Map:

Flag description: red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle 

Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan 

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 39 00 E 

Climate:  hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually); semiarid in western hills and lowlands; rainfall heaviest during June-September except in coastal desert 

Independence: 23-25 April 1993 referendum was held with vote for independence as the outcome; 24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia; formerly the Eritrea Autonomous Region) 

Nationality: Eritrean(s) 

Capital City: Asmara (formerly Asmera) 

Population: 4,135,933 (July 2000 est.) 

Head of State: President ISAIAS Afworki 

Area: 121,320 sq km 

Type of Government:  transitional government 

Currency: 1 nafka = 100 cents 

Major peoples: ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%

Religion: Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant 

Official Language: 

Principal Languages: Afar, Amharic, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages 

Major Exports: livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures 

History: