Eritrea borders the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan, with a long disputed border with Ethiopia.
Climate. Hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 610mm of rainfall annually); semiarid in western hills and lowlands; rainfall heaviest during June-September except in the coastal desert. Massawa, the tropical beach area is usually a very humid and hot atmosphere. Asmara highs to 32 °C lows to 21 °C usually followed by rain in the winter.
Landscape. Bordering Ethiopia, there are north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to rolling plains.
Eritrea is relatively small), about the same size as Pennsylvania or England.
The highlands in the center and south of Eritrea, the western lowlands, the Sahel in the north, the subtropical eastern escarpments, the northern coast and archipelago and the southern coast.
The highlands, with Asmara, 1500 – 3500m asl has a Mediterranean and dry climate, with little seasonal variation in temperature. Rainy season May – September, dry season December to April. The landscape essentially consists of valleys, hills and vast expanses of plateaus interrupted by dramatic chasms and gorges. The dry season has red-brown, rusty, beige or black landscape, vegetation consists of shrubbery, eucalyptus, aloes, cacti and colorful bougainvillea, jacaranda or other ornamental plants. The rainy season brings verdant, emerald and grassy landscape in the post-rain months from August to October.
Rural highlanders live a lifestyle, which resembles Biblical times: villages with stone houses, small plots, ancient temples (both Christian and Muslim), people farming and herding with traditional means using little technology, and transporting their goods (as well as themselves) with mules and camels. A good place to explore the highland landscape is in the outskirts of Asmara, the capital. Near the village of Tselot is the Martyrs National Park, inaugurated in 2000. It is a mountainous forest and wildlife preserve at the ridge of the highland plateau where the capital was built.
Tessenei market town by the Sudanese border lies between the dry and green parts of the lowlands. Place of trade for the nomadic peoples of the desert and the sedentary farming communities of the Savannah. It is accessible by asphalt road from Asmara via Keren 10 hours. Buses run daily from Asmara. It can also be reached by dirt track from the Sudanese city of Kassala only 40 km (25 mi) away. Considering the border bureaucracy, this short distance could however prove to be a whole day’s endeavor.
The Sahel in northern Eritrea consists of a narrow chain of mountains 1000 to 2500m high. The landscape is very arid and fit for only the most tenacious of nomadic herding communities. The central and northern core consists of impenetrable and hair-raising mountain passes, gorges and valleys. This was the main base for the Eritrean rebels (who now make up the country’s government) when they fought against Ethiopia for Eritrea’s independence. The best place to explore the Sahel is the town of Nakfa,
Dahlak islands. The beaches are clean, white and pristine, with lagoons of clear turquoise water. The only way here is to charter a boat in Massawa. The biggest island Dahlak Kebir, which features one modest resort-hotel is only 90 km away.
Southern coast is dramatic and inhospitable with volcanoes, quicksand, bubbling sulfuric mud pools, salt lakes, coastal cliffs and inland depressions. The elevation ranges between 2000 to 100 meters below sea level. Temperatures reache 55°C with high humidity. keeps the temperatures high all throughout the day and seasonal variations are the same as on the northern coast. The northern inland areas of mountains to the west and coastal desert to the east. mountain goats and ostriches. Situated between the port cities of Massawa and Assab. about 500 km apart best visited on a journey between
Dahlak Archipelago the Red Sea’s largest archipelago of which just four islands are inhabited; ruins from the early Arabic/Islamic settlers of the 8th century have been found and Ethiopian weapons and vehicles dumped into the sea during the war have created large artificial reefs great for diving.
Debre Bizen; is a hilltop Orthodox monastery founded in 1361; women are forbidden but men can hike to the top to enjoy beautiful scenery and visit the monastery’s centuries old library.
Matara; ruins dating from the Aksumite Empire, partially destroyed in recent conflicts.
Nakfa; was home to the resistance movement against Ethiopia for 30 years and namesake of the currency, it was leveled in 1983 bombing raids; surrounded by trenches and remnants of the war, there is a sizeable population but it is considerably smaller than pre-war.
