained control over the seaboard until the establishment of Italian Eritrea in the late 1800s.
In 1734, the Afar leader Kedafu established the Mudaito Dynasty in Ethiopia, which later also came to include the southern Denkel lowlands of Eritrea, thus incorporating the southern Denkel lowlands into the Sultanate of Aussa. The northern coastline of Denkel was dominated by a number of smaller Afar sultanates, such as the Sultanate of Rahayta, the Sultanate of Beylul and the Sultanate of Bidu.
Italian Eritrea
Main article: Italian EritreaThe boundaries of present-day Eritrea were established during the Scramble for Africa. On 15 November 1869, the ruling local chief sold lands surrounding the Bay of Assab to the Italian missionary Giuseppe Sapeto on behalf of the Rubattino Shipping Company. The area served as a coaling station along the shipping lanes introduced by the recently completed Suez Canal. In 1882, the Italian government formally took possession of the Assab colony from its commercial owners and expanded their control to include Massawa and most of the Eritrean coastal lowlands after the Egyptians withdrew from Eritrea in February 1885.
In the vacuum that followed the 1889 death of Emperor Yohannes IV, Gen. Oreste Baratieri occupied the highlands along the Eritrean coast and Italy proclaimed the establishment of Italian Eritrea, a colony of the Kingdom of Italy. In the Treaty of Wuchale (It. Uccialli) signed the same year, Menelik OI of Shewa, a southern Ethiopian kingdom, recognized the Italian occupation of his rivals' lands of Bogos, Hamasien, Akkele Guzay, and Serae in exchange for guarantees of financial assistance and continuing access to European arms and ammunition. His subsequent victory over rival kings and enthronement as Emperor Menelek II (r. 1889–1913) made the treaty formally binding upon the entire territory.
In 1888, the Italian administration launched its first development projects in the new colony. The Eritrean Railway was completed to Saati in 1888, and reached Asmara in the highlands in 1911. The Asmara–Massawa Cableway was the longest line in the world during its time but was later dismantled by the British in World War II. Besides major infrastructural projects, the colonial authorities invested significantly in the agricultural sector. They also oversaw the provision of urban amenities in Asmara and Massawa, and employed many Eritreans in public service, particularly in the police and public works departments. Thousands of Eritreans were concurrently enlisted in the army, serving during the Italo-Turkish War in Libya as well as the First and Second Italo-Abyssinian Wars.
Additionally, the Italian Eritrea administration opened many new factories that produced buttons, cooking oil, pasta, construction materials, packing meat, tobacco, hide, and other household commodities. In 1939, there were approximately 2,198 factories and most of the employees were Eritrean citizens. The establishment of industries also increased the number of Italians and Eritreans residing in the cities. The number of Italians in the territory increased from 4,600 to 75,000 in five years; and with the involvement of Eritreans in the industry, trade and fruit plantations were expanded across the nation, and some of the plantations were owned by Eritreans.
In 1922, Benito Mussolini's rise to power in Italy brought profound changes to the colonial government in Italian Eritrea. After il Duce declared the birth of the Italian Empire in May 1936, Italian Eritrea (enlarged with northern Ethiopia's regions) and Italian Somaliland were merged with the just-conquered Ethiopia into the new Italian East Africa (Africa Orientale Italiana). This Fascist period was characterized by imperial expansion in the name of a "new Roman Empire". Eritrea was chosen by the Italian government to be the industrial center of Italian East Africa.
After 1935, art deco architecture was widely employed in Asmara. The Italians designed more than 400 buildings in a construction boom that only halted with Italy's involvement in World War II. These included the Fiat Tagliero Building and Cinema Impero. In 2017, the city was declared a World Heritage Site, described by UNESCO as featuring eclectic and rationalist built forms, well-defined open spaces, and public and private buildings, including cinemas, shops, banks, religious structures, public and private offices, industrial facilities, and residences.)
British administration
Through the 1941 Battle of Keren, the British expelled the Italians and took over the administration of the country. Economically, the decade of British administration saw a significant restructuring of the Eritrean economy. Until 1945, the British and Americans relied on Italian equipment and skilled labor for wartime needs and to support the Allies in the Middle East. This economic boom, fueled by substantial Italian involvement, lasted until the end of the war. However, shortly after the conflict concluded, the Eritrean economy faced a combination of recession and depression that severely impacted the local urban population. War factories that had employed thousands were shut down, and Italians began to be repatriated. Additionally, many small manufacturing plants established between 1936 and 1945 were forced to close due to intense competition from factories in Europe and the Middle East.
The British placed Eritrea under British military administration until Allied forces could determine its fate. In the absence of agreement amongst the Allies concerning the status of Eritrea, the British administration continued for the remainder of World War II and until 1950. During the immediate postwar years, the British proposed that Eritrea be divided along religious community lines and annexed partly to the British colony of Sudan and partly to Ethiopia. After the peace treaty with Italy was signed in 1947, the United Nations sent a Commission of Enquiry to decide the fate of the colony.
Annexation by Ethiopia
Main article: Federation of Ethiopia and EritreaIn the 1950s, the Ethiopian feudal administration under Emperor Haile Selassie sought to annex Eritrea and Italian Somaliland. He laid claim to both territories in a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Paris Peace Conference and the First Session of the United Nations. In the United Nations, the debate over the fate of the former Italian colonies continued. The British and Americans preferred to cede all of Eritrea except the Western province to the Ethiopians as a reward for their support during World War II. The Independence Bloc of Eritrean parties consistently requested from the United Nations General Assembly that a referendum be held immediately to settle the Eritrean question of sovereignty.
The United Nations Commission of Enquiry arrived in Eritrea in early 1950 and after about six weeks returned to New York to submit its report. Two reports were presented. The minority report presented by Pakistan and Guatemala proposed that Eritrea be independent after a period of trusteeship. The majority report compiled by Burma, Norway, and the Union of South Africa called for Eritrea to be incorporated into Ethiopia.
Following the adoption of U.N. Resolution 390A(V) in December 1950, Eritrea was federated with Ethiopia under the prompting of the United States. The resolution called for Eritrea and Ethiopia to be linked through a loose federal structure under the sovereignty of the emperor. Eritrea was to have its own administrative and judicial structure, its own new flag, and control over its domestic affairs, including police, local administration, and taxation. The federal government, which for all practical purposes was the existing imperial government, was to control foreign affairs (including commerce), defense, finance, and transportation. The resolution ignored the wishes of Eritreans for independence but guaranteed the population democratic rights and a measure of autonomy.
