Eritrea Information

Where is Eritrea and what is it like there?

Eritrea is a small country on the East coast of Africa. It is a country of 3.5 million people who were at war over border disputes and struggling for independence from Ethiopia for the past 30 years. Peace finally came in 2000.

	Culture: Ethnically divided into nine groups: Tigrinya (the largest group) Afar Bilen Hedareb Kunama Nara Rashaida Saho Tigre Religions include Islam, Orthodox Christianity, Catholicism
Demographics: Complicated by displacement of nearly 1 million people during recent war with Ethiopia Peace Treaty signed by Eritrea and Ethiopia on Dec. 12, 2000. ¼ of the soldiers that fought in the war for independence were women.
	Population: 3.5 million people 20% urban 80% rural 55% farmers 30% pastoralists (who move across borders with their animals)
To read more about the country of Eritea on the internet, here are some links: Lonely Planet Eritrea site U.S. Government on Eritrea