Eritrea is an important destination for tourists. The country is located in the northern part of East Africa sharing its boundary with Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibou. The extensive coastline on the Red Sea is the main area of tourist activities. The hilly terrain the northwest and the rolling plains of the south west results in diverse geographical structure that makes Eritrea a hub for tourism. The recent developments following the establishment of peace have starting drawing hopes for tourism sector in the country.
Topography of Eritrea:
Eritrea is located in the geographical co ordinates between 150N and 390 E. covering a total land area of 121,320 sq km. It is located in Horn of Africa and has a high central plateau that rises to height of 3,000 meters above the sea level. Eritrea has a landmass comprising of the coastal plain, the western lowlands and about 300 islands. It does not have any perennial river though it has an agrarian economy. It is slightly larger in size than Pennsylvania and has an extensive coastline measuring 2234 km on the Red Sea.
Climate of Eritrea:
The climate in the hilly tracts of Eritrea is temperate while the lowlands experience a hot and dry climatic condition. Asmara, which is the capital of Eritrea, is located at an elevation of 2300 meters above the sea level. The temperature remains low with the maximum reaching 260C.
Demography of Eritrea:
The demographic composition of Eritrea comprises of nine ethnic groups following Islam, Coptic Christianity, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. The Christians mostly live in the highlands while he Muslims and the followers of traditional beliefs lived in the regions of the lowland. People mostly speak Semitic or Cushitic Languages. Tigrinya and Arabic are the most regularly used languages for official or commercial purpose. English is widely used in the urban areas.
Before the deposition of the Ottomans by the Italians in 1885, Eritrea was ruled by various local or international powers that held their domination over the Red Sea region. The Italians who used Eritrea to take a control over Ethiopia that proved quite disastrous for them. It was after the surrender of Italy in the Second World War that Eritrea was placed under the British Military administration. The period following this was a period of political unrest that witnessed many uprisings and coups. It was after the intervention of US with Un mediation that the Eritreans agreed to set up a democracy and work towards progress. In the US monitored free and fair referendum held in April, 1993 that the Eritreans voted overwhelmingly for their independence from Ethiopia which ultimately resulted in Eritrea’s Independence on 24th of May, 1993.
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