Eritrea is located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Dijibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan, with a long coastline along the Red Sea. The country includes many of the Hanish Islands and the Dahlak Archipelago.

Its narrow Red Sea coastal plain is one of the hottest and driest places in Africa. The cooler central highlands have fertile valleys that support agriculture.

Formerly the northernmost territory of Ethiopia, the country gained its independence in 1993. Its population of 5.6 million is divided into nine tribal groups. The Tigrinya people make up 55% of the population, followed by the Tigre people at 30%. Afroasiatic speaking people, such as the Saho, Hedareb, Afar, Bilen, and Rashaida, make up the remaining population and live in the northern coastal area. About 50% of the population is Christian while 48% adheres to Islam.

Eritrea’s capital Asmara was an Italian colony between 1890 and 1941. The city was populated by a large Italian community in 1939, so the architecture is a unique blend of Italian modernism and Eritrean style.

The city center was rebuilt in various styles during the colonial decades for example, the Neo-Romanesque, Late Victorian, Art Deco, Cubist, Rationalist, Novecento and Neo-Baroque among others.

Asmara is now home to one of world’s best collections of futurist architecture and bidding to become the nation’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The country’s most visited tourist attractions include the Al Khulafa Al Rashiudin Mosque, which is also one of the famous religious places in the city of Asmara; National Museum Asmara, Nda Mariam Othodox Church, The Dahlak Marine National Park and Massawa Islands.

Nearly 80% in Eritrea are engaged in subsistence agriculture. According to the CIA World Fact Book, copper, potash and gold production are likely to drive economic growth and government revenue over the next few years.

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