Independence
Main articles: Eritrean War of Independence and Eritrea under Isaias AfwerkiIn 1958, a group of Eritreans founded the Eritrean Liberation Movement (ELM). The organization mainly consisted of Eritrean students, professionals, and intellectuals. It engaged in clandestine political activities intended to cultivate resistance to the centralizing policies of the imperial Ethiopian state. On 1 September 1961, the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF), under the leadership of Hamid Idris Awate, waged an armed struggle for independence. In 1962, Emperor Haile Selassie unilaterally dissolved the Eritrean parliament and annexed the territory. The ensuing Eritrean War of Independence went on for 30 years against successive Ethiopian governments until 1991, when the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), a successor of the ELF, defeated the Ethiopian forces in Eritrea and helped a coalition of Ethiopian rebel forces take control of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
In the 1980s a non-government organization called the Eritrea Inter-Agency Consortium (EIAC) aided in the development projects for the Eritrean Liberation movement.
Following a referendum in Eritrea supervised by the United Nations (dubbed UNOVER) in which the Eritrean people overwhelmingly voted for independence, Eritrea declared its independence and gained international recognition in 1993. The EPLF seized power, established a one-party state along nationalist lines and banned further political activity. As of 2020, there have been no elections. On 28 May 1993, Eritrea was admitted into the United Nations as the 182nd member state.
Geography
Main article: Geography of EritreaEritrea is located in East Africa. It is bordered to the northeast and east by the Red Sea, Sudan to the west, Ethiopia to the south, and Djibouti to the southeast. Eritrea lies between latitudes 12° and 18°N, and longitudes 36° and 44°E.
The country is virtually bisected by a branch of the East African Rift. Eritrea, at the southern end of the Red Sea, is the home of the fork in the rift. The Dahlak Archipelago and its fishing grounds are situated off the sandy arid coastline.
Eritrea may be split into three ecoregions. A hot arid coastal plain extends along the coast. The coastal plain is narrow in the west and widens towards the east. These coastal lowlands are part of the Djibouti xeric shrublands ecoregion. The cooler, more fertile highlands reach up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft) and are a northern extension of the Ethiopian Highlands, I home to montane grasslands and woodlands. Habitats here vary from the sub-tropical rainforest at Filfil Solomona to the precipitous cliffs and canyons of the southern highlands. Filfil receives over 1,100 mm of rainfall annually. There is a steep escarpment along the eastern side of the highlands, which is the western wall of the East African Rift. The western slope of the highlands is more gradual, descending to interior lowlands. Southwestern Eritrea is drained by the Atbara River, which flows northwestwards to join the Nile. The northwestern slope of the highlands is drained by the Barka River, which flows northwards into Sudan to empty into the Red Sea. Western Eritrea is part of the Sahelian Acacia savanna, which extends across Africa south of the Sahara from Eritrea to Senegal.
The Afar Triangle or Danakil Depression of Eritrea is the probable location of a triple junction where three tectonic plates are pulling away from one another. The highest point of the country, Emba Soira, is located in the center of Eritrea, at 3,018 m (9,902 ft) above sea level. Eritrea has volcanic activity in the southeastern parts of the country. In 2011 Nabro Volcano had an eruption.
The main cities of the country are the capital city of Asmara and the port town of Asseb in the southeast, as well as the towns of Massawa to the east, the northern town of Keren, and the central town Mendefera.
Local variability in rainfall patterns and reduced precipitation are known to occur, which may precipitate soil erosion, floods, droughts, land degradation, and desertification.
Eritrea is part of a 14-nation constituency within the Global Environment Facility, which partners with international institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector to address global environmental issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives.
In 2006, Eritrea announced that it would become the first country in the world to turn its entire coast into an environmentally protected zone. The 1,347 km (837 mi) coastline, along with another 1,946 km (1,209 mi) of coast around its more than 350 islands, will come under governmental protection.
Climate
Based on temperature variations, Eritrea can be broadly divided into three major climate zones: the temperate zone, subtropical climate zone, and tropical climate zone.
The climate of Eritrea is shaped by its diverse topographical features and its location within the tropics. The diversity of its landscape and topography in the highlands and lowlands of Eritrea results in a diversity of climate. The highlands have a temperate climate throughout the year. The climate of most lowland zones is arid and semiarid. The distribution of rainfall and vegetation types varies markedly throughout the country. Eritrean climate varies based on seasonal and altitudinal differences.
Due to its physical diversity, Eritrea is one of the few countries where one can experience "four seasons in a day". In the highlands (up to 3000m above sea level) the hottest month is usually May, with temperatures reaching 30 C, whereas winter occurs during December to February when temperatures can be as low as 10 C at night. The capital, Asmara, has a pleasant temperature all year round.
In the lowlands and the coastal areas, summer occurs from June to September, when temperatures can reach 40 C. Winter in the lowlands occurs from February to April, when temperatures are between 21 and 35 C.
A 2022 analysis found that the expected costs for Eritrea to adapt to and avert the environmental consequences of climate change are going to be high.
Biodiversity
Main article: Wildlife of Eritrea See also: List of mammals in Eritrea and List of birds of EritreaEritrea has several species of mammals and a rich avifauna of 560 species of birds.
Eritrea is home to a large number of mammals; 126 species of mammals, 90 species of reptiles, and 19 species of amphibians have been recorded. Enforced regulations have helped in steadily increasing their numbers throughout Eritrea. Mammals commonly seen today include the Abyssinian hare, African wild cat, Black-backed jackal, African golden wolf, Genet, Ground squirrel, pale fox, Soemmerring's gazelle, and warthog. Dorcas gazelle are common on the coastal plains and in Gash-Barka.
Lions are said to inhabit the mountains of the Gash-Barka Region. Dik-diks may be found in many areas. The endangered African wild ass may be seen in Denakalia Region. Other local wildlife include bushbuck, duikers, greater kudu, Klipspringer, African leopards, oryx, and crocodiles. The spotted hyena is widespread and fairly common.
Historically, a small population of African bush elephants roamed some parts of the country. Between 1955 and 2001 there were no reported sightings of elephant herds, however, and they were thought to have fallen victim to the war of independence. In December 2001, a herd of approximately 30, including 10 juveniles, was observed in the vicinity of the Gash River. The elephants seemed to have formed a symbiotic relationship with olive baboons. The baboons use the water holes dug by the elephants and the elephants seem to be taking advantage of vocalizations made by baboons from the tree tops as an early warning system. It is estimated that there are approximately 100 African bush elephant left in Eritrea, the most northerly of the East African elephants.
The endangered African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) was previously found in Eritrea but is now deemed extirpated from the entire country. In Gash-Barka, snakes such as saw-scaled viper are common. Puff adder and red spitting cobra are widespread and may be found even in the highlands. In the coastal areas, common marine species include dolphin, dugong, whale shark, turtles, marlin, swordfish, and manta ray. 500 fish species, 5 marine turtles, 8 or more cetaceans, and the dugong have been recorded in the country.
