Eritrea

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This article is about the African nation. For the Greek city, see Eretria.

{{Infobox_Country |native_name = ሃግሬ ኤርትራ
Hagere Ertra |conventional_long_name = State of Eritrea |common_name = Eritrea |image_flag = Flag of Eritrea.svg |image_coat = Eritrea_COA-color.jpg |image_map = LocationEritrea.png |national_motto = Never Kneel Down |national_anthem = Ertra, Ertra, Ertra |official_languages = (working, not official languages) Tigrinya, Arabic, and English (disputed — see [[: talk:Eritrea#{{{1|Disputed}}}|talk page]]) |capital = Asmara |latd= 15|latm=20 |latNS=N |longd=38 |longm=55 |longEW=E |largest_city = Asmara |government_type = Transitional government |leader_titles = President |leader_names = Isaias Afewerki |area_rank = 97th |area_magnitude = 1 E10 |area= 121,320 |areami²= 46,830 |percent_water = Negligible |population_estimate = 4,561,599 |population_estimate_rank = 115th |population_estimate_year = July 2005 |population_census = 4,298,269 |population_census_year = 2002 |population_density = 38 |population_densitymi² = 97.4 |population_density_rank = 135th |GDP_PPP = $4.471 billion |GDP_PPP_rank = 162nd |GDP_PPP_year= 2005 |GDP_PPP_per_capita = $909 |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 177th |sovereignty_type = Independence |established_events = From Ethiopia |established_dates =  - Limited: May 29, 1991
 - Fully: May 24, 1993 |HDI = 0.444 |HDI_rank = 161st |HDI_year = 2003 |HDI_category = low |currency = Nakfa |currency_code = ERN |country_code = |time_zone = |utc_offset = +3 |time_zone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |cctld = .er |calling_code = 291 |footnotes = }}

The State of Eritrea, or Eritrea (from the Italian form of the Greek name ΕΡΥΘΡΑΙΑ (Erythraîa; see also List of traditional Greek place names), which derives from the Greek name for the Red Sea (Ἐρυθρὰ Θάλασσα) is a country in northeast Africa. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast. The east and northeast of the country has an extensive coastline with the Red Sea. Having achieved independence on May 24, 1993 from Ethiopia, it is one of the youngest independent states. Working languages include Tigrinya and Arabic. English and Italian are widely recognized.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Pre-colonial era 1.2 Colonial era 1.3 Struggle for independence 1.4 Independent era 2 Politics and government 2.1 Foreign relations 2.2 National elections 3 Administrative Divisions 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Languages 8 Religion 9 Culture 10 Miscellaneous topics 11 Notes 12 Further reading 13 External links 13.1 Directories 13.2 Eritrean websites 13.3 Government 13.4 Human rights 13.5 Other websites 13.6 Overviews 13.7 Tourism

History

Main article: History of Eritrea

Eritrean history is one of the oldest of sub-Saharan Africa and even the world. Together with Ethiopia and the western Red Sea coast of Sudan, it is considered the most likely location of the land known to the ancient Egyptians as Punt (or "Ta Netjeru," meaning land of the Gods), whose first mention dates to the 25th century BC. The earliest known reference to the Sea of Eritrea ("red") from which the modern state takes its name is from Aeschylus (Fragment 67) in which he refers to the "Mare Erythreum" ("Red Sea") as "the lake that is the jewel of Ethiopia" (though Ethiopia in this case most probably meant Nubia)Template:Citation needed.

Pre-colonial era

Around the 8th century BC, a kingdom known as D'mt was established in northern Ethiopia and Eritrea, with its capital at Yeha in northern Ethiopia. Its successor, the Kingdom of Aksum, emerged around the birth of Jesus and grew to be, according to Mani, one of the four greatest civilizations in the world, along with China, Persia, and Rome.

Eritrea's first experience with partial domination by a foreign power occurred in 1557, when an Ottoman invasion under Suleiman I conquered Massawa, Arqiqo, and Debarwa the capital of Bahr negus ("King of the Sea" - governor of an area roughly contemporaneous with Eritrea) Yeshaq. Yeshaq rallied his peasants and recaptured Debarwa, taking all the gold the invaders had piled within. In 1560 Yeshaq, disillusioned with the new Emperor, revolted with Ottoman support but pledged his support again with the crowning of Emperor Sarsa Dengel. However, not long after, Yeshaq revolted once again with Ottoman support but was defeated once and for all in 1578, leaving the Ottomans with domain over Massawa (an important port and the primary one used by Ethiopia), Arqiqo and its environs.

