Eritrea

Where the name comes from

Eritrea comes through Italian from Greek Erythrá Thálassa, “Red Sea”, the sea along its coast.

First people

Red Sea trade linked northeastern African and Arabian communities here for thousands of years, and the port of Adulis served the kingdom of Aksum.^1,2

Known for

Eritrea is known for Asmara, its capital, whose 1930s Italian modernist buildings are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.³

Outside rule

Italy colonized Eritrea in 1890, and British rule began in 1941.¹

The modern country

Eritrea was joined to Ethiopia in a federation in 1952 and annexed in 1962. Its fight for independence lasted from 1961 to 1991, and a UN-observed referendum confirmed independence in 1993.⁴