Everything you need to know about Eritrea: news, reviews, in-depth analysis, opinion and more
Eritrea: Poor African Country across the Red Sea
Eritrea was part of the first Ethiopian kingdom of Aksum until its decline in the 8th century. It came under the control of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century and later under the Egyptian empire. The Italians captured the coastal areas in 1885,and the Treaty of Uccialli gave Italy full control over Eritrea. The British captured Eritrea in 1941 and in 1952 it became the part of Ethiopia. The merging of Eritrea with Ethiopia gave birth to civil war led by rebel groups that lasted for 32 years culminating in the independence of Eritrea. In 1991 the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front dethroned the communist dictator Mengistu. In 1993 Eritrea obtained its independence from Ethiopia supported by the UN. In 1993 Ethiopia recognized Eritrea's sovereignty and assured for co-operation and support for restructuring of Eritrea. The cooperation did not last long due to border disputes that pushed both the countries to war. This war caused major loss to infrastructure and lives of people.
Eritrea Profile: Overview of Facts and Figures
National Name: The State of Eritrea
• Life Expectancy: Male: 59.35 Years, Female: 63.46 Years (2008 est.)
Geographical Information on Eritrea :
Eritrea is located in North East Africa that includes Dahlak Archipelago and other islands along the Red Sea coast. It is bordered by Sudan to the north and west, Ethiopia to the south, Djibouti to the southeast and the Red Sea to the north and northeast.
The climatic condition of Eritrea is hot and dry along the desert strip while the coastal area of Eritrea has cooler and wetter climate.
Culture, Cuisine and Tradition Of Eritrea:
The countries of Ethiopia, Sudan, Italy and Arabia have influenced the Culture of Eritrea. This cultural assimilation provides a vibrant cultural aspect to Eritrea. This vibrancy can be reflected in lifestyle, following, beliefs and practices by the people of Eritrea. At the beginning of the 4 th century Eritrea was ruled by Aksumite Empire. Christianity became popular in the highland region at the same time while the Muslim faith and followings became popular in the lowland of Eritrea. This led to conflicts between the two religious groups. This issue was leveraged by foreign powers in order to have control over strategic locations near the Red Sea.
The staple diet of Eritrea consists of ?taita' or ?enjera'. It is a type of bread or pancake eaten with a meat or legume sauce. Taita is made mostly from cereal. Legumes are an important part of the diet and are largely prepared in the form of stew. Stew usually is very spicy and contains a variety of condiments, including onions, garlic, berbere (hot chili powder with other spices, cardamom, white and black cumin, basil, ginger, etc.).
Tourist Attraction of Eritrea:
Eritrea is blessed with long and beautiful seacoast, high mountains, low land, wild life, hot water springs, forested mountains and hot sandy desert areas. All these diverse natural beauty make it an ideal and fascinating tourist destination.
Eritrea has 1200 kms coastal stretch along the Red Sea. The vast stretch provides extraordinary marine life that includes rare varieties of fishes, colorful coral reefs, dolphins, turtles and other species. The lonely beach provides amazing natural panorama to delight tourists.
The capital Asmara is the most happening tourist destination of Eritrea. In Asmara one can find magnificent historical structure that gives the glimpse of colonial age. It is a city that narrates the past legacy of the Eritrea.
Major Sight-seeing Places in Eritrea include:
• Asmara
• Barentu
• Red Sea Beach
• Massawa
• Matara
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