SEE
Asmara clean, tranquillity and architectural style, what it makes it unique and so lovely are the public buildings, villas, and mansions of Art Deco (or Decorative Art). They were built from different architectural styles ranging from Art Deco to Futuristic and Rationalist .
Art Deco built in the first four decades of the 20th century by mass labor force of its native people, and with few Italian lire and engineers. Most Art Deco buildings in the world are found in few cities. In Asmara, they are intact, preserved and old.
Asmara Cathedral – with a bell tower that reaches high into the sky, the Cathedral of Asmara is a sterling piece of Lombard-Romanesque architecture and a useful bearing point for lost travelers.
Enda Mariam Orthodox Cathedral (St. Mary) – The ancient church is located at the center of the city and symbolizes the four directions of the earth (east, west, north and south) the four gates on each direction haver an equal number of worshipers passing through them every day.
At the compound of this church you will find a tree called “Berberestelim” long ago priests use to wash dead bodies by adding these tree leaves into the water and the body stays as it is for years.
Asmara Theatre and Opera House – Constructed in 1920, the Asmara Opera House is an amazing Italian Architectural piece.
Al Khulafa Al Rashiudin Mosque – Is one of the most elegant Mosques in Africa. The architecture is eclectic a mix Italian and local Moorish styles.
Fiat Tagliero – One a very few futuristic architectural pieces ever built in the World. It is an old service station designed to look like an airplane. It has two ~70 ft cantilevered wings, acting as a cover for each side.
DO
Asmara thin dry air at 2,600 meters (8,530 ft). Sunscreen and a sweater as cold at night
Hikng, rock climbing and mountain biking outside of town. No rental bikes
NM Eritrea
Experiences
Ashenda. A festival celebrated in northern Ethiopia among Orthodox Christianity that commemorates the heavenly ascension of the Virgin Mary following her Dormition. It is typically celebrated between 16-26 August every year. Its length varies from three days to one month depending on the locale (shorter in urban areas, longer in rural areas). Though it originates from the Tigray region, the holiday is mainly celebrated by Tigrayans throughout the Tigray Region, some Amharas in the bordering Amhara Region of Lasta and Agaws in Wag Hemra.
Meskel. A Christian holiday in the Ethiopian Orthodox and Eritrean Orthodox churches that commemorates the discovery of the True Cross by the Roman Empress Helena (Saint Helena) in the fourth century. Meskel occurs September 27 or September 14.
The feast is held in Meskel Square, named after the festival, in the capital city of Addis Ababa. Religious and civil leaders preside over the celebration, and public figures give speeches and reference biblical themes and stories. Many Ethiopians who live in cities return to their villages to celebrate the national event. When it gets darker, the Demera is burned.
HIGHLANDS Maekel, Anseba, Gash-Barka, Debub (Asmara)
World Heritage Sites: Asmara: A Modernist African City
Qoahito Cultural Landscape. Tentative WHS (02/03/2011) Vestiges of the Past; Qohaito
OTHER DESTINATIONS
Akhran border zone XL
Gash-Setit Wildlife Reserve
Semenawi Bahri National Park
Yob Wildlife Reserve
KEREN
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Keren Fort
ASMARA
Asmara: A Modernist African City. World Heritage Sites:
Asmara Airport (ASM)
National Museum of Eritrea
Church of Our Lady of the Rosary
Enda Mariam Cathedral
Great Mosque of Asmara
Fiat Tagliero Building. Modern Architecture Buildings, Urban Legends:
Governor’s Palace. Modern Architecture Buildings
World Bank Building. Modern Architecture Buildings
The Shuq
Sandal Monument
Tank Graveyard. The Dark Side: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++NOMAD MANIA Eritrea – North and South Red Sea (Massawa, Assab)
M@P: Assab Bay islands
Islands: Dahlak Kebir
Borders
Eritrea (sea border/port)
Eritrea-Ethiopia
Eritrea-Sudan
XL
Dankalia southern (Assab)
North (Nakfa)
DAHLAK ARCHIPELAGO Islands, M@P
World of Nature: Dahlak Marine National Park
Villages and Small Towns
MASSAWA OLD TOWN
Museums: Massawa: Massawa Museum
Religious Temples: Massawa: Massawa Central Mosque
GENERAL
ERITREA is a country in the Horn of Africa with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the south, Sudan in the west, and Djibouti in the southeast. The northeastern and eastern parts of Eritrea have an extensive coastline along the Red Sea. The nation has a total area of approximately 117,600 km2 (45,406 sq mi), and includes the Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands.
