Eritrea

Eritrea is a country in the Horn of Africa with a long Red Sea coastline. It is bordered by Sudan to the west, Ethiopia to the south, Djibouti to the southeast, and the sea to the north and east. The capital and largest city is Asmara. As of the early 2020s, the population is around 3.6 million. The official languages are Tigrinya, Arabic, and English, with many residents speaking additional local languages.

Eritrea gained de facto independence from Ethiopia in 1991 and de jure independence in 1993 after a UN-supervised referendum. It has been governed by the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), with Isaias Afwerki serving as president since independence. The state maintains a highly centralized political system, and civil liberties and freedom of expression have been restricted. National service is compulsory and has been reported to be lengthy and indefinite for some.

Geography ranges from highland plateaus to arid lowlands along the Red Sea coast. The climate is hot and dry in many areas. The economy is characterized by subsistence agriculture and livestock, with some mining activity, particularly for gold and copper. External economic ties are limited, contributing to a low-middle-income profile and heavy reliance on aid and remittances. Eritrea is home to the UNESCO-listed Asmara Modernist City Centre, reflecting Italian colonial architecture.

Religiously, Islam is the majority faith, with a substantial Eritrean Orthodox Christian minority; smaller Catholic and Protestant communities are present. The country is a member of the African Union and the United Nations and has worked to normalize relations with neighboring Ethiopia since 2018.