The Ottoman state maintained control over much of the coastal areas for nearly 300 hundred years, leaving their possessions (a province called Habesh, related to Habesha) to their Egyptian heirs in 1865 before being given to the Italians in 1885. The interior, particularly the Christian (predominantly Coptic) Kebessa Highlands of Hamasien, Akele Guzai, and Seraye, were traditionally associated with Ethiopia. An Italian Roman Catholic priest by the name of Sapetto purchased the port of Assab from the Afar Sultan (a vassal of the Emperor of Ethiopia) on behalf of an Italian commercial conglomerate. Later, as the Egyptians retreated out of Sudan during the Mahdist rebellion, the British brokered an agreement whereby the Egyptians could retreat through Ethiopia, and in exchange they would allow the Emperor to occupy those lowland districts that he had disputed with the Turks and Egyptians.

Colonial era

Emperor Yohannis IV believed this included Massawa, but instead, the port was handed by the Egyptians and the British to the Italians, who united it with the already colonised port of Assab to form a coastal Italian possession. The Italians took advantage of disorder in northern Ethiopia following the death of Emperor Yohannis IV to occupy the highlands, and established their new colony, henceforth known as Eritrea, and achieved recognition by Ethiopia's new Emperor Menelik II.

The Italians remained the colonial power in Eritrea until they were defeated by Allied forces in World War II (1941), and Eritrea became a British protectorate. After the war, the United Nations, after a lengthy inquiry in which those who wanted union with Ethiopia and those who wanted independence lobbied the great powers and the U.N. extensively, eventually reached a compromise that the former Italian colony was to join Ethiopia as part of a federation. Eritrea would have its own parliament and administration, and would be represented in the Ethiopian parliament which would function as the Federal Parliament. The Emperor of Ethiopia, Emperor Haile Selassie, would be the monarch of Eritrea and would be represented there by a viceroy.

Struggle for independence

Both unionists and pro-independence people found the Federation to be undesirable. By a show of military force in the Eritrean Parliament the Federation was dissolved by Ethiopia. The Emperor agreed readily and annexed Eritrea in 1960 even over the serious reservations of his Prime Minister, Aklilu Habte-Wold, who was ardently in favor of retaining the Federation. Promptly, pro-independence Eritreans went into rebellion and launched a long war of independence; they were later joined by disaffected Federationists. The Struggle for Independence neared victory in the mid-1970's but was pushed into a 'strategic withdrawl' when a [[Marxism|Marxist] military junta came to power in Ethiopia with backing from the Soviet Union. Mengistu Haile Mariam, the leader of this junta did much to increase the numbers of the independence movement supporters due to his brutality.

The liberation struggle was dominated by two movements, the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF, often referred to as "Jebha"), and by the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF, often known as "Shaebia"). The ELF was dominated by Muslim lowlanders, and was a conservative grass roots movement, whereas the EPLF was not and professed Marxism-Leninism. The ELF received backing from the more conservative Arab governments, whereas the EPLF from the more leftist onesTemplate:Fact, and some Eastern bloc countries which abandoned it in favor of the Derg regime in Ethiopia upon the Ethiopian revolution. The ELF and EPLF made attempts to consolidate their operations, but soon found that they could not work together. The ELF was eventually overshadowed and eliminated by the EPLF.

Independent era

Image:Er-map.gif The long war ended in 1991, when joint Eritrean and rebellious Ethiopian forces defeated the Ethiopian army, and the Derg regime fell. Two years later, after a referendum, Eritrean independence was declared. The leader of the EPLF, Isaias Afewerki, became Eritrea's first Provisional President. The Eritrean Peoples Liberation front (EPLF or Shaebia), became the sole legal ruling party, and changed its name to the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ).