Human remains found in Eritrea have been dated to 1 million years old. Contemporary Eritrea is a multi-ethnic country with nine recognised ethnic groups and nine different languages, the most widely spoken language being Tigrinya. Tigrinya, Arabic, and English serve as the three working languages. Tigrinyas make up about 55% and the Tigre 30%. Most people are Christian or Islam.
History. The Kingdom of Aksum, covering much of modern-day Eritrea and northern Ethiopia, was established during the first or second century AD. It adopted Christianity around the middle of the fourth century.
The creation of modern-day Eritrea is a result of the incorporation of independent, distinct kingdoms eventually resulting in the formation of Italian Eritrea. After the defeat of the Italian colonial army in 1942, Eritrea was administered by the British Military Administration until 1952. Following the UN General Assembly decision in 1952, Eritrea would govern itself with a local Eritrean parliament, but for foreign affairs and defense, it would enter into a federal status with Ethiopia for ten years. However, in 1962, the government of Ethiopia annulled the Eritrean parliament and formally annexed Eritrea. The Eritrean secessionist movement organised the Eritrean Liberation Front in 1961 and fought the Eritrean War of Independence until Eritrea gained de facto independence in 1991. Eritrea gained de jure independence in 1993 after an independence referendum.
Eritrea is a unitary one-party presidential republic in which national legislative and presidential elections have never been held. Isaias Afwerki has served as president since its official independence in 1993. According to Human Rights Watch, the Eritrean government’s human rights record is among the worst in the world. The Eritrean government has dismissed these allegations as politically motivated. Freedom of the press in Eritrea is extremely limited; the Press Freedom Index consistently ranks it as one of the least free countries. As of 2021 Reporters Without Borders considers the country to have the overall worst press freedom in the world, even lower than North Korea, as all media publications and access are heavily controlled by the government.
Modern history
Italian Eritrea. The boundaries of the present-day Eritrea nation state were established during the Scramble for Africa. In 1869 or 1870, the ruling local chief sold lands surrounding the Bay of Assab to the Rubattino Shipping Company. The area served as a coaling station along the shipping lanes introduced by the recently completed Suez Canal.
In 1888, the Italian administration launched its first development projects in the new colony. The Eritrean Railway was completed to Saati in 1888, and reached Asmara in the highlands in 1911. The Asmara–Massawa Cableway was the longest line in the world during its time, but was later dismantled by the British in World War II. Besides major infrastructural projects, the colonial authorities invested significantly in the agricultural sector. It also oversaw the provision of urban amenities in Asmara and Massawa, and employed many Eritreans in public service, particularly in the police and public works departments.
Additionally, the Italian Eritrea administration opened a number of new factories, which produced buttons, cooking oil, pasta, construction materials, packing meat, tobacco, hide, and other household commodities. In 1939, there were approximately 2,198 factories and most of the employees were Eritrean citizens. The establishment of industries also made an increase in the number of both Italians and Eritreans residing in the cities. The number of Italians residing in the territory increased from 4,600 to 75,000 in five years; and with the involvement of Eritreans in the industries, trade and fruit plantation was expanded across the nation, while some of the plantations were owned by Eritreans.
In 1922, Benito Mussolini’s rise to power in Italy brought profound changes to the colonial government in Italian Eritrea. After il Duce declared the birth of the Italian Empire in May 1936, Italian Eritrea (enlarged with northern Ethiopia’s regions) and Italian Somaliland were merged with the just-conquered Ethiopia in the new Italian East Africa administrative territory. This fascist period was characterized by imperial expansion in the name of a “new Roman Empire”. Eritrea was chosen by the Italian government to be the industrial center of Italian East Africa.
