The State of Eritrea
Eritrea is a Country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Sudan in the West, Ethiopia in the south, Djibouti in the southeast and the Red Sea with the coastline of more than 1000 Km to the East and Northeast. Its size is 45,754 sq mi include over 350 islands off the coast, of which 210 comprise the area of the Dahlak Archipelago. Eritrea`s Red Sea coastline extends for about 1,070 kilometers (670 miles) from the northern border with Sudan at Cape Kasar, to the southern extension of the strait of Bab-Al-Mandab at Cape Dumeira, with a population of 5 million.
The capital city Asmara with the population over 500,000 is located on the Central Highland plateau at 2,400 meters above sea level.
Eritrea is made up of 9 Nationalities that are Tigrigna, Tigre, Bilen, Saho, Afar, Kunama, Nara, Hadareb, and Rashaida.
Eritrea has been for millennia, a cultural, linguistic, and commercial crossroads, and is among the most heterogeneous area in Northeast Africa. From 1557, the Massawa coastal area was under the rule of the Ottomans until the Egyptians took possession in 1865. In 1889, the Italians consolidated their control as far as the banks of the Mereb River th traditional boundary line between Eritrea and Ethiopia in the south. Eritrea remained an Italian colony until the Allied Forces, under the leadership of the British defeated the Italian forces and occupied Eritrea from 1941 until 1952. Eritrea hoped to be given the right of self-determination afforded many other Italian colonies in Africa. But the United Nations was accorded the unique function of making a final and binding recommendation in the fate of Eritrea. In 1952 the United Nations decreed that Eritrea federated with Ethiopia but remained an autonomous unit. Violation of the United Nations resolution by the Ethiopians began almost immediately. In 1962 Ethiopia dissolved the Eritrean parliament and the federation.
In 1962 the armed struggle for independence began, and in 1991, after 30 years of Bitter struggle, Eritrea became an independent nation. The strong support shown by the Eritrean population both at home and abroad for their struggle was the fundamental element in the success of the Eritrean struggle for independence. A UN supervised referendum on self-determination was conducted in April 1993 and the Eritrean people overwhelmingly voted for independence. One month later on May 24, Eritrea`s Libration, It became independent, and was formally recognized by the International Community.