The African country of Eritrea is located on the western tip of the Horn of Africa, on the warm and arid coast of the Red Sea, whose Greek name got its name from the colonial authorities of Italy. Despite its small territory, the country borders on three states, has a long coastline and owns several large islands in the sea.
Traces of ancient civilizations
On the territory of modern Eritrea, sites of the most ancient human predecessors were discovered, possessing a skeleton structure similar to modern people.
The arid climate of these parts made it possible to find numerous evidence of the presence of ancient people on the Horn of Africa. Not only fossils in Neolithic sites have survived, but also numerous drawings in caves.
Along the coast of the Red Sea, international research teams regularly find tools of ancient people that they used to extract marine resources, such as mollusks and their shells, as well as fish using primitive fishing hooks.
In addition, some linguists believe that modern Afro-Asian languages derive their ancestry from languages that first appeared in the Horn of Africa.
The ancient kingdom of Axum
Although in the present state of Eritrea nothing reminds of past greatness, nevertheless it has a rich and long history. On lands along the coast of the Red Sea, long before the advent of Christianity, there was a state with a highly developed culture. Residents of these lands produced exquisite household items, among which were copper products, presented in abundance today in the Museum of Antiquities in the Eritrean capital.
And although not only Eritrea, but also Ethiopia claims to be related to this culture, the largest city of the old kingdom is still in Eritrea and is called Axum.
Political Instability and the Humanitarian Crisis
The country of Eritrea is considered one of the most disadvantaged on the African continent. This is due to the economic and political crisis in which the country has been residing for more than a decade. In addition, there are serious problems with the observance of human rights by the state.
Most ordinary Europeans probably don’t have a good idea of where Eritrea is located, but this state attracts the close attention of international observers dealing with the human rights situation. And I must say that today many human rights activists are close to accusing the government of this country of massive war crimes.
First of all, complaints from the UN are causing mass involvement of children in military service. Due to the political instability caused by the political crisis and the recent war for the disputed territories with Ethiopia, the country has almost no control over the state border, which allows various gangsters to freely cross the borders with Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti, which is mired in the humanitarian crisis. Gangs are recruiting children into military units with the intention of using them for robbery and piracy. Very often, such recruitment involves violence against the family of the child: fathers are often killed, and mothers and sisters are abused.
Eritrea’s army is one of the largest in Africa, but is not considered effective enough. Officially, both men and women should serve, one and a half years, but, according to the Reporters Without Borders organization and human rights committees, the service can last for decades or even for life.
However, international organizations are not yet in a position to radically influence the situation.
Capital of the African country Eritrea
Asmara City is home to over one million people. Like many other capitals, this is the largest city in the country, which, in addition to government agencies, also has fixed capital, industrial production and intellectual resources of the country, concentrated in universities and museums.
The city is located at a considerable distance from the sea in an arid climate zone with not too sultry summers and mild winters. However, like the rest of Eritrea, the capital is located in a zone with little rainfall during the three summer months. During this period, the amount of precipitation does not exceed 8 mm, which, together with an increase in air temperature, creates the necessary conditions for rapid desertification. And this means that effective agricultural production in these territories is impossible.
Metropolitan culture
Despite serious conflicts between Eritreans and Italians, the colonial authorities of Italy have done a lot of good for Eritrea. They mainly engaged in the construction of transport infrastructure and the development of production. The capital of the African country of Eritrea is the city of Asmara, which has retained its functions since the time of the colonial Italian administration.
Many experts in architecture compare Asmara from the time of the Italian occupation with modern Dubai, where architects are limited only by the flight of their own imagination, and the state is ready to finance the most daring experiments. From those beautiful times, the country's first cinema, opera theater and the building of the state bank have been preserved. In this city, Benito Mussolini wanted to recreate a colony similar to those of the Roman Empire.
Unfortunately, during independence from Italy, Eritrea experienced a number of serious military conflicts, during which the country's economy was almost completely destroyed. Urban colonial architecture was also seriously affected.
But, despite serious problems in the economy, the State University and the Technical Institute function in Asmara, where citizens can receive technical and humanitarian education in various specialties. The capital of the country Eritrea may become the city in which the economic revival of the country will begin.
Dictatorship and freedom of the press
The country of Eritrea is the subject of interest of many human rights organizations. One of the most glaring and flagrant cases of human rights violations is the story of journalist David Isaac. This journalist, who has dual citizenship of Eritrea and Sweden, spent 15 years in Eritrea prison without charge and without waiting for a court decision.
This story began in 2001, when Isaac, along with other journalists, published an open letter addressed to the authorities and containing a call for compliance with the Constitution.
Immediately after this publication, mass arrests of journalists who signed the letter followed, and despite the efforts of international organizations, the fate of many of them is still unknown. At the same time, Isaac was released only in 2016, after fifteen years of imprisonment. Immediately after his release, UNESCO decided to award him the Guillermo Cano Prize, awarded for his diligence and honesty in journalistic activities.
Eritrea Country: Minerals
In the structure of the economy of Eritrea, minerals do not occupy the most important place. This is due primarily to political instability that impedes investment.
The share of industry in the country's economy does not exceed 29%, and most enterprises are in extremely poor condition or even destroyed. With regard to fossil resources, most of them are mined by handicrafts and do not affect the country's export potential. A significant share in the export is occupied only by sea salt, extracted from sea water through a primitive evaporation technology.
Wars and terrorism as barriers to growth
Throughout its history of independence, Eritrea waged wars with neighbors, sponsored terrorist organizations operating in neighboring states, or conducted active repressions against its own citizens.
The current state of the Eritrean economy and society was achieved as a result of a senseless war with Ethiopia, which began in 1998 and ended two years later.
During this time, tens of thousands of citizens of both states became victims of the war. Both countries actively involved minors and women in the hostilities, as a result of which the border between armed people and the civilian population was blurred, and the number of innocent victims grew. The war ended with the defeat of Eritrea, and the UN decided to deploy a small number of armed observers in the country.
Since then, the country's economy has not recovered, the political elite is mired in intrigues and abuses, and the number of refugees from Eritrea has grown significantly in Europe, many of whom have traveled great distances at risk for life, crossed the Mediterranean Sea to find themselves in the territory of South European countries, but primarily in Italy.