Eritrea also harbours many species only found in Eritrea, these include various bugs, frogs, mammals, snakes, and plants.
Over 700 plants have been recorded in Eritrea, including marine plants and seagrass. In Eritrea 26% of is arable land. Eritrea has diverse habitats, including Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, Shrublands, Deserts, Xeric Shrublands, Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests and Mangrove forests.
All of Eritrea's national parks are protected, which include Dahlak Marine National Park, Nakfa Wildlife Reserve, Gash-Setit Wildlife Refuge, Semenawi Bahri National Park, and Yob Wildlife Reserve.
Government and politics
Main article: Politics of EritreaThe People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) is the only legal party in Eritrea. Other political groups are not allowed to organize, although the unimplemented Constitution of 1997 provides for the existence of multi-party politics. The National Assembly has 150 seats. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; as of 2022, none have ever been held in the country. President Isaias Afwerki has been in office since independence in 1993.
In 1993, 75 representatives were elected to the National Assembly; the rest were appointed. As the report by the United Nations Human Rights Council explained: "No national elections have taken place since that time, and no presidential elections have ever taken place. Local or regional elections have not been held since 2003–2004. The National Assembly elected independent Eritrea's first president, Isaias Afwerki, in 1993. Following his election, Afwerki consolidated his control of the Eritrean government." President Isaias Afwerki has regularly expressed his disdain for what he refers to as "Western-style" democracy. In a 2008 interview with Al Jazeera, for example, the president stated that "Eritrea will wait three or four decades, maybe more, before it holds elections. Who knows?" According to 2023 V-Dem Democracy indices Eritrea is 2nd lowest ranked worldwide and the lowest ranked electoral democracy in Africa.
National, regional, and local elections
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Given that the full implementation of the Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship between Eritrea and Ethiopia is still incomplete, the Eritrean authorities still do not consider that the peace agreement is formally implemented. However, local elections were held for a time in Eritrea. The most recent round of local government elections were in 2010 and 2011.
Administrative divisions
Main articles: Regions of Eritrea and Districts of EritreaEritrea is divided into six administrative regions. These areas are further divided into 58 districts.
Region | Area (km) | Capital |
---|---|---|
Central | 1,300 | Asmara |
Anseba | 23,200 | Keren |
Gash-Barka | 33,200 | Barentu |
Southern | 8,000 | Mendefera |
Northern Red Sea | 27,800 | Massawa |
Southern Red Sea | 27,600 | Assab |
The regions of Eritrea are the primary geographical divisions through which the country is administered. Six in total, they include the Maekel/Central, Anseba, Gash-Barka, Debub/Southern, Northern Red Sea, and Southern Red Sea regions. At the time of independence in 1993, Eritrea was arranged into ten provinces. These provinces were similar to the nine provinces operating during the colonial period. In 1996, these were consolidated into six regions (zobas). The boundaries of these new regions are based on water catchment basins.
Foreign relations
Main article: Foreign relations of EritreaEritrea is a member of the United Nations and the African Union. It is an observing member of the Arab League, alongside Brazil and Venezuela. The nation holds a seat on the United Nations Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ). Eritrea also holds memberships in the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Finance Corporation, International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), Non-Aligned Movement, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Permanent Court of Arbitration, Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa, and the World Customs Organization.
The Eritrean government previously withdrew its representative to the African Union to protest the AU's alleged lack of leadership in facilitating the implementation of a binding border decision demarcating the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Since January 2011, the Eritrean government has appointed an envoy, Tesfa-Alem Tekle, to the AU.
Its relations with Djibouti and Yemen are tense due to territorial disputes over the Doumeira Islands and Hanish Islands, respectively.
On 28 May 2019, the United States removed Eritrea from the "Counterterror Non-Cooperation List" which also includes Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela. Moreover, Eritrea was visited two months earlier by a U.S. congressional delegation for the first time in 14 years.
Along with Belarus, Syria, and North Korea, Eritrea was one of only four countries not including Russia to vote against a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Relations with Ethiopia
See also: Eritrea–Ethiopia relations and Eritrean–Ethiopian War Further information: Eritrean War of Independence and Eritrean independence referendum, 1993The undemarcated border with Ethiopia is the primary external issue currently facing Eritrea. Eritrea's relations with Ethiopia turned from that of cautious mutual tolerance, following the 30-year war for Eritrean independence, to a deadly rivalry that led to the outbreak of hostilities from May 1998 to June 2000 that claimed approximately 70,000 lives from both sides. The border conflict cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The Eritrean–Ethiopian War from 1998 to 2000 involved a major border conflict, notably around Badme and Zalambessa, eventually resolved in 2018.
Disagreements following the war have resulted in stalemates punctuated by periods of elevated tension and renewed threats of war. The stalemate led the president of Eritrea to urge the UN to take action on Ethiopia with the Eleven Letters penned by the president to the United Nations Security Council. The situation has been further escalated by the continued efforts of the Eritrean and Ethiopian leaders in supporting the opposition in one another's countries. In 2011, Ethiopia accused Eritrea of planting bombs at an African Union summit in Addis Ababa, which was later supported by a UN report. Eritrea denied the claims.
A peace treaty between both nations was signed on 9 July 2018. The next day, they signed a joint declaration that formally ended the Eritrean–Ethiopian border conflict.
In 2020, Eritrean troops intervened in Tigray War on the side of the Ethiopian government. In April 2021, Eritrea confirmed its troops were fighting in Ethiopia.
Military
Main article: Eritrean Defence ForcesThe Eritrean Defence Forces are the official armed forces of the State of Eritrea. Eritrea's military is one of the largest in Africa.
Compulsory military service was instituted in 1995. Officially, conscripts, male and female, must serve for 18 months minimum, which includes six months of military training and 12 months during the regular school year to complete their last year of high school. Thus around 5% of Eritreans do military service at Sawa facilities, but also by doing projects such as road building as part of their service.
The National Service Proclamation of 1995 does not recognize the right to conscientious objection to military service. According to the 1957 Ethiopian penal code adopted by Eritrea during independence, failure to enlist in the military or refusal to perform military service are punishable with imprisonment terms of six months to five years and up to ten years, respectively. National service enlistment times may be extended during times of "national crisis"; since 1998, everyone under the age of 50 is enlisted in national service for an indefinite period until released, which may depend on the arbitrary decision of a commander. In a study of 200 escaped conscripts, the average service was 6.5 years, and some had served more than 12 years.
Legal profession
According to the NYU School of Law, the Legal Committee of the Ministry of Justice oversees the admission and requirements to practice law in Eritrea. Although the establishment of an independent bar association is not proscribed under Proclamation 88/96, among other domestic laws, there is no bar association. The community electorate in the local jurisdiction of the Community Court chooses the court judges. The Community Court's standing on women in the legal profession is unclear but elected women judges have reserved seats.
