The 2010 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish

      Land use:

      arable land: 4.78%

      permanent crops: 0.03%

      other: 95.19% (2005)

      Irrigated land:

      210 sq km (2003)

      Total renewable water resources:

      6.3 cu km (2001)

      Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

      total: 0.3 cu km/yr (3%/0%/97%)

      per capita: 68 cu m/yr (2000)

      Natural hazards:

      frequent droughts; locust swarms

      volcanism: Dubbi (elev. 1,625 m, 5,331 ft), which last erupted in 1861, is the country's only historically active volcano

      Environment - current issues:

      deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare

      Environment - international agreements:

      party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection

      signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

      Geography - note:

      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

      People ::Eritrea

      Population:

      5,792,984 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 108

      Age structure:

      0–14 years: 42.8% (male 1,212,848/female 1,202,240)

      15–64 years: 53.7% (male 1,483,169/female 1,547,078)

      65 years and over: 3.6% (male 92,009/female 109,824) (2010 est.)

      Median age:

      total: 18.5 years

      male: 18.2 years

      female: 18.9 years (2010 est.)

      Population growth rate:

      2.522% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 30

      Birth rate:

      33.48 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 39

      Death rate:

      8.25 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 96

      Net migration rate:

      0 migrant(s)/1,000 population country comparison to the world: 73

      Urbanization:

      urban population: 21% of total population (2008)

      rate of urbanization: 5.4% annual rate of change (2005–10 est.)

      Sex ratio:

      at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

      under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

      15–64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

      65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female

      total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

      Infant mortality rate:

      total: 42.33 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 65 male: 47.87 deaths/1,000 live births

      female: 36.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

      Life expectancy at birth:

      total population: 62.15 years country comparison to the world: 180 male: 60.06 years

      female: 64.3 years (2010 est.)

      Total fertility rate:

      4.6 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 35

      HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

      1.3% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 47

      HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

      38,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 66

      HIV/AIDS - deaths:

      2,600 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 56

      Major infectious diseases:

      degree of risk: high

      food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

      vectorborne disease: malaria (2009)

      Nationality:

      noun: Eritrean(s)

      adjective: Eritrean

      Ethnic groups:

      nine recognized ethnic groups: Tigrinya 55%, Tigre 30%, Saho 4%, Kunama 2%, Rashaida 2%, Bilen 2%, other (Afar, Beni Amir, Nera) 5% (2010 est.)

      Religions:

      Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant

      Languages:

      Tigrinya (official), Arabic (official), English (official), Tigre,

       Kunama, Afar, other Cushitic languages

      Literacy:

      definition: age 15 and over can read and write

      total population: 58.6%

      male: 69.9%

      female: 47.6% (2003 est.)

      School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

      total: 6 years

      male: 7 years

      female: 5 years (2004)

      Education expenditures:

      2% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 168

      Government ::Eritrea

      Country name:

      conventional long form: State of Eritrea

      conventional short form: Eritrea

      local long form: Hagere Ertra

      local short form: Ertra

      former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia

      Government type:

      transitional government

      note: following a successful referendum on independence for the Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23–25 April 1993, a National Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997, did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential elections; parliamentary elections were scheduled in December 2001 but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)

      Capital:

      name: Asmara (Asmera)

      geographic coordinates: 15 20 N, 38 56 E

      time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

      Administrative divisions:

      6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); Anseba, Debub (South), Debubawi