Africa

Eritrea

Glistening in the turquoise waters of the Red Sea, Eritrea's Dahlak Islands are a hidden paradise of white sands and coral reefs, so far known only to a select handful of visitors. Last year, no more than 3000 people visited the archipelago of 350 islets, a fraction of the 80 000 tourists who travel to the Horn of Africa nation annually, according to the Eritrean tourism ministry.

From the capital Asmara, a two-hour drive leads to the port of Massawa, where shuttle boats ferry visitors, most of them backpackers and expatriates based in Asmara, to the Dahlak Islands. The journey to Massawa winds along 115 kilometres of dramatic mountain landscape, on roads cut up to 2400 metres high. Monkeys, camels and cows jostle for attention on the roadside, as well as the occasional band of stern-looking soldiers or gaggle of village children.

From the port, a return trip to the islands costs Pound Sterling 60 on a shuttle boat, or double that on board a converted traditional fishing boat, or "sambuk". Allow an extra Pound Sterling 16 per head for the three-day travel permit for the desert islands...More Information on Eritrea.

Full country name: State of Eritrea
National name: Hagere Ertra
Area: 46,842 sq mi (121,320 sq km)
Population: 4,362,254 (July 2003 est.)
Capital City: Asmara (formerly Asmera)
Language: Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages
Ethnicity/race: ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%
Religion: Islam, Eritrean Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Government: A transitional government committed to a democratic system.
Head of State: Isaias Afwerki (1993)

History of Eritrea

Eritrea did not exist as a distinct region until 1869 when the Italians occupied it. The territory that is now Eritrea had belonged to the ancient but discontinuous Abyssinian Empire since its legendary beginning in the 10th century BC. Some of its coast had been occupied by various Muslim forces since the 7th century until the Italians gained a foothold in 1869 and finally occupied all of it as an agricultural colony at the end of the last century. The Italians built roads, railways, ports and plantations but also schools and hospitals. Mussolini invaded Ethiopia from Eritrea in 1936 but was defeated by the Allies in 1941...More on Eritrea's History.

Overview of Eritrea's Economy

GDP:$740 (2002 est.)
GDP per capita:
$900
Annual Growth:
2.5%
Inflation:
10%
Major Industries:food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles, salt, cement, commercial ship repair.
Major Trading Partners:Malaysia, Italy, France, U.S., Turkey, UK, Russia (2003).
Natural resources:
gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish.
Member of EU:
No

Also Read: A short note on Economy of Eritrea

Political System of Eritrea

- Government of Eritrea

Climate, Vegetation and Fauna

The country can be divided into three major climatic zones; the central highlands, the coastal region and the western lowlands.
In the highlands, May is the hottest months with temperatures reaching a high of 85°F. The coolest months are from December to February with lows of around 32°F with great variations between each days high and low temperatures. There are two raining seasons, March and April experiencing what is known as the short rains and the main rainy season from late June to the beginning of September...more


 

What to See in Algeria

Other Tourist Attractions in Algeria

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What to do in Algeria

Algeria has a wide range of features that would be of interest to tourists. These include cultural centers, museums, and memorials filled with historical backgrounds and items of interest. A small seaside village, Bou Ismail, is a favorite of visitors who enjoy a great fishing experience. And, for the water sports lovers, Alger-Plage beach (Algiers- Beach) gives you an opportunity for sailing and boating. A visit to Tipaza and Berard villages provides a wealth of insights into the fascinating Algerian history, from the Phoenicians to Roman times. In the northern part of Algiers, (Kasbah), Stand Ketchaoua (a restored ottoman mosque) and Bitchin mosque with a museum of traditional arts, all offer interesting sights to explore and marvel at.

Algiers, the capital city of Algeria, has never been knows as an exciting place to visit. But, the name alone conjures up interesting thoughts. The Medina is of course one place to visit with the markets and buildings of French origin and some magnificent Turkish palaces. Check the area near the Ketchaoua Mosque on Rue Hadj Omar. The Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions is also worth a visit. For a good view of the city head out of the city center to Martyrs’ Monument.

The earliest inhabitants of the area were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. They were largely replaced by Bantu tribes during a series of migrations. The southern part of the country was named Matabeleland after the Ndebele tribe who occupied the area in the early 1800’s under a loose confederation of Ndebele-speaking tribes headed by the Khumalo tribe under [...]
Countries in Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Cote d’Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo Rwanda Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Religion in Africa Africans profess a wide variety of religious beliefs, with Christianity and Islam being the most widespread. Approximately 40% of all Africans are Christians and another 40% Muslims. Roughly 20% of Africans primarily follow indigenous African religions. A small number of Africans also have beliefs from the Judaic tradition, such as the Beta Israel [...]
Culture of Africa Africa has a number of overlapping cultures. The most conventional distinction is that between sub-Saharan Africa and the northern countries from Egypt to Morocco, who largely associate themselves with Arabic culture. In this comparison, the nations to the south of the Sahara are considered to consist of many cultural areas, in particular [...]
Demographics of Africa Africans may be grouped according to whether they live north or south of the Sahara Desert; these groups are called North Africans and Sub-Saharan Africans, respectively. Afro-Asiatic speaking peoples predominate in North Africa, while Sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by a number of disparate populations grouped according to their diverse languages–Niger-Congo predominantly in West [...]
Economy of Africa Africa is the world’s poorest inhabited continent: the United Nations’ Human Development Report 2003 (of 175 countries) found that positions 151 (Gambia) to 175 (Sierra Leone) were taken up entirely by African nations. It has had (and in some ways is still having) a shaky and uncertain transition from colonialism, with increases in corruption [...]
Politics in Africa Colonial Africa Colonialism had a destabilizing effect on what had been a number of ethnic groups that is still being felt in African politics. Prior to European influence, national borders were not much of a concern, with Africans generally following the practice of other areas of the world, such as the Arabian peninsula, where [...]
History of Africa Africa is home to the oldest inhabited territory on earth, with the human race originating from this continent. During the mid 20th century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago. The famous Leakey family, with ties to both Britain and Africa, discovered fossil [...]
Geography of Africa Africa is the largest of the three great southward projections from the main mass of the Earth’s surface. It includes within its remarkably regular outline an area, of c. 30,360,288 km² (11,722,173 mi²), including the islands. Separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, it is joined to Asia at its northeast extremity by the [...]
Etymology of Africa The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra - “land of the Afri” (plural, or “Afer” singular) - for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day Tunisia. The Afri were a tribe - possibly Berber [...]

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Africa Travel Guide