Eritrea - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Eritrea. Strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993. Mother's mean age at first birth is 21.3 years (2010 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 322 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Eritrea
Location Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan
Geographic coordinates 15 00 N, 39 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains
Natural Resources gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish
Natural Hazards

frequent droughts, rare earthquakes and volcanoes; locust swarms

volcanism: Dubbi (1,625 m), which last erupted in 1861, was the country's only historically active volcano until Nabro (2,218 m) came to life on 12 June 2011

Irrigated Land 210 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 1,840 km
Border Countries Djibouti 125 km; Ethiopia 1,033 km; Sudan 682 km
Coastline 2,234 km (mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km)
Climate hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands
Area
Total Area
Land Area 101,000 sq km
Water Area 16,600 sq km
comparative Area slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Elevations
Highest point Soira 3,018 m
Lowest point near Kulul within the Danakil Depression -75 m
Mean elevation 853 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 75.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 6.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 68.3% (2018 est.)
Forest 15.1% (2018 est.)
Other 9.8% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Density is highest in the center of the country in and around the cities of Asmara (capital) and Keren; smaller settlements exist in the north and south as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Eritrea, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Tigrinya 50%, Tigre 30%, Saho 4%, Afar 4%, Kunama 4%, Bilen 3%, Hedareb/Beja 2%, Nara 2%, Rashaida 1% (2021 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 1.12% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 26.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 4.1% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 0.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)
Total fertility rate 3.43 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.69 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate NA
Est married women (ages 15-49) 52.3% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures NA
Net Migration rate -8.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Eritrean | Eritrean(s)
Languages Tigrinya (official), Arabic (official), English (official), Tigre, Kunama, Afar, other Cushitic languages
Religions Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran, Sunni Muslim
Age Structure
0-14 years 35.7% (male 1,138,382/female 1,123,925)
15-64 years 60.3% (male 1,882,547/female 1,944,266)
65 years and over 4% (2024 est.) (male 101,504/female 153,332)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 77.9
Youth dependency ratio 70.8
Elderly dependency ratio 7.1
Potential support ratio 14 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 21.3 years (2024 est.)
Male 20.8 years
Female 21.8 years
Urbanization
Urban population 43.3% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 3.67% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 1.073 million ASMARA (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.66 male(s)/female
Total population 0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 39.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 46.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 32.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 67.5 years (2024 est.)
Male 64.9 years
Female 70.2 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 73.2% of population
Improved: rural rural: 53.3% of population
Improved: total total: 57.8% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 26.8% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 46.7% of population
Unimproved: total total: 42.2% of population (2015 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 44.5% of population
Improved: rural rural: 7.3% of population
Improved: total total: 15.7% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 55.5% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 92.7% of population
Unimproved: total total: 84.3% of population (2017 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases malaria and dengue fever
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 0.93 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0.42 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.51 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 7.5% (2020 est.)
Male 14.7% (2020 est.)
Female 0.2% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile

Eritrea is a persistently poor country that has made progress in some socioeconomic categories but not in others. Education and human capital formation are national priorities for facilitating economic development and eradicating poverty. To this end, Eritrea has made great strides in improving adult literacy – doubling the literacy rate over the last 20 years – in large part because of its successful adult education programs. The overall literacy rate was estimated to be more than 75% in 2018; more work needs to be done to raise female literacy and school attendance among nomadic and rural communities. Subsistence farming fails to meet the needs of Eritrea’s growing population because of repeated droughts, dwindling arable land, overgrazing, soil erosion, and a shortage of farmers due to conscription and displacement. The government’s emphasis on spending on defense over agriculture and its lack of foreign exchange to import food also contribute to food insecurity.

Eritrea has been a leading refugee source country since at least the 1960s, when its 30-year war for independence from Ethiopia began. Since gaining independence in 1993, Eritreans have continued migrating to Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Egypt, or Israel because of a lack of basic human rights or political freedom, educational and job opportunities, or to seek asylum because of militarization. Eritrea’s large diaspora has been a source of vital remittances, funding its war for independence and providing 30% of the country’s GDP annually since it became independent.

In the last few years, Eritreans have increasingly been trafficked and held hostage by Bedouins in the Sinai Desert, where they are victims of organ harvesting, rape, extortion, and torture. Some Eritrean trafficking victims are kidnapped after being smuggled to Sudan or Ethiopia, while others are kidnapped from within or around refugee camps or crossing Eritrea’s borders. Eritreans composed approximately 90% of the conservatively estimated 25,000-30,000 victims of Sinai trafficking from 2009-2013, according to a 2013 consultancy firm report.

All Important Facts about Eritrea

Want to know more about Eritrea? Check all different factbooks for Eritrea below.

Eritrea is found in Eastern Africa