Human rights
Main article: Human rights in EritreaEritrea is a one-party state in which national legislative elections have been repeatedly postponed. According to Human Rights Watch, the government's human rights record is considered among the worst in the world. Most countries have accused the Eritrean authorities of arbitrary arrest and detentions, and of detaining an unknown number of people without charge for their political activism. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are illegal in Eritrea.
A prominent group of fifteen Eritreans, called the G-15, including three cabinet members, were arrested in September 2001 after publishing an open letter to the government and President Isaias Afewerki calling for democratic dialogue. This group and thousands of others who were alleged to be affiliated with them are imprisoned without legal charges, hearing, trial, or judgment.
Since Eritrea conflicted with Ethiopia in 1998–2001, the nation's human rights record has been criticized by the United Nations. Human rights violations are allegedly often committed by the government or on behalf of the government. Freedom of speech, press, assembly, and association are limited. Those who practice "unregistered" religions, try to flee the nation, or escape military duty are arrested and put into prison. By 2009, the number of political prisoners was in the range of 10,000–30,000, there was widespread and systematic torture and extrajudicial killings, with "anyone" for "any or no reason", including children eight years old, people more than 80 years old, and ill people, being liable to be arrested, and Eritrea was "one of the world's most totalitarian and human rights-abusing regimes". During the Eritrean independence struggle and 1998 Eritrean-Ethiopian War, many atrocities were committed by the Ethiopian authorities against unarmed Eritrean civilians.
In June 2016, a 500-page United Nations Human Rights Council report accused the Eritrean government of extrajudicial executions, torture, indefinitely prolonged national service (6.5 years on average), and forced labour, and it indicated that among state officials, sexual harassment, rape, and sexual servitude practices are widespread. Barbara Lochbihler of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights said the report detailed 'very serious human rights violations', and asserted that EU funding for development would not continue as at present without change in Eritrea. The Eritrean Foreign Ministry responded by describing the commission's report as being "wild allegations" that were "totally unfounded and devoid of all merit". Representatives of the United States and China disputed the report's language and accuracy.
All Eritreans aged between 18 and 40 years must complete a mandatory national service, which includes military service. This requirement was implemented after Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia, as a means to protect Eritrea's sovereignty, to instill national pride, and to create a disciplined populace. Eritrea's national service requires long, indefinite conscription (6.5 years on average), which some Eritreans leave the country to avoid.
In an attempt at reform, Eritrean government officials and NGO representatives in 2006 participated in many public meetings and dialogues. In these sessions, they answered questions as fundamental as, "What are human rights?", "Who determines what are human rights?", and "What should take precedence, human or communal rights?".
In 2007, the Eritrean government banned female genital mutilation. In Regional Assemblies and religious circles, Eritreans themselves speak out continuously against the use of female circumcision. They cite health concerns and individual freedom as being of primary concern when they say this. Furthermore, they implore rural peoples to cast away this ancient cultural practice.
In 2009, a movement called Citizens for Democratic Rights in Eritrea was formed to create dialogue between the government and political opposition. The group consists of ordinary citizens and some people close to the government. Since the movement's creation, no significant effort has been made by the Eritrean government to improve its record on human rights.
In July 2019, UN ambassadors of 37 countries, including Eritrea, signed a joint letter to the UNHRC defending China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang region. Eritrea continued this support in 2020.
Eritrea claims Western media stories of the country are decontextualized, sometimes fabricated, and almost always deployed to build a regime change narrative. It claims it's being targeted for not conforming to the West's agenda towards African countries, for instance by refusing to accept humanitarian foreign aid. Eritrea aspires to be self-reliant and has since 2005 rejected foreign aid because it sees aid as a hindrance to true economic development. In 2006 alone, Eritrea walked away from US$200 million in foreign aid. The same year it also refused a US$100 million loan from the World Bank.
Besides accusing the West of deliberate demonization through smear-campaigns, it also sees itself targeted by sanctions and western supported war against Eritrea through the Ethiopian group TPLF. It also accuses the west of luring Eritreans abroad by purposely granting many Eritreans political asylum.
Media freedom
Main article: Freedom of press in Eritrea See also: Mass media in EritreaIn its 2023 Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked the media environment in Eritrea at 174. According to the BBC, "Eritrea is the only African country to have no privately owned news media", and Reporters Without Borders said of the public media, " do nothing but relay the regime's belligerent and ultra-nationalist discourse... Not a single now lives in Asmara." The state-owned news agency censors news about external events. Independent media have been banned since 2001. The Eritrean authorities had reportedly imprisoned the fourth highest number of journalists after Turkey, China, and Egypt.
The 2024 Edelstam Prize was awarded to journalist Dawit Isaak who Eritrean authorities have imprisoned since 2001 without legal process.
Economy
Main article: Economy of EritreaIn 2020, the IMF estimated Eritrea's GDP at $2.1 billion, or $6.4 billion on a PPP basis. Between 2016 and 2019 Eritrea had a GDP growth between 7,6 %-10,2 %, down from the peak at 30,9% in 2014. In 2023 the GDP growth is expected to be 2,8%, a decrease due to factors such as the Ukraine and Russia war impacting the global economy and the effects of COVID-19 on value chains. However, the country's economy is expecting a steady growth in coming years.
Mining and agriculture in 2021 account for 20% of the GDP. As of 2020, remittances from abroad were estimated to account for 12% of gross domestic product.
Mining
Mining accounts for about 20% of GDP in 2021. In 2013, the pickup in growth had been attributed to the commencement of full operations in the gold and silver Bisha Mine by Canadian Nevsun Resources (now Chinese Zijin Mining), the production of cement from the cement factory in Massawa, and investment in Eritrea's copper, zinc, and Colluli potash mining operations by Australian and Chinese mining companies.
Agriculture
This section is an excerpt from Agriculture in Eritrea. Agriculture is one of the main economic activities in Eritrea. Agriculture made up 20% of the country its GDP in 2021. Eritrea has 565,000 hectares (1,396,000 acres) of arable land and permanent crops. 70% of the Eritrean workforce is employed in agriculture, accounting for roughly one-third of the economy. Eritrea's main agricultural products include sorghum, millet, barley, wheat, legumes, vegetables, fruits, sesame, linseed, cattle, sheep, goats, and camels.Since independence, Eritrea has constructed 187 dams, each with a capacity of over 50,000 m3 and the biggest ones with a capacity of 350 million m3 in size. These have been built to combat drought, for agriculture, fishing, and energy purposes. In addition, 600 micro-dams have been built.