Asmara’s architecture was greatly improved after 1935 to become a “modernist Art Deco city” (in 2017 has been declared a “UNESCO World City Heritage”,[87]) featuring eclectic and rationalist built forms, well-defined open spaces, and public and private buildings, including cinemas, shops, banks, religious structures, public and private offices, industrial facilities, and residences. The Italians designed more than 400 buildings in a construction boom that was only halted by Italy’s involvement in WW2. These included art deco masterpieces like the worldwide famous Fiat Tagliero Building and the Cinema Impero.
British administration. Through the 1941 Battle of Keren, the British expelled the Italians and took over the administration of the country. The British placed Eritrea under British military administration until Allied forces could determine its fate.
In the absence of agreement amongst the Allies concerning the status of Eritrea, British administration continued for the remainder of World War II and until 1950. During the immediate postwar years, the British proposed that Eritrea be divided along religious community lines and annexed partly to the British colony of Sudan and partly to Ethiopia. The Soviet Union, anticipating a communist victory in the Italian polls, initially supported returning Eritrea to Italy under trusteeship or as a colony.
Annexation with Ethiopia. In the 1950s, the Ethiopian feudal administration under Emperor Haile Selassie sought to annex Eritrea and Italian Somaliland. He laid claim to both territories in a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Paris Peace Conference and at the First Session of the United Nations. In the United Nations, the debate over the fate of the former Italian colonies continued. The British and Americans preferred to cede all of Eritrea except the Western province to the Ethiopians as a reward for their support during World War II. The Independence Bloc of Eritrean parties consistently requested from the United Nations General Assembly that a referendum be held immediately to settle the Eritrean question of sovereignty.
Following the adoption of U.N. Resolution 390A(V) in December 1950, Eritrea was federated with Ethiopia under the prompting of the United States. The resolution called for Eritrea and Ethiopia to be linked through a loose federal structure under the sovereignty of the emperor. Eritrea was to have its own administrative and judicial structure, its own flag, and control over its domestic affairs, including police, local administration, and taxation. The federal government, which for all practical purposes was the existing imperial government, was to control foreign affairs (including commerce), defense, finance, and transportation. The resolution ignored the wishes of Eritreans for independence, but guaranteed the population democratic rights and a measure of autonomy.
Independence. In 1958, a group of Eritreans founded the Eritrean Liberation Movement (ELM). The organization mainly consisted of Eritrean students, professionals, and intellectuals. It engaged in clandestine political activities intended to cultivate resistance to the centralizing policies of the imperial Ethiopian state. On 1 September 1961, the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF), under the leadership of Hamid Idris Awate, waged an armed struggle for independence. In 1962, Emperor Haile Selassie unilaterally dissolved the Eritrean parliament and annexed the territory. The ensuing Eritrean War of Independence went on for 30 years against successive Ethiopian governments until 1991, when the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF), a successor of the ELF, defeated the Ethiopian forces in Eritrea and helped a coalition of Ethiopian rebel forces take control of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
Following a referendum in Eritrea supervised by the United Nations (dubbed UNOVER) in which the Eritrean people overwhelmingly voted for independence, Eritrea declared its independence and gained international recognition in 1993. The EPLF seized power, established a one-party state along nationalist lines and banned further political activity. As of 2020, there have been no elections.
The Eritrean–Ethiopian War from 1998 to 2000 involved a major border conflict, notably around Badme and Zalambessa, eventually resolved in 2018. In 2020, Eritrean troops intervened in Tigray War on the side of Ethiopian central government. In April 2021, Eritrea confirmed its troops were fighting in Ethiopia.
GEOGRAPHY. The country is virtually bisected by a branch of the East African Rift. Eritrea, at the southern end of the Red Sea, is the home of the fork in the rift. The Dahlak Archipelago and its fishing grounds are situated off the sandy and arid coastline.
Eritrea may be split into three ecoregions. To the east of the highlands are the hot, arid, coastal plains stretching down to the southeast of the country. The cooler, more fertile highlands, reaching up to 3,000 m, have a different habitat. Habitats here vary from the sub-tropical rainforest at Filfil Solomona to the precipitous cliffs and canyons of the southern highlands. 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 highest point of the country, Emba Soira, is located in the center of Eritrea, at 3,018 meters (9,902 ft) above sea level.
