Eritrea
A country with fabulous landscapes, sea, desert and spectacular highlands, an Italian flavour in the larger towns, welcoming and curious people. It is also still very much under construction after the wars in which it was involved and the traveler needs to organize many things himself.
Basic information
Capital: Asmara
Population: 4.7mln
Religions: Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Languages: Afar, Arabic, Tigre, Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages
Climate: Summer months (April to August) can be hot with temperatures reaching up to 40°C (100 ºF) on the western plateau. Although temperatures rarely drop below 18°C (64 ºF) along the coast, winters in the central and western plateau regions (December to February) can be freezing with dramatic temperature differences between day and night. The short rainy season is usually between March to April and a longer one from late June to the beginning of September.
Currency: Nakfa (ERN)
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Exact population: 4,786,994 (July 2006 est.)
Literacy: Total population: 58.6%; male: 69.9%; female: 47.6%
Ethnicities: Ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%, other 3%
Area: Total: 121,320 sq km; land: 121,320 sq km; water: 0 sq km
Land boundaries: Total: 1,626 km; border countries: Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km
Terrain: dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains
Extremes: Lowest point: near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m; highest point: Soira 3,018 m
Imports: Ireland 25.7%, US 17.9%, Italy 16%, Turkey 6.2% (2004)
Exports: Malaysia 21.4%, Italy 13.7%, Eqypt 8.3%, India 7.8%, Japan 6.4%, Germany 5.3%, China 4.1%, UK 4% (2004)
Industries: Food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles, salt, cement, commercial ship repair
Source: CIA World Factbook
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