Eritrea
POPULATION 4,465,651
SUNNI MUSLIM 50 percent
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN (TEWAHDO) 40
percent EASTERN CATHOLIC (EASTERN RITE) AND ROMAN CATHOLIC 5.5 percent
PROTESTANT 2.4 percent
AFRICAN INDIGENOUS BELIEFS 1 percent
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST 0.5 percent
JEHOVAH'S WITNESS 0.5 percent
OTHER (BUDDHIST, HINDU, BAHAI) 0.1 percent
Country Overview
Introduction
Eritrea is a small country in the region of northeast Africa known as the Horn of Africa. Its eastern border stretches 600 miles along the coastline of the Red Sea, and its neighboring countries are Ethiopia, The Sudan, and Djibouti. Eritrea's predominantly rural population lives by agriculture and animal husbandry. Its terrain is roughly divided into highlands occupied by farmers and lowland plains inhabited by people who practice mixed farming and herding.
Italy originally established Eritrea's borders and ruled the country as an Italian colony from 1889 to 1941. During World War II the British army defeated the Italians in Eritrea, governing the area as a protectorate until 1952. The United Nations then established Eritrea as an autonomous unit in federation with Ethiopia, but in 1962 Ethiopia annexed Eritrea as a province. From 1961 to 1991 Eritreans fought a war of independence from Ethiopia. Finally, in May 1993 Eritrea declared its official separation from Ethiopia and was admitted to the United Nations.
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