Energy
Annual consumption of petroleum in 2001 was estimated at 370,000 tons. Eritrea has no domestic petroleum production; the Eritrean Petroleum Corporation conducts purchases through international competitive tender. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, opportunities exist for both on- and offshore oil and natural gas exploration; however, these prospects have yet to come to fruition. The use of wind energy, solar power, hydropower has slightly increased, due to the growth of solar power manufacturing companies in the country. The Eritrean government has expressed interest in developing alternative energy sources, including geothermal, solar, and wind power.
Tourism
Tourists on a steam railway excursion from AsmaraSteam train above the clouds, between Asmara and Massawa, on the Eritrean RailwayTourism made up 2% of Eritrea's economy up to 1997. After 1998, revenue from the industry fell to one-quarter of 1997 levels. In 2006, it made up less than 1% of the country's GDP.
Eritrea is a member of World Tourism Organization which calculated that the country's international tourism receipts in 2002 were US$73 million. Sources from 2015 state that most tourists are members of the Eritrean diaspora. Overall visitors have steadily increased in recent years and annual visitors were 142,000 as of 2016.
Tourism in Eritrea has seen increased attention in later years. For instance, in 2019, the country was added to National Geographic's Cool List. Highlighted areas included the capital, Asmara, known for its art deco architecture; the Dahlak Islands; and the country's wilderness areas. Lonely Planet also lists the capital Asmara, the Dahlak Islands, the city of Massawa and archeological sites as top attractions.
The nation's flag carrier, Eritrean Airlines, had no scheduled service as of July 2023. International visitors rely on alternatives such as Ethiopian Airlines and Turkish Airlines, to get to the country.
The government has started a twenty-year tourism development plan entitled "the 2020 Eritrea Tourism Development Plan" to develop the country's tourist industry, aiming to enhance the rich cultural and natural resources of the country. The country is a participant in many tourism trade fairs to promote the tourism of the country.
Transportation
Main article: Transport in EritreaTransport in Eritrea includes highways, airports, railways, and seaports, in addition to various forms of public and private vehicular, maritime, and aerial transportation.
The Eritrean highway system is named according to the road classification. The three levels of classification are: primary (P), secondary (S), and tertiary (T). The lowest level road is tertiary and serves local interests. Typically, the tertiary ones are improved earth roads that occasionally are paved. During the wet seasons, these roads typically become impassable.
The next higher-level road is a secondary road and typically is a single-layered asphalt road that connects district capitals and those to the regional capitals. Roads that are considered primary roads are those that are fully constructed of asphalt (throughout their entire length) and in general, they carry traffic between all the major cities and towns in Eritrea.
As of 1999, there is a total of 317 kilometres of 950 mm (3 ft 1+3⁄8 in) (narrow gauge) rail line in Eritrea. The Eritrean Railway was built between 1887 and 1932. Badly damaged during World War II and in later fighting, it was closed section by section, with the final closure coming in 1978. After independence, a rebuilding effort commenced, and the first rebuilt section was reopened in 2003. As of 2009, the section from Massawa to Asmara was fully rebuilt and available for service.
Rehabilitation of the remainder and the rolling stock has occurred in recent years. Current service is very limited due to the extreme age of most of the railway equipment and its limited availability. Further rebuilding is planned. The railway linking Agordat and Asmara with the port of Massawa had been inoperative since 1978 except for an approximately 5-kilometre stretch that was reopened in Massawa in 1994. A railway formerly ran from Massawa to Bishia via Asmara and is under reconstruction.
Even during the war, Eritrea developed its transportation infrastructure by asphalting new roads, improving its ports, and repairing war-damaged roads and bridges as a part of the Wefri Warsay Yika'alo program. The most significant of these projects was the construction of a coastal highway of more than 500 km connecting Massawa with Asseb, as well as the rehabilitation of the Eritrean Railway. The rail line has been restored between the port of Massawa and the capital Asmara, although services are sporadic. Steam locomotives are sometimes used for groups of enthusiasts.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of EritreaSources disagree as to the current population of Eritrea, with some proposing numbers as low as 3.6 million and others as high as 6.7 million. Eritrea has never conducted an official government census. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2020 was 41.1%, 54.3% were between 15 and 65 years of age, while 4.5% were 65 or older.
In 2015, there was a major outflow of emigrants from Eritrea. The Guardian attributed the emigration to Eritrea being "a totalitarian state where most citizens fear arrest at any moment and dare not speak to their neighbours, gather in groups or linger long outside their homes", with a major factor being the conditions and long durations of conscription in the Eritrean Army. At the end of 2018, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that about 507,300 Eritreans were refugees who had fled Eritrea.
Urbanization
Largest cities or towns in Eritrea Geonames | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Name | Region | Pop. | ||||||
Asmara Keren |
1 | Asmara | Maekel | 963,000 | Dekemhare Massawa | ||||
2 | Keren | Anseba | 120,000 | ||||||
3 | Dekemhare | Debub | 120,000 | ||||||
4 | Massawa | Semienawi Keyih Bahri | 54,090 | ||||||
5 | Mendefera | Debub | 53,000 | ||||||
6 | Assab | Debubawi Keyih Bahri | 28,000 | ||||||
7 | Barentu | Gash-Barka | 15,891 | ||||||
8 | Adi Keyh | Debub | 13,061 | ||||||
9 | Edd | Southern Red Sea | 11,259 | ||||||
10 | Ak'ordat | Gash-Barka | 8,857 |
Ethnic composition
There are nine recognized ethnic groups according to the government of Eritrea. An independent census has yet to be conducted, but the Tigrinya people make up approximately 55% and Tigre people make up approximately 30% of the population. A majority of the remaining ethnic groups belong to Afroasiatic-speaking communities of the Cushitic branch, such as the Saho, Hedareb, Afar, and Bilen. There are also several Nilotic ethnic groups, who are represented in Eritrea by the Kunama and Nara. Each ethnicity speaks a different native tongue but, typically, many of the minorities speak more than one language.
The Arabic Rashaida people represent approximately 2% of Eritrea's population. They reside in the northern coastal lowlands of Eritrea as well as the eastern coasts of Sudan. The Rashaida first came to Eritrea in the nineteenth century from the Hejaz region.
In addition, there exist Italian Eritrean (concentrated in Asmara) and Ethiopian Tigrayan communities. Neither is generally given citizenship unless through marriage or, more rarely, by having it conferred upon them by the state. In 1941, Eritrea had approximately 760,000 inhabitants, including 70,000 Italians. Most Italians left after Eritrea became independent from Italy. It is estimated that as many as 100,000 Eritreans are of Italian descent.
