Eritrea Map

Eritrea is a country located in the horn of Africa. It shares its borders with Sudan to the west, Ethiopia to the south, Djibouti to the south-east and Red Sea to the east and north-east. The Dahlak Archipelago and many of Hanish islands form part of the country.

The total area of the country is 45,406 square miles. As per the 2011 estimate the appoximate population of Eritrea is 5,824,000.

Asmara is the capital city. Covering a total area of 4,694.3 square miles and home to an estimated 649,000 people, it is the largest city in Eritrea. Because of its quintessential Italian touch, the city is also regarded as "New Rome" or "Italy's African City".

Eritrea was part of the Ottoman Empire in the sixteenth century, and later passed into the hands of the Egyptians. In 1885, the coastal areas of Eritrea were captured by the Italians. Further, the signing of the Treaty of Uccialli on May 2, 1889 granted Italy sovereignty over Eritrea.

The country became federated with Ethiopia in 1952 and on November 14, 1962 was made an Ethiopian province. After a series of battles and chaos in the country, a referendum was held in 1993, that led to the independence of Eritrea from the Ethiopian rule.

Eritrea has a single party provisional government and Isaias Afewerki is the current President of the country. He assumed office on May 24, 1993.

The economy of Eritrea relies on subsistence agriculture. Primary industries include agriculture, forestry, and fishing. Malaysia, Italy, United States of America, Turkey, Russia and the United Kingdom are the major trading partners.