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)
republic
Independence date
26 July 1965 (from UK)
Religions
Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Sunni Muslim
Languages
Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages
Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials
Exports
fish
External Debt
$890,800,000 US
Exchange Rate
rufiyaa (MVR) per US dollar - NA (2007), 12.8 (2006), 12.8 (2005), 12.8 (2004), 12.8 (2003)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
5.000%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan
Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India
Area
117,600 km sq
298 km sq
Coastline
2,234 km
644 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; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)