In 1998, a border war with Ethiopia resulted in the deaths of some 19,000 Eritrean soldiers and subjected Eritrea to significant economic and social stresses. The effects included massive population displacement, reduced economic development, and one of Africa's more severe landmine problems. During, and after the war the Ethiopian Government expelled Eritreans and those of Eritrean-heritage from Ethiopia. The Eritrean-Ethiopian War ended in 2000 with a negotiated agreement known as the Algiers Agreement. An independent, UN-associated boundary commission known as the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) was tasked with delimiting and demarcating the boundary. After extensive study, it issued a final border ruling in April 2002. This remains a current problem as the EEBC has been unable to discharge its duty due to Ethiopia reneging on its commitments.

In spite of initially promising economic and political strides, the Eritrean government cracked down on the free press and on opposition in 2001 when questions about the conduct of the war were raised. The government also failed to implement the new Constitution and to hold long-promised elections. Later, the government of Eritrea enforced the Italian colonial practice of requiring government approval of all practiced religions.

Politics and government

Main article: Politics of Eritrea

The National Assembly of 150 seats, formed in 1993 shortly after independence, elected the current president, Isaias Afewerki. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled. Independent local sources of political information on Eritrean domestic politics are scarce; in September 2001 the government closed down all of the nation's privately owned print media, and outspoken critics of the government have been arrested and held without trial, according to various international observers, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. In 2004 the U.S. State Department declared Eritrea a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its alleged record of religious persecution (see below).

Foreign relations

External issues include an undemarcated border with the Sudan, a war with Yemen over the Hanish Islands in 1996, and a recent border conflict with Ethiopia.

The undemarcated border with Sudan poses a problem for Eritrean external relations<ref>Eritrea-Sudan relations plummet BBC January 15, 2004</ref>. In 2005, due to strained tensions between Eritrea and Sudan over border issues and the support of various rebel groups by both parties, the Sudanese government expelled Eritrean opposition forces from KhartoumTemplate:Fact. After a high-level delegation to the Sudan from the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs ties are being normalized. While normalization of ties continues, Eritrea has been recognized as a broker for peace between the separate factions of the Sudanese civil war. "It is known that Eritrea played a role in bringing about the peace agreement [between the Southern Sudanese and Government],"<ref>Sudan Tribune: Turabi fears Sudan’s partition</ref> while the Sudanese Government and Eastern Front rebels have requested Eritrea to mediate peace talks<ref>Sudan Tribune: Sudan demands Eritrean mediation with eastern Sudan rebels</ref>.

A dispute with Yemen over the Hanish Islands in 1996 resulted in a brief war. As part of an agreement to cease hostilities the two nations agreed to refer the issue to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the the Hague. At the conclusion of the proceedings, both nations acquiesced to the decision. Since 1996 both governments have remained wary of one another but relations are relatively normal<ref>Yemen and Eritrea to share Red Sea islands BBC October 12, 1998</ref><ref>Flights back on between Yemen and Eritrea BBC October 13, 1998</ref>.

The undemarcated border with Ethiopia is the primary external issue facing Eritrea. This lead to a long and bloody border war between 1998 and 2000. As a result, the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) is occupying a 25 km by 900 km area on the border to help stabilize the region<ref>Q&A: Horn's bitter border war BBC December 7, 2005</ref>. Disagreements following the war have resulted in stalemate punctuated by periods of elevated tension and renewed threats of war<ref name="horntension1">Horn tensions trigger UN warning BBC February 4, 2004</ref><ref>Army build-up near Horn frontier BBC November 2, 2005</ref><ref name="horntension3">Horn border tense before deadline BBC December 23, 2005</ref>. Central to the continuation of the stalemate is Ethiopia's failure to abide by the border delimitation ruling and reneging on its commitment to demarcation. The stalemate has led the President of Eritrea to urge the UN to take action on Ethiopia. This request is outlined in the Eleven Letters penned by the President to the United Nations Security Council. The situation is further escalated by the continued effort of the Eritrean and Ethiopian leaders in supporting each other's opposition.

National elections

Eritrean National elections were set for 1997 and then postponed until 2001, it was then decided that because 20% of Eritrea's land was under occupation that elections would be postponed until the resolution of the conflict with Ethiopia. Local elections have continued in free Eritrea. The most recent round of local government elections were held in May 2003. On further elections, the President's Chief of Staff, Yemane Ghebremeskel said,

"The electoral commission is handling these elections this time round so that may be the new element in this process. The national assembly has also mandated the electoral commission to set the date for national elections, so whenever the electoral commission sets the date there will be national elections. It’s not dependent on regional elections, although that might be a very helpful process.