Languages
Main article: Languages of EritreaEritrea is a multilingual country. The nation has no official language, as the Constitution establishes the "equality of all Eritrean languages". Eritrea has nine national languages which are Tigrinya, Tigre, Afar, Beja, Bilen, Kunama, Nara, and Saho. Tigrinya, Arabic, and English serve as de facto working languages, with English used in university education and many technical fields. While Italian, the former colonial language, holds no government-recognised status in Eritrea, it is spoken by a few monolinguals and Asmara had the Scuola Italiana di Asmara, an Italian government-operated school that was shut down in 2020. Also, native Eritreans assimilated the language of the Italian Eritreans and spoke a version of Italian mixed with many Tigrinya words: Eritrean Italian.
Most of the languages spoken in Eritrea belong to the Ethiopian Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic family. Other Afroasiatic languages belonging to the Cushitic branch are also widely spoken in the country. The latter include Afar, Beja, Blin, and Saho. In addition, Nilo-Saharan languages (Kunama and Nara) are spoken as a native language by the Nilotic Kunama and Nara ethnic groups that live in the western and northwestern part of the country.
Smaller groups speak other Afroasiatic languages, such as the newly recognized Dahlik and Arabic (the Hejazi and Hadhrami dialects spoken by the Rashaida and Hadhrami, respectively).
Religion
Main article: Religion in EritreaReligion | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Percent | ||||
Pew Research Center 2020 | ||||
Christianity | 63% | |||
Islam | 36% | |||
Others | 1% | |||
U.S. Department of State 2019 |
||||
Christianity | 49% | |||
Islam | 49% | |||
Others | 2% |
The two main religions followed in Eritrea are Christianity and Islam. However, the number of adherents of each faith is subject to debate. According to the Pew Research Center, as of 2020, 62.9% of the population of Eritrea adhered to Christianity, 36.6% followed Islam, and 0.4% practiced traditional African religions. The remainder observed Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, other faiths (<0.1% each), or were religiously unaffiliated (0.1%). The U.S. Department of State estimated that as of 2019, 49% of the population of Eritrea adhered to Christianity, 49% followed Islam, and 2% observed other religions, including traditional faiths and animism. The World Religion Database reports that in 2020, 47% of the population were Christian and 51% were Muslim. Christianity is the oldest world religion practiced in the country, and the first Christian monastery Debre Sina was built during the fourth century.
Since May 2002, the government of Eritrea has officially recognized the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church (Oriental Orthodox), Sunni Islam, the Eritrean Catholic Church (a Metropolitanate sui juris), and the Evangelical Lutheran church. All other faiths and denominations are required to undergo a registration process. Among other things, the government registration system requires religious groups to submit personal information on their membership to be allowed to worship.
The Eritrean government is against what it deems as "reformed" or "radical" versions of its established religions. Therefore, alleged radical forms of Islam and Christianity, Jehovah's Witnesses, and numerous other Protestant Evangelical denominations are not registered and cannot worship freely. Three named Jehovah's Witnesses are known to have been imprisoned since 1994 along with 51 others. The government treats Jehovah's Witnesses especially harshly, denying them ration cards and work permits. Jehovah's Witnesses were stripped of their citizenship and basic civil rights by presidential decree in October 1994.
In its 2017 religious freedom report, the U.S. State Department named Eritrea a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
Health
Main article: Health in EritreaEritrea has achieved significant improvements in health care and is one of the few countries to be on target to meet its Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for health, in particular child health. Life expectancy at birth increased from 39.1 years in 1960 to 66.44 years in 2020; maternal and child mortality rates dropped dramatically and the health infrastructure expanded.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2008 found average life expectancy to be slightly less than 63 years, a number that has increased to 66.44 in 2020. Immunisation and child nutrition have been tackled by working closely with schools in a multi-sectoral approach; the number of children vaccinated against measles almost doubled in seven years, from 40.7% to 78.5% and the prevalence of underweight children decreased by 12% from 1995 to 2002 (severe underweight prevalence by 28%). The National Malaria Protection Unit of the Ministry of Health registered reductions in malarial mortality by as much as 85% and in the number of cases by 92% between 1998 and 2006. The Eritrean government has banned female genital mutilation (FGM), saying the practice was painful and put women at risk of life-threatening health problems.
However, Eritrea still faces many challenges. Although the number of physicians increased from only 0.2 in 1993 to 0.5 in 2004 per 1000 people, this is still very low. Malaria and tuberculosis are common. HIV prevalence for ages 15 to 49 years exceeds 2%. The fertility rate is about 4.1 births per woman. Maternal mortality dropped by more than half from 1995 to 2002 but is still high. Similarly, the number of births attended by skilled health personnel doubled from 1995 to 2002 but still is only 28.3%. A major cause of death in newborns is severe infection. Per-capita expenditure on health is low.
Education
Main article: Education in EritreaThere are five levels of education in Eritrea: pre-primary, primary, middle, secondary, and post-secondary. There are nearly 1,270,000 students in the primary, middle, and secondary levels of education. There are approximately 824 schools, two universities, (the University of Asmara and the Eritrea Institute of Technology), and several smaller colleges and technical schools.
The Eritrea Institute of Technology "EIT" is a technological institute located near the town of Himbrti, Mai Nefhi outside Asmara. The institute has three colleges: Science, Engineering and Technology, and Education. The institute began with approximately 5,500 students during the 2003–2004 academic year. The EIT was opened after the University of Asmara was reorganized. According to the Ministry of Education, the institution was established, as one of many efforts to achieve equal distribution of higher learning in areas outside the capital city, Asmara. Accordingly, several similar colleges have also been established in other parts of the country. The Eritrea Institute of Technology is the main local institute of higher studies in science, engineering, and education. The University of Asmara is the oldest in the country and was opened in 1958. It is currently not in operation.
As of 2018, the overall adult literacy rate in Eritrea is 76.6% (84.4% for men and 68.9% for women). For youth 15–24, the overall literacy rate is 93.3% (93.8% for men and 92.7% for women).
Education in Eritrea is officially compulsory for children aged 6 to 13 years. Statistics vary at the elementary level, suggesting that 70% to 90% of school-aged children attend primary school; approximately 61% attend secondary school. Student-teacher ratios are high: 45:1 at the elementary level and 54:1 at the secondary level. Class sizes average 63 and 97 students per classroom at the elementary and secondary school levels, respectively.
Barriers to education in Eritrea include traditional taboos, school fees (for registration and materials), and the opportunity costs of low-income households.
Culture
Main article: Culture of EritreaThe culture of Eritrea is the collective cultural heritage of the various populations native to Eritrea and its rich cultural heritage inherited through its long history. Modern-day Eritrea is also defined by the struggle for independence. The nation has a rich oral and literary tradition which ranges across all nine ethnic groups, it includes a wealth of poetry and proverbs, songs and chants, folk tales, histories and legends. It also has a rich history in theatre and painting, often colourful and depicting a reflection of the Eritrean people's history.
