title

Eritrea

Geography

Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, north of Ethiopia. Slightly larger than Pennsylvania.

Recent History

A thirty year struggle from the early 1960s ended in 1991, followed by a referendum in Eritrea in 1993 overwhelmingly approving independence.

Economy

Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.

Estimated per capita GDP:
2007 $1,000

GDP annual growth rate estimated for 2007: 2.0 percent. (Ranks 186th)

Factbook: "Like the economies of many African nations, the economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding."

Deaths and Births per 1,000 persons, estimated for the year 2008

Deaths: 9.15, down from 13.53 in 2005. Births: 33.62, down from 38.62 in 2005.

Population

Estimated for July 2008: 5.028 million, up from 4.57 million in 2005: Growth rate estimated for 2008: 2.447 percent per year.

Health

Infant mortality estimated for 2008: 44.22, down from 45.24 in 2007 (deaths before the age of one year, per 1,000 live births).

Average life expectancy estimated for 2008: 60.05, up from 59.55 in 2007

Living with HIV/AIDS, ages 15 to 49: 2.7 percent (2003 estimate).

SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/

Copyright © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.