Airports [time series]

total: 5 usable: 5 with permanent-surface runways: 2 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 2

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

3,845 km total; 807 km paved, 840 km gravel, 402 km improved earth, 1,796 km unimproved earth

Merchant marine [time series]

14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 71,837 GRT/90,492 DWT; includes 9 cargo, 1 roll-on/roll off, 1 livestock carrier, 2 oil tanker, 1 refrigerated cargo

Ports [time series]

Assab (formerly Aseb), Massawa (formerly Mits'iwa)

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

307 km total; 307 km 1.000-meter gauge; 307 km 0.950-meter gauge (nonoperational) linking Ak'ordat and Asmera with the port of Mits'iwe (1993 est.)

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

NA

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF)

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49 NA; fit for military service NA; reach military age (18) annually NA

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

NA

Budget [time series]

revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

NA

Economic aid [time series]

NA

Electricity [time series]

NA kW capacity; NA kWh produced, NA kWh per capita

Exchange rates [time series]

NA

Exports [time series]

$NA commodities: NA partners: NA

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$NA

Fiscal year [time series]

NA

Imports [time series]

$NA commodities: NA partners: NA

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate NA%

Industries [time series]

food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

NA%

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (National product) [time series]

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $400 million (1992 est.)

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$115 (1992 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

NA%

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

With independence from Ethiopia on 27 April 1993, Eritrea faces the bitter economic problems of a small, desperately poor African country. Most of the population will continue to depend on subsistence farming. Domestic output is substantially augmented by worker remittances from abroad. Government revenues come from custom duties and income and sales taxes. Eritrea has inherited the entire coastline of Ethiopia and has long-term prospects for revenues from the devlopment of offshore oil, offshore fishing and tourist development. For the time being, Ethiopia will be largely dependent on Eritrean ports for its foreign trade.

Unemployment rate [time series]

NA%

Area [time series]

total area: 121,320 km2 land area: 121,320 km2 comparative area: slightly larger than Pennsylvania

Climate [time series]

hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually); semiarid in western hills and lowlands; rainfall heaviest during June-September except on coast desert

Coastline [time series]

1,151 km (land and island coastline is 2,234 km)

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

frequent droughts, famine; deforestation; soil eroision; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

none

Irrigated land [time series]

NA km2

Land boundaries [time series]

total 1,630 km, Djibouti 113 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 3% permanent crops: 2% (coffee) meadows and pastures: 40% forest and woodland: 5% other: 50%

Location [time series]

Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea between Djibouti and Sudan

Map references [time series]

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims [time series]

territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, probably oil, fish

Note [time series]

strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields, Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 27 April 1993

Terrain [time series]

dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plan, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains

Administrative divisions [time series]

NA

Capital [time series]

Asmara (formerly Asmera)

Constitution [time series]

transitional "constitution" decreed 19 May 1993

Digraph [time series]

ER

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

chief of mission: NA chancery: NA telephone: NA

Executive branch (Elections) [time series]

multinational election before 20 May 1997

Executive branch [time series]

president, Eritrean National Council

Flag [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

27 April 1993 (from Ethiopia; formerly the Eritrea Autonomous Region)

Judicial branch [time series]

Judiciary

Executive branch (Leaders) [time series]

Chief of State and Head of Government: President ISSAIAS Aferworke

Legal system [time series]

NA

Legislative branch [time series]

National Assembly

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

OAU, UN, UNCTAD

Country name (Names) [time series]

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Eritrea local long form: none local short form: none former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia

National holiday [time series]

National Day (independence from Ethiopia), 24 May (1993)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

Oromo Liberation Front (OLF); Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP); numerous small, ethnic-based groups have formed since Mengistu's resignation, including several Islamic militant groups

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) (Christian Muslim), ISSAIAS Aferworke, PETROS Soloman; Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) (Muslim), ABDULLAH Muhammed; Eritrean Liberation Front - United Organization (ELF-UO), leader NA

Suffrage [time series]

NA

Government type (Type) [time series]

transitional government note: on 29 May 1991 ISSAIAS Afeworke, secretary general of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), announced the formation of the Provisional Government in Eritrea (PGE), in preparation for the 23-25 April 1993 referendum on independence for the autonomous region of Eritrea; the result was a landslide vote for independence that was announced on 27 April 1993

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

chief of mission: Joseph P. O'NEILL embassy: NA mailing address: NA telephone: 251-4-113-720 FAX: NA

Birth rate [time series]

NA births/1,000 population

Death rate [time series]

NA deaths/1,000 population

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

ethnic Tigrays 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

NA deaths/1,000 live births

Labor force [time series]

NA

Languages [time series]

Tigre and Kunama, Cushitic dialects, Tigre, Nora Bana, Arabic

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: NA years male: NA years female: NA years

Literacy [time series]

NA%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Eritrean(s) adjective: Eritrean

Net migration rate [time series]

NA migrant(s)/1,000 population

Population [time series]

3,467,087 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

3.46% (1993 est.)

Religions [time series]

Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant

Total fertility rate [time series]

NA children born/woman