31 Facts About Eritrea

Eritrea is a northeast African country on the Red Sea coast. 

It shares borders with Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti. 

Asmara, the capital city, is known for its Italian colonial architecture, such as St. Joseph's Cathedral, as well as art deco structures.

Massawa's architecture reflects the port city's colourful history, with influences from Italy, Egypt, and Turkey.

St. Mariam Cathedral and the Imperial Palace are two notable structures here.

Eritrea is a country in East Africa that borders Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Sudan on the Red Sea.

The name Eritrea is derived from the ancient Greek "Erythra Thalassa," which means "Red Sea," the major body of water that borders the country.

In Eritrea, one of the oldest human skeletons of its kind was discovered. A one-million-year-old hominid skull was discovered near the village of Buia in Eritrea, near the Red Sea coast, in 1998.

Eritrea was a part of the Aksum kingdom between 300 and 600 AD. Aksum was a powerful ancient kingdom in northern Ethiopia that was known as the "greatest market of northeastern Africa," with trade reaching as far as Alexandria and beyond the Nile.

The city of Qohaito is one of Eritrea's most famous Aksumite ruins. The site contains the four columns of the Temple of Mariam Wakiro, which is thought to be a pre-Christian church. It is surrounded by the ruins of six other temples and several rock-art sites, including Adi Alauti's cave and another shelter with more than 100 painted figures.

Italy colonised Eritrea in 1890, and Britain took over in 1941 during World War II. Eritrea was then administered by the United Kingdom as a United Nations trust territory until 1952.

In 1952, Eritrea was established as an autonomous region within the Ethiopian federation. However, Ethiopia annexed Eritrea in 1962, igniting a 30-year guerrilla war for independence.

The Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) captured Asmara in 1991 and formed a provisional government before voting for and gaining full independence in 1993. Over the course of the war, at least 250,000 people were killed.

Eritrea fought a two-year border war with Ethiopia in 1998, which claimed another 100,000 lives.

Massawa (main image) was once known as the "Pearl of the Red Sea" due to its picturesque waterside location and diverse Ottoman, Egyptian, and Italian-era architecture. However, the city was severely damaged during the American Revolution.

Eritrea's flag consists of green, red, and blue triangles with a yellow emblem. The red represents the blood shed for independence, while the green and blue represent agricultural and maritime wealth, respectively. The wreath and the yellow olive branches.

The wreath's 30 leaves represent the number of years of civil war that led to Eritrea's independence.

Asmara, the capital city, is designated as a "Modernist African City" by UNESCO. Developed from the 1890s onwards as a military outpost for Italian colonialists, Asmara is recognised as a "exceptionally well-preserved example of a colonial planned city".

According to oral tradition, Asmara means "they [women] made them unite," referring to the women of the four clans in the Asmara region who persuaded their menfolk to unite and defeat their common enemy.

The city has one of the best collections of art deco architecture in the world. The Italian colonial period left a legacy of Rationalist, Futurist, Art Deco, and other modernist architectural styles.

During the war for independence, tens of thousands of Eritrean women fought alongside men. Women are estimated to have made up more than a quarter (25%) of the army's fighting force by the end of the conflict. "Red Flowers" were children born to female soldiers.

Eritrea is one of the world's ten poorest countries. It was ranked tenth lowest in the 2020 Human Development Index (HDI).

In Eritrea, there is a tank graveyard where the ruins of military vehicles from all over the country have been dragged to an open field. Local families have made shipping containers their homes in the area's centre.

Eritrea is a one-party state with no elections. It has been described as "one of Africa's most secretive totalitarian states".

Eritrea has the world's lowest level of press freedom, ranking last out of 180 countries assessed in the World Press Freedom Index.

Eritrea has only had one president in its history. President Isaias Afwerki took office after the country's independence in 1993 and is the country's only president.

When measured by average year-round temperature, Eritrea is one of the hottest places on the planet.

Eritrea (along with Ethiopia and Djibouti) is located on the East African Rift Valley, which includes the Danakil Depression, part of the Afar Triple Junction. The Danakil Depression is located at the meeting point of three tectonic plates that are slowly pulling apart. The land sinks as the earth separates and thins.

The Fiat Tagliero service station is located in Asmara. The striking futurist building, completed in 1938, was designed to resemble an aeroplane.

A community of monks continues to live an austere life at the monastery of Debre Bizen, which was founded over 650 years ago in the 1350s.

Eritrea is located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia are among the countries in the region, and their cultures have long been intertwined.