|
Eritrea:
Eritrea
is a small East African nation situated off the Red Sea, north
of Ethiopia, to the southeast of Sudan. The Country was a former
Italian colony that was handed to Ethiopia in 1952. This caused
a lengthy independence war which began in 1960 and ended in 1991.
The war was fought between Ethiopian Government forces and pro-independence
Eritrean Rebel forces.
Eritrea eventually gained its independence
on the 24th of May 1993. Isaias Afewerki became the first president
of the independent nation. He was one of the leading architects
of the independence movement in Eritrea. The country was again
involved in a short border war against Ethiopia between 1998
and 2000. The border dispute is yet to be fully resolved
and a prominent
United Nations Peacekeeping force is stationed along the country’s
border with Ethiopia.
People:
Eritrea has a population of approximately 4,786,994 people.
The major ethnic groups in the country are; Tigre, Kunama, Afar,
Saho and Tigrinya. Languages widely spoken in the country are;
English, Tigrinya, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama.
Administration:
Asmara is the Capital City of Eritrea. For administrative purposes,
the country is divided into six administrative regions known
as Zobatat. These are; Anseba, Debub (Southern), Debubawi K’eyih
Bahri (Southern Red Sea), Gash Barka, Ma’akel (Central),
Semenawi Keyih Bahri (Northern Red Sea).
|