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| Introduction | Eritrea |
| Background: | Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation. Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two-and-a-half-year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices on 12 December 2000. Eritrea currently hosts a UN peacekeeping operation that is monitoring a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone on the border with Ethiopia. An international commission, organized to resolve the border dispute, posted its findings in 2002 but final demarcation is on hold due to Ethiopian objections. |
| People | Eritrea |
| Population: | 4,447,307 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 44.8% (male 998,404; female 993,349) 15-64 years: 51.9% (male 1,140,892; female 1,166,481) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 72,776; female 75,405) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 17.5 years male: 17.3 years female: 17.7 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.57% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 39.03 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 13.36 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: UNHCR began repatriating about 150,000 Eritrean refugees from Sudan in 2001 following the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2000 (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 75.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 67.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 83.03 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 52.7 years male: 51.32 years female: 54.12 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 5.67 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 2.7% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 60,000 (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 6,300 (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Eritrean(s) adjective: Eritrean |
| Ethnic groups: | ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%, other 3% |
| Religions: | Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant |
| Languages: | Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages |
| Literacy: | definition: NA total population: 58.6% male: 69.9% female: 47.6% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Eritrea |
| Country name: | conventional long form: State of Eritrea conventional short form: Eritrea local long form: Hagere Ertra former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia local short form: Ertra |
| Government type: | transitional government note: following a successful referendum on independence for the Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997, did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential elections; parliamentary elections had been scheduled in December 2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) |
| Capital: | Asmara (formerly Asmera) |
| Administrative divisions: | 6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); Anseba, Debub, Debubawi K'eyih Bahri, Gash Barka, Ma'akel, Semenawi Keyih Bahri |
| Independence: | 24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 24 May (1993) |
| Constitution: | the transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented |
| Legal system: | primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, with revisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been promulgated; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Sharia law |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly head of government: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority; members appointed by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly; election last held 8 June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the National Assembly did not hold a presidential election in December 2001 as anticipated) election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95% |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term limits not established) elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member Constituent Assembly, that had been established in 1997 to discuss and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections to a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the National Assembly will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were postponed indefinitely |
| Judicial branch: | High Court - regional, subregional, and village courts; also have military and special courts |
| Political parties and leaders: | People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, the only party recognized by the government [ISAIAS Afworki]; note - a National Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January 2001, but the full National Assembly has not yet debated or voted on it |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ [leader NA] (also including Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement or EIJM (also known as the Abu Sihel Movement) [leader NA]); Eritrean Islamic Salvation or EIS (also known as the Arafa Movement) [leader NA]; Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean National Alliance or ENA (a coalition including EIJ, EIS, ELF, and a number of ELF factions) [HERUY Tedla Biru]; Eritrean Public Forum or EPF [ARADOM Iyob] |
| International organization participation: | ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador GIRMA Asmerom telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991 consulate(s) general: Oakland (California) FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304 chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Donald J. McCONNELL embassy: Franklin D. Roosevelt Street, Asmara mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara telephone: [291] (1) 120004 FAX: [291] (1) 127584 |
| Flag description: | red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle |
| Communications | Eritrea |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 38,100 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | NA |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: inadequate domestic: very inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002) international: country code - 291; note - international connections exist |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 2, FM NA, shortwave 2 (2000) |
| Radios: | 345,000 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 1 (2000) |
| Televisions: | 1,000 (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .er |
| Internet hosts: | 1,047 (2004) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 5 (2001) |
| Internet users: | 9,500 (2003) |
| Transportation | Eritrea |
| Railways: | total: 306 km narrow gauge: 306 km 0.950-m gauge note: railway is being rebuilt; 117 km open (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 4,010 km paved: 874 km unpaved: 3,136 km (1999 est.) |
| Ports and harbors: | Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 16,069 GRT/19,549 DWT registered in other countries: 1 (2003 est.) by type: bulk 1, cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 |
| Airports: | 18 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 13 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Eritrea |
| Military branches: | Army, Navy, Air Force |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | NA (2004) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $77.9 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 11.8% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Eritrea |
| Disputes - international: | Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002 Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but demarcation has been delayed, despite intense international intervention, by Ethiopian insistence that the decision ignored "human geography," made technical errors in the delimitation, and incorrectly awarded Badme, the focus of the 1998-2000 war, and other areas to Eritrea and Eritrea's insistence on not deviating from the commission's decision; UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) continues to monitor a 25km-wide Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea until the demarcation; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; Eritrea protests Yemeni fishing around the Hanish Islands awarded to Eritrea by the ICJ in 1999 |
| Refugees and internally displaced persons: | IDPs: 59,000 (border war with Ethiopia from 1998-2000; most IDPs are near the central border region) (2004) |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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