Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/73.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 7.2 KB | 321 lines

@node Geography (Eritrea)
@section Geography (Eritrea)

@display

Location:
  Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea between Djibouti and Sudan
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
 total area:
  121,320 km2
 land area:
  121,320 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly larger than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries:
  total 1,630 km, Djibouti 113 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km
Coastline:
  1,151 km (land and island coastline is 2,234 km)
Maritime claims:
 territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central
  highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually); semiarid in western hills and
  lowlands; rainfall heaviest during June-September except on coast desert
Terrain:
  dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands,
  descending on the east to a coastal desert plan, on the northwest to hilly
  terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains
Natural resources:
  gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, probably oil, fish
Land use:
 arable land:
  3%
 permanent crops:
  2% (coffee)
 meadows and pastures:
  40%
 forest and woodland:
  5%  other:
  50%
Irrigated land:
  NA km2
Environment:
  frequent droughts, famine; deforestation; soil eroision; overgrazing; loss
  of infrastructure from civil warfare
Note:
  strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes and
  close to Arabian oilfields, Eritrea retained the entire coastline of
  Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 27
  April 1993



@end display

@node People (Eritrea)
@section People (Eritrea)

@display

Population:
  3,467,087 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.46% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  NA births/1,000 population
Death rate:
  NA deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate:
  NA migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate:
  NA deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  NA years
 male:
  NA years
 female:
  NA years
Total fertility rate:
  NA children born/woman
Nationality:
 noun:
  Eritrean(s)
 adjective:
  Eritrean
Ethnic divisions:
  ethnic Tigrays 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast
  dwellers) 3%
Religions:
  Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Languages:
  Tigre and Kunama, Cushitic dialects, Tigre, Nora Bana, Arabic
Literacy:
  NA%
Labor force:
  NA



@end display

@node Government (Eritrea)
@section Government (Eritrea)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:
  none
 conventional short form:
  Eritrea
 local long form:
  none
 local short form:
  none
 former:
  Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia
Digraph:
  ER
Type:
  transitional government
 note:
  on 29 May 1991 ISSAIAS Afeworke, secretary general of the Eritrean People's
  Liberation Front (EPLF), announced the formation of the Provisional
  Government in Eritrea (PGE), in preparation for the 23-25 April 1993
  referendum on independence for the autonomous region of Eritrea; the result
  was a landslide vote for independence that was announced on 27 April 1993
Capital:
  Asmara (formerly Asmera)
Administrative divisions:
  NA
Independence:
  27 April 1993 (from Ethiopia; formerly the Eritrea Autonomous Region)
Constitution:
  transitional "constitution" decreed 19 May 1993
Legal system:
  NA
National holiday:
  National Day (independence from Ethiopia), 24 May (1993)
Political parties and leaders:
  Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) (Christian Muslim), ISSAIAS
  Aferworke, PETROS Soloman; Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) (Muslim),
  ABDULLAH Muhammed; Eritrean Liberation Front - United Organization (ELF-UO),
  leader NA
Other political or pressure groups:
  Oromo Liberation Front (OLF); Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP);
  numerous small, ethnic-based groups have formed since Mengistu's
  resignation, including several Islamic militant groups
Suffrage:
  NA
Elections:
  multinational election before 20 May 1997
Executive branch:
  president, Eritrean National Council
Legislative branch:
  National Assembly
Judicial branch:
  Judiciary
Leaders:  Chief of State and Head of Government:
  President ISSAIAS Aferworke
Member of:
  OAU, UN, UNCTAD



@end display

@node Government (Eritrea 2. usage)
@section Government (Eritrea 2. usage)

@display

Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission:
  NA
 chancery:
  NA
 telephone:
  NA
US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission:
  Joseph P. O'NEILL
 embassy:
  NA
 mailing address:
  NA
 telephone:
  251-4-113-720
 FAX:
  NA
Flag:
  red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag into two
  right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one is blue; a gold
  wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on the hoist side of the
  red triangle



@end display

@node Economy (Eritrea)
@section Economy (Eritrea)

@display

Overview:
  With independence from Ethiopia on 27 April 1993, Eritrea faces the bitter
  economic problems of a small, desperately poor African country. Most of the
  population will continue to depend on subsistence farming. Domestic output
  is substantially augmented by worker remittances from abroad. Government
  revenues come from custom duties and income and sales taxes. Eritrea has
  inherited the entire coastline of Ethiopia and has long-term prospects for
  revenues from the devlopment of offshore oil, offshore fishing and tourist
  development. For the time being, Ethiopia will be largely dependent on
  Eritrean ports for its foreign trade.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $400 million (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  NA%
National product per capita:
  $115 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  NA%
Unemployment rate:   NA%
Budget:
  revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
  $NA
 commodities:
  NA
 partners:
  NA
Imports:
  $NA
 commodities:
  NA
 partners:
  NA
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%
Electricity:
  NA kW capacity; NA kWh produced, NA kWh per capita
Industries:
  food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles
Agriculture:
  NA
Economic aid:
  NA
Currency:
  NA
Exchange rates:
  NA
Fiscal year:
  NA



@end display

@node Communications (Eritrea)
@section Communications (Eritrea)

@display

Railroads:
  307 km total; 307 km 1.000-meter gauge; 307 km 0.950-meter gauge
  (nonoperational) linking Ak'ordat and Asmera with the port of Mits'iwe (1993
  est.)
Highways:
  3,845 km total; 807 km paved, 840 km gravel, 402 km improved earth, 1,796 km
  unimproved earth
Ports:
  Assab (formerly Aseb), Massawa (formerly Mits'iwa)
Merchant marine:
  14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 71,837 GRT/90,492 DWT; includes 9
  cargo, 1 roll-on/roll off, 1 livestock carrier, 2 oil tanker, 1 refrigerated
  cargo
Airports:
 total:
  5
 usable:
  5  with permanent-surface runways:
  2
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  2
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  2
Telecommunications:
  NA



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Eritrea)
@section Defense Forces (Eritrea)

@display

Branches:
  Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF)
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 NA; fit for military service NA; reach military age (18)
  annually NA
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP



@end display