The main cities of the country are the capital city of Asmara and the port town of Asseb in the southeast, as well as the towns of Massawa to the east, the northern town of Keren, and the central town Mendefera.
Climate. Based on variations in temperature, Eritrea can be broadly divided into three major climate zones: the temperate zone, subtropical climate zone, and tropical climate zone. The climate of Eritrea is shaped by its diverse topographical features and its location within the tropics. The diversity in landscape and topography in the highlands and lowlands of Eritrea result in the diversity of climate across the country. The highlands have temperate climate throughout the year. The climate of most lowland zones is arid and semiarid. The distribution of rainfall and vegetation types varies markedly throughout the country. Eritrean climate varies on the basis of seasonal and altitudinal differences.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
The People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) is the only legal party in Eritrea. Other political groups are not allowed to organize, although the unimplemented Constitution of 1997 provides for the existence of multi-party politics. The National Assembly has 150 seats. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; as of 2022, none has ever been held in the country. President Isaias Afwerki has been in office since independence in 1993. In 1993, 75 representatives were elected to the National Assembly; the rest are appointed. As the report by the United Nations Human Rights Council explained: “No national elections have taken place since that time, and no presidential elections have ever taken place. Local or regional elections have not been held since 2003–2004. The National Assembly elected independent Eritrea’s first president, Isaias Afwerki, in 1993. Following his election, Afwerki consolidated his control of the Eritrean government.” President Isaias Afwerki has regularly expressed his disdain for what he refers to as “western-style” democracy. In a 2008 interview with Al Jazeera, for example, the president stated that “Eritrea will wait three or four decades, maybe more, before it holds elections. Who knows?
Military. Compulsory military service was instituted in 1995. Officially, conscripts, male and female, must serve for 18 months minimum, which includes six months of military training and 12 months during the regular school year to complete their last year of high school. Thus around 5% of Eritreans live in barracks in the desert doing projects such as road building as part of their service.
The National Service Proclamation of 1995 does not recognize the right to conscientious objection to military service. According to the 1957 Ethiopian penal code adopted by Eritrea during independence, failure to enlist in the military or refusal to perform military service are punishable with imprisonment terms of six months to five years and up to ten years, respectively.[116] National service enlistment times may be extended during times of “national crisis”; since 1998, everyone under the age of 50 is enlisted in national service for an indefinite period until released, which may depend on the arbitrary decision of a commander. In a study of 200 escaped conscripts, the average service was 6.5 years, and some had served more than 12 years.
ECONOMY
Worker remittances from abroad are estimated to account for 32% of gross domestic product.
70% of the Eritrean workforce is employed in agriculture,[165] accounting for roughly one-third of the economy.[166] Eritrea’s main agricultural products include sorghum, millet, barley, wheat, legumes, vegetables, fruits, sesame, linseed, cattle, sheep, goats, and camels.
Tourism in Eritrea makes up less than 1% of the GDP.
Cuisine. A typical traditional Eritrean dish consists of injera accompanied by a spicy stew, which frequently includes beef, chicken, lamb, or fish. Overall, Eritrean cuisine strongly resembles that of neighboring Ethiopia, though Eritrean cooking tends to feature more seafood than Ethiopian cuisine on account of their coastal location. Eritrean dishes are also frequently “lighter” in texture than Ethiopian meals. They likewise tend to employ less seasoned butter and spices and more tomatoes, as in the tsebhi dorho delicacy.
Additionally, owing to its colonial history, cuisine in Eritrea features more Italian influences than are present in Ethiopian cooking, including more pasta and greater use of curry powders and cumin. The Italian Eritrean cuisine started to be practiced during the colonial times of the Kingdom of Italy, when a large number of Italians moved to Eritrea. They brought the use of pasta to Italian Eritrea, and it is one of the main foods eaten in present-day Asmara. An Italian Eritrean cuisine emerged, and common dishes are “pasta al sugo e berbere” (pasta with tomato sauce and berbere spice), lasagna, and “cotoletta alla Milanese” (veal Milanese).[201]