Multipartyism, in general principle yes, it is there but the law on political parties has to be approved by the national assembly. It was not approved the last time. The view from the beginning was that you don’t necessarily need a party law to hold national elections. You can have national elections and the party law can be adopted at any time. So in terms of commitment it’s very clear, in terms of the process it has its own pace, its own characteristics."shaebia.org

Administrative Divisions

Image:Eritrea regions numbered.png Main articles: Regions of Eritrea, Districts of Eritrea

Eritrea is divided into 6 regions (or zobas) and subdivided into approximately 55 districts or sub-zobas. The regions are based on the hydrological properties of area. This has the dual effect of providing each administration with ample control over its agricultural capacity and eliminating historical intra-regional conflicts.

The regions are included followed by the Sub-region:

Region (ዞባ) (location on map)	Sub-region (ንኡስ ዞባ)
Central (Maekel Zoba) (Al-Wasat) (1)	Berikh, Ghala Nefhi, North Eastern, Serejaka, South Eastern, South Western
Southern (Debub Zoba) (Al-Janobi) (2)	Are'eta, Central Dankalia, Southern Dankalia
Gash-Barka (3)	Agordat City, Barentu City, Dghe, Forto, Gogne, Haykota, Logo Anseba, Mensura, Mogolo, Molki, Omhajer (Guluj), Shambuko, Tesseney, Upper Gash
Anseba (4)	Adi Teklezan, Asmat, Elabered, Geleb, Hagaz, Halhal, Habero, Keren City, Kerkebet, Sela
Northern Red Sea (Semienawi-QeyH-Bahri Zoba) (Shamal Al-Bahar Al-Ahmar) (5)	Afabet, Dahlak, Ghelalo, Foro, Ghinda, Karura, Massawa, Nakfa, She'eb
Southern Red Sea (Debubawi-QeyH-Bahri Zoba) (Janob Al-Bahar Al-Ahmar) (6)	Adi Keyh, Adi Quala, Areza, Debarwa, Dekemhare, Kudo Be'ur, Mai-Mne, Mendefera, Segeneiti, Senafe, Tserona

Geography

Main article: Geography of Eritrea Image:Eritrea sunset.jpg Eritrea is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered on the northeast and east by the Red Sea. The country is virtually bisected by the world's longest mountain range, the Great Rift Valley, with fertile lands to the west and the descent to desert in the East. Off the sandy and arid coastline is situated the Dahlak Archipelago and its fishing grounds. The land to the south, in the highlands, is slightly less dry and cooler. Eritrea at the southern end of the Red Sea is the home of the fork in the rift. The Afar Triangle or Danakil Depression of Eritrea is the probable location of a triple junction where three tectonic plates are pulling away from one another: the Arabian Plate, and the two parts of the African Plate (the Nubian and the Somalian) splitting along the East African Rift Zone (USGS). The highest point of the country, Soira, is located in the centre of Eritrea, at 9,902 feet (3,018 m) above sea level.

The main cities of the country are the capital city of Asmara and the port town of Assab in the southeast, as well as the towns of Massawa and Keren to the north.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Eritrea

Since independence from Ethiopia, Eritrea has faced economic problems chracteristic of a small, poor country. Like the economies of many other African nations, the economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding.

The Ethiopia-Eritrea war severely hurt Eritrea's economy. GDP growth in 1999 fell to less than 1%, and GDP decreased by 8.2% in 2000. The May 2000 Ethiopian offensive into northern Eritrea caused some $600 million in property damage and loss, including losses of $225 million in livestock and 55,000 homes. The attack prevented planting of crops in Eritrea's most productive region, causing food production to drop by over 60%<ref>CIA Factbook - Eritrea (accessed 16 April 2006)</ref><ref>Aid sought for Eritrean recovery BBC February 22, 2001</ref>.

