Misc.
Eritrea
is Africa's newest independent republic having gained its independence
from Ethiopia in 1993. It lies to the north of Ethiopia and forms
part of the North East African
Region. The capital city is Asmara (also spelt Asmera). Other major
towns are the ports of Massawa and Assab (also spelt
Aseb) and Decamere.
Eritrea
has an estimated 1995 population of 2.7 million people. The official
language is Tigrinia but Arabic, Afar and Somali are also spoken.
The government is committed
to a freemarket economic system and has announced plans to reduce
its holdings in some 40 public enterprises. Reliable
economic indicators on the performance of the Eritrean economy,
however, are scarce as the country has only recently gained its independence
after a long civil war. The
country retained the Ethiopian currency, the Birr, after independence.
(US$ / Birr - current exchange rate).
The
Eritrean mining and oil industries are key elements in the economy
of the country. Eritrea has considerable mineral and oil potential
although there
has been little exploration activity so far. The downstream
oil industry is also well-developed following government policies
to encourage its development.
There is a refinery at Assab which supplies the local market as well
as neighbouring Ethiopia. Electricity is provided by the parastatal
utility, Eritrean Electricity Authority.
The
international time zone for Eritrea is GMT +3 and the international
dialling code is +291. There is an international airport at Asmara
served by Ethiopian Airlines.
As at January 1996 all visitors require visas in order to visit Eritrea.