transitional government note: following a successful referendum on independence for the Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997, did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential elections; parliamentary elections were scheduled in December 2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)
Communist state
Independence date
19 July 1949 (from France)
Religions
Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Buddhist 67%, Christian 1.5%, other and unspecified 31.5% (2005 census)
Languages
Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages
Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
kips (LAK) per US dollar - 8,760.69 (2008 est.), 9,658 (2007), 10,235 (2006), 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.500%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan
Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Area
117,600 km sq
236,800 km sq
Coastline
2,234 km
0 km
Climate
hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands
tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