One of the most recognizable parts of Eritrean culture is the coffee ceremony. Coffee (Ge'ez ቡን būn) is offered when visiting friends, during festivities, or as a daily staple of life. During the coffee ceremony, some traditions are upheld. The coffee is served in three rounds: the first brew or round is called awel in Tigrinya (meaning "first"), the second round is called kalaay (meaning "second"), and the third round is called bereka (meaning "to be blessed").
Traditional Eritrean attire is quite varied among the ethnic groups of Eritrea. In the larger cities, most people dress in Western casual dress such as jeans and shirts. In offices, both men and women often dress in suits. A common traditional clothing for Christian Tigrinya highlanders consists of bright white gowns called zurias for the women, and a white shirt accompanied by white pants for the men. In Muslim communities in the Eritrean lowlands, the women traditionally dress in brightly colored clothes. Besides convergent culinary tastes, Eritreans share an appreciation for similar music and lyrics, jewelry and fragrances, and tapestry and fabrics, as many other populations in the region.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
On 8 July 2017, the entire capital city of Asmara was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the inscription taking place during the 41st World Heritage Committee Session.
The city has thousands of Art Deco, futurist, modernist, and rationalist buildings, constructed during the period of Italian Eritrea. Asmara, a small town in the nineteenth century, started to grow quickly during 1889. The city also became a place "to experiment with radical new designs", mainly futuristic and art deco inspired. Even though city planners, architects, and engineers were largely European, members of the indigenous population were largely used as construction workers, Asmarinos still identify with their city's legacy.
Eritrean national museum in AsmaraThe Fiat Tagliero Building, Futurist-style service station designed by Giuseppe Pettazzi during the Italian colonial eraThe city shows off most early twentieth-century architectural styles. Some buildings are neo-Romanesque, such as the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary. Art Deco influences are found throughout the city. Essences of Cubism may be found on the Africa Pension Building and on a small collection of buildings. The Fiat Tagliero Building shows almost the height of futurism, just as it was becoming fashionable in Italy. In recent times, some buildings have been functionally built, which sometimes can spoil the atmosphere of some cities, but they fit into Asmara as it is such a modern city.
Many buildings such as opera houses, hotels, and cinemas were built during this period. Some notable buildings include the Art Deco Cinema Impero (opened in 1937 and considered by the experts one of the world's finest examples of Art Déco style building), Cubist Africa Pension, eclectic Eritrean Orthodox Enda Mariam Cathedral and Asmara Opera, the futurist Fiat Tagliero Building, the neoclassical Asmara city hall.
A statement from UNESCO read:
It is an exceptional example of early modernist urbanism at the beginning of the 20th century and its application in an African context.
— UNESCO
Music
Main article: Music of EritreaEritrea's ethnic groups each have their distinct styles of music and accompanying dances. Amongst the Tigrinya, the best-known traditional musical genre is the guaila. Traditional instruments of Eritrean folk music include the strung krar, kebero, begena, masenqo, and the wata (a distant/rudimentary cousin of the violin). A popular Eritrean artist is the Tigrinya singer Helen Meles, who is noted for her powerful voice and wide singing range. Other prominent local musicians include the Kunama singer Dehab Faytinga, Ruth Abraha, Bereket Mengisteab, the late Yemane Ghebremichael and the late Abraham Afewerki.
Dancing plays an important role in Eritrean society. The nine ethnic groups have many exuberant dances. The dancing styles differ amongst the ethnic groups; for instance the Bilen and Tigre ethnicities shake their shoulders, while standing rotating in a circle towards the end of the dance, which differs from the Tigrinya who first dance rotating anti-clockwise but later change it to fast-paced dancing and at the same breaking the circular rotation. Kunama ethnic group have dances that include rituals, these are - "tuka (rites of passage); indoda (prayers for rain); sangga-nena (peaceful mediation); and shatta (showcases of endurance and courage)". They are often fast-paced in their character and are accompanied by drum beats.
Media
Main article: Mass media in EritreaThere are no current independent mass media in Eritrea. All media outlets in Eritrea are from the Ministry of Information, a government source.
Cuisine
Main article: Eritrean cuisineA typical traditional Eritrean dish consists of injera accompanied by a spicy stew, which frequently includes beef, chicken, lamb, or fish. Overall, Eritrean cuisine strongly resembles that of neighboring Ethiopia, though Eritrean cooking tends to feature more seafood than Ethiopian cuisine on account of their coastal location. Eritrean dishes are also frequently "lighter" in texture than Ethiopian meals. They likewise tend to employ less seasoned butter and spices and more tomatoes, as in the tsebhi dorho delicacy.
Additionally, owing to its colonial history, cuisine in Eritrea features more Italian influences than are present in Ethiopian cooking, including more pasta and greater use of curry powders and cumin. Italian Eritrean cuisine started to be practiced during the colonial times of the Kingdom of Italy, when a large number of Italians moved to Eritrea. They brought the use of pasta to Italian Eritrea, and it is one of the main foods eaten in present-day Asmara. An Italian Eritrean cuisine emerged, and common dishes are "pasta al sugo e berbere" (pasta with tomato sauce and berbere spice), lasagna, and "cotoletta alla Milanese" (veal Milanese).
In addition to coffee, local alcoholic beverages are enjoyed. These include sowa, a bitter drink made from fermented barley, and mies, a fermented honey wine.
Sport
Main article: Sport in EritreaFootball and cycling are the most popular sports in Eritrea.
Cycling has a long tradition in Eritrea and was first introduced during the colonial period. The Tour of Eritrea, a multi-stage cycling event, was first held in 1946 and most recently held in 2017.
The national cycling teams of both men and women are ranked first on the African continent, with the men's team ranked 16th in the world as of February 2023. The Eritrean national cycling team has experienced much success, winning the African Continental cycling championship several years in a row. In 2013, the women's team won the gold medal in the African Continental Cycling Championships for the first time, and for the second time in 2015 and third time in 2019. The men's team has won gold eight times in the last 12 years in the African Continental cycling championships, between 2010 and 2022.
Eritrea has more than 500 elite cyclist riders (men and women) within the country. More than 20 Eritrean riders from Eritrea have signed professional contracts to international cycling teams Daniel Teklehaimanot and Merhawi Kudus became the first cyclists from Africa to compete in the Tour de France in the 2015 edition of the race. In 2022, Biniam Girmay was the first African rider to win both the Gent-Wevelgem and a stage in one of the Grand Tours during Giro d'Italia. Multiple African female champion Mosana Debesay became the first African female cyclist to compete in an Olympics, representing Eritrea in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics All these accomplishments from Eritrean cyclists, have helped push Eritrea into the top of global rankings in cycling.