Even during the war, Eritrea developed its transportation infrastructure, asphalting new roads, improving its ports, and repairing war-damaged roads and bridges. Eritrea's economic future remains mixed. The cessation of Ethiopian trade, which mainly used Eritrean ports before the war, leaves Eritrea with a large economic hole to fill. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its ability to master fundamental social problems like illiteracy, unemployment, and low skills, and to convert its diaspora money and expertise into economic growth.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Eritrea Image:Rashaida family.pngImage:Tigrinya wedding.pngEritrean society is ethnically heterogeneous. The largest ethnic group (nationality) is the Tigrinya who compose up to 50% of the population, while the Tigre and Kunama make up another 40%. The balance of the Eritrean population is made up by the smaller populations of Saho, Nara, Hedareb/Beja, Afar, Bilen, and the Rashaida. Each nationality speaks a different native tongue, but typically, many of the minorities speak more than one language.

There exist minorities of Italians and Ethiopian Tigrayans. Neither is generally given citizenship unless through marriage or being conferred upon them by the State.

The most recent addition to the nationalities of Eritrea are the Rashaida. The Rashaida came to Eritrea in the 19th century<ref>[1]</ref> from the Arabian Coast. The Rashaida do not typically intermarry, are typically nomadic, and number approximately 61,000.

The Tigrinya were originally the only settled peoples in Eritrea. They adopted rain-fed agriculture and settled into communal villagers. They originally settled in the 'highlands' of Eritrea but are now spread throughout the country. This is not unique to the Tigrinya population as many 'lowlanders' have now moved to the highlands and 'vice versa'. This migration of people throughout the country has been promoted by the Government who hopes that 'regionalism' will fall by the wayside.

Languages

Template:Main

The following languages are spoken and living still in Eritrea:

• Afar
• Arabic
• Beja
• Blin
• Dahlik
• English (disputed — see [[: talk:Eritrea#{{{1|Disputed}}}|talk page]])
• Italian
• Kunama
• Nara
• Saho
• Tigre
• Tigrinya

The local Tigrinya and the wider Arabic language are the two predominant languages for official purposes, but Italian speakers can still be found. Along with Arabic, English is the most widely learned non-Eritrean language.

Dahlik is a newly discovered language spoken on the Dahlak Archipelago.

Religion

The dominant religions are Christianity and Sunni Islam, each group representing roughly 50% of the population. The Christians consist primarily of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church, which is the local Oriental Orthodox church, but small groups of Roman Catholics, Protestants, and other religions also exist.

Members of the Eritrean Orthodox Church are sometimes described as Coptic Christians because the hierarchy of that church was formerly subject to that of the Tawahido Church of Ethiopia, which was in turn formerly (before 1950) subject to the Coptic Pope. However, the word Coptic in modern usage refers primarily to the Egyptian Orthodox branch of Christianity. The Eritrean and Ethiopian Orthodox churches are still in full communion with the Coptic Church in Egypt. In 1993 the Eritrean Orthodox Church was granted autocephaly, and in 1998 the Archbishopric of Asmara, the young nation's capital, was elevated to the rank of patriarchate, within the Oriental Orthodox church.

Since May 2002, the government of Eritrea has only officially recognized the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Sunni Islam, Catholicism and the Evangelical Lutheran church. All other faiths and denominations were required to under go a registration process that was so stringent as to effectively be prohibitive. Amongst other things, the government's registration system requires religious groups to submit personal information on their membership in order to be allowed to worship. The few organisations that have met all of the registration requirements have still not received official recognition. Other faith groups like Jehovah's Witnesses, Bahais, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and numerous Protestant denominations are not registered and cannot worship freely. They have effectively been banned, and harsh measures have been taken against their adherents. Over twenty Protestant pastors and almost 2000 church members have so far been detained indefinitely and without charge. In addition several Orthodox priests have also been detained, and the Patriarch of the Orthodox church has been removed from office and placed under stringent house arrest ostensibly for objecting to government interference in church affairs(disputed — see [[: talk:Eritrea#{{{1|Disputed}}}|talk page]])</small>.

As of 2004, a number of refugees have been fleeing the country to Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and and beyond because of this lack of freedomTemplate:Fact and given the large number of prisoners of conscience.

See also Eritrean Orthodox Church.

Culture

Image:Kitcha fit fit.png

Main article: Culture of Eritrea

• Cuisine of Eritrea
• Music of Eritrea
• Literature of Eritrea

Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in Eritrea
• Foreign relations of Eritrea
• List of Eritreans
• Military of Eritrea
• Music of Eritrea
• Transportation in Eritrea
  • Eritrean Railway
• Zula
• Scouting in Eritrea

Notes

Further reading

External links

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