Eritrea

Eritrea Independent state in ne Africa, on the Red Sea; the capital is Asmara. The chief ports are Aseb and Massawa.

Land

Much of Eritrea is a continuation of the high Ethiopian plateau, sloping down to plains to the e and w. Climatic conditions vary greatly, and unreliable rainfall is a frequent cause of drought.

History

Eritrea was a dependency of Ethiopia until the 16th century, when it fell to the Ottoman Empire. During the 19th century, control of the region was disputed between Ethiopia, Egypt and Italy. In 1890, it became an Italian colony. From 1941–52, it was under British military administration. In 1952, it federated with Ethiopia, becoming a province in 1962. Eritrean separatists began a 30-year campaign of guerrilla warfare, and 700,000 refugees fled to Somalia. In 1991, the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) helped topple Mengistu's Ethiopian government, and won a referendum on independence. Eritrea formally gained independence in 1993. The new EPLF government, led by Isaias Afwerki, began reconstructing a country impoverished by war and famine. Eritrea faced border conflicts with Sudan and Djibouti. Between 1998 and 2000, a border dispute with Ethiopia flared into a war that claimed tens of thousands of lives. The war-devastated economy is mainly agricultural (2000 GDP per capita, US$710). Industries: textiles, leather goods, salt. Area: 117,599sq km (45,405sq mi). Pop. (2000 est.) 4,523,000. See Ethiopia map

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