Eritrean athletes have also seen increasing success in the international arena in other sports. Zersenay Tadese, an Eritrean athlete, formerly held the world record in the half marathon. Ghirmay Ghebreslassie became the first Eritrean to win a gold medal at a World Championships in Athletics for his country when he took the marathon at the 2015 World Championships. Eritrea made its Winter Olympic debut 25 February 2018, when they competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea 2018. Eritrea's team was represented by their flagbearer Shannon-Ogbnai Abeda who competed as alpine skier.
Neither the Eritrean national men or women's national football team currently have a world ranking despite being a member association of global governing body FIFA.
See also
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Further reading
- Beretekeab, R. (2000); Eritrea: The Making of a Nation 1890–1991. Thesis. Uppsala University, Uppsala. ISBN 978-91-506-1387-2. OCLC 632423867.
- Cliffe, Lionel; Connell, Dan; Davidson, Basil (2005), Taking on the Superpowers: Collected Articles on the Eritrean Revolution (1976–1982). Red Sea Press, ISBN 1-56902-188-0
- Cliffe, Lionel & Davidson, Basil (1988), The Long Struggle of Eritrea for Independence and Constructive Peace. Spokesman Press, ISBN 0-85124-463-7
- Connell, Dan (1997), Against All Odds: A Chronicle of the Eritrean Revolution With a New Afterword on the Postwar Transition. Red Sea Press, ISBN 1-56902-046-9
- Connell, Dan (2001), Rethinking Revolution: New Strategies for Democracy & Social Justice: The Experiences of Eritrea, South Africa, Palestine & Nicaragua. Red Sea Press, ISBN 1-56902-145-7
- Connell, Dan (2004), Conversations with Eritrean Political Prisoners. Red Sea Press, ISBN 1-56902-235-6
- Connell, Dan (2005), Building a New Nation: Collected Articles on the Eritrean Revolution (1983–2002). Red Sea Press, ISBN 1-56902-198-8
- Firebrace, James & Holand, Stuart (1985), Never Kneel Down: Drought, Development and Liberation in Eritrea. Red Sea Press, ISBN 0-932415-00-8
- Drudi, Emilio (2021). Una storia eritrea. Beyan, Adam, Amr. Calamaro Edizioni. ISBN 978-88-944639-2-7
- Gebre-Medhin, Jordan (1989), Peasants and Nationalism in Eritrea. Red Sea Press, ISBN 0-932415-38-5
- Hatem Elliesie: Decentralisation of Higher Education in Eritrea, Afrika Spectrum, Vol. 43 (2008) No. 1, p. 115–120.
- Hedberg, I. (1996), van der Maesen, L. J. G.; van der Burgt, X. M.; van Medenbach de Rooy, J. M. (eds.), "Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea", The Biodiversity of African Plants: Proceedings XIVth AETFAT Congress 22–27 August 1994, Wageningen, The Netherlands, Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 802–804, doi:10.1007/978-94-009-0285-5_104, ISBN 978-94-009-0285-5, retrieved 21 March 2024
- Hill, Justin (2002), Ciao Asmara, A classic account of contemporary Africa. Little, Brown, ISBN 978-0-349-11526-9
- Iyob, Ruth (1997), The Eritrean Struggle for Independence: Domination, Resistance, Nationalism, 1941–1993. Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-59591-6
- Jacquin-Berdal, Dominique; Plaut, Martin (2004), Unfinished Business: Ethiopia and Eritrea at War. Red Sea Press, ISBN 1-56902-217-8
- Johns, Michael (1992), "Does Democracy Have a Chance", Congressional Record, 6 May 1992 Archived 23 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- Keneally, Thomas (1990), To Asmara ISBN 0-446-39171-9
- Kendie, Daniel (2005), The Five Dimensions of the Eritrean Conflict 1941–2004: Deciphering the Geo-Political Puzzle. Signature Book Printing, ISBN 1-932433-47-3
- Killion, Tom (1998), Historical Dictionary of Eritrea. Scarecrow Press, ISBN 0-8108-3437-5
- Mauri, Arnaldo (2004), "Eritrea's Early Stages in Monetary and Banking Development", International Review of Economics, Vol. LI, n. 4.
- Mauri, Arnaldo (1998), "The First Monetary and Banking Experiences in Eritrea", African Review of Money, Finance and Banking, n. 1–2.
- Miran, Jonathan (2009), Red Sea Citizens: Cosmopolitan Society and Cultural Change in Massawa. Indiana University Press, ISBN 978-0-253-22079-0
- Müller, Tanja R.: Bare life and the developmental State: the Militarization of Higher Education in Eritrea, Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 46 (2008), No. 1, p. 1–21.
- Negash T. (1987); Italian Colonisation in Eritrea: Policies, Praxis and Impact, Uppsala Univwersity, Uppsala.
- Ogbaselassie, G (10 January 2006). "Response to remarks by Mr. David Triesman, Britain's parliamentary under-secretary of state with responsibility for Africa". Archived from the original on 16 November 2006. Retrieved 7 June 2006.
- Pateman, Roy (1998), Eritrea: Even the Stones Are Burning. Red Sea Press, ISBN 1-56902-057-4
- Phillipson, David W. (1998), Ancient Ethiopia.
- Reid, Richard. (2011). Frontiers of Violence in North-East Africa: Genealogies of Conflict Since c. 1800. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-921188-3
- Wrong, Michela (2005), I Didn't Do It For You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-078092-4
External links
Scholia has a topic profile for Eritrea.Government
- Ministry of Information of Eritrea Archived 22 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine (official government website).
- EriTV News, Music, Movie and Comedy from Eritrea Television
- Eritrea. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
- Eritrea web resources provided by GovPubs at the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries
- Wikimedia Atlas of Eritrea
Others
- Eritrea profile from BBC News.
- Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea, United Nations Human Rights Council Report, 8 June 2015
- HRCE – Human Rights Concern – Eritrea
- Documentary on Women's liberation in Eritrea
- Tigrinya online learning with numbers, alphabet and history (Eritrea and north Ethiopia (Tigray-Province)).
- Ferrovia Eritrea Eritrean Railway (in Italian)
- Atlas of Eritrea
- About Eritrea (in Italian)
- Key Development Forecasts for Eritrea from International Futures.
Magazines
- Special section about Eritrea from Espresso online magazine (in Italian)
- History of Eritrea: First recordings – Munzinger – exploitation by colonialism and fight against colonialism (Italy, England, Ethiopia, Soviet Union, USA, Israel) – independence Archived 12 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
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15°N 39°E / 15°N 39°E / 15; 39
Categories:- Eritrea
- 1993 establishments in Eritrea
- 1993 establishments in Africa
- Countries in Africa
- East African countries
- Former Italian colonies
- Horn African countries
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- Member states of the United Nations
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