Eritrea is Known for...

●    Asmara’s Art Deco architecture
●    Cinquecento (Fiat 500) taxis
●    Conflict with Ethiopia
●    Despotic rulers, unfortunately
●    Mouth-watering macchiato beverages
●    Polite people

Most were listed in The Africa Book; the MLA citation is below. What are other "trademarks" of this African country? Feel free to share your thoughts with a comment!

Phillips et al. The Africa Book: A Journey through Every
          Country in the Continent. Lonely Planet, 2007.

— #AfricaWeek —

Eritrea Exports

The following items are major exports of ERITREA: beverages, cement, clothing and textiles, corn (maize), cotton, copper, gold (small amounts), lentils, livestock, manufactured goods, potash, salt, seafood, sisal, sorghum, tobacco, and zinc. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include China (top importer), Yemen, Vietnam, Italy, India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Djibouti, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Kenya, Israel, Sweden, the United States, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Russia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Venezuela.

Mousa Ali Volcano

Serving as the highest point in the East African country DJIBOUTI, Mousa Ali (Mousâ'alli) is a stratovolcano standing 2,021 meters and 6,131 feet tall. It is specifically located along a three-nation border point, connecting Djibouti's northern border with ETHIOPIA's northeastern border and ERITREA's southeastern border. Mousa Ali is fortunately dormant and has not erupted for thousands of years. Even better, the volcano is in a low-populated area away from major settlements. Communities located multiple kilometers and miles away from the relatively safe volcano include Dorra in Djibouti, Vann (over 20 miles away) in Eritrea, and Bure and Manda in Ethiopia.

Eritrea Endangered Species

As of June 30th, 2015, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for ERITREA in East Africa lists 5 critically endangered species and 16 endangered species. Fortunately, Eritrea does not have any extinct species on the IUCN Red List, although the country does have aquatic species in the Red Sea that are endangered from overfishing and other environment pressures. The critically endangered species are the African Wild Donkey, Green Sawfish, Hawksbill Turtle, Northern Bald Ibis, and Sociable Lapwing. Some of Eritrea's endangered species include the African Wild Dog, Black Teatfish, Gabal Elba Dragon Tree, Golden Sandfish, Hooded Vulture, Humphead Wrasse fish, and Prickly Redfish (Pineapple Sea Cucumber).

Eritrea post (links opens in new tab or window)

Highest Mountain in Eritrea

Have you ever wondered about the highest mountain in ERITREA, an East African country that gained independence in the 1990s? Well, probably not, but now you will know some info that your friends probably don't! Of course if you live in Eritrea, you are likely to know that the highest peak is Emba Soira (simply called Soira sometimes). It towers almost 10,000 meters (about 3,000 feet) above sea level among the Eritrean Highlands. The closest towns to the mountain are Sanafē and Tisha. According to the ruler function in Google Earth's software, Emba Soira is about 91 kilometers and 55 miles southeast of Asmara, Eritrea's capital.

Africa's Thin Countries

If you looked at a map of Africa, you may or may not have noticed that there are several small, very thin countries. While countries such as Lesotho and Sierra Leone are rather round, Africa is home to five extremely skinny countries. The West Africa region boasts the most with three: they are BENIN, GAMBIA*, and TOGO. East Africa has one country that is diagonally skinny: ERITREA, bordering the Red Sea and located north of Ethiopia. Located in Southern Africa, MALAWI is the remaining skinny country. It straddles the vertically oriented Lake Malawi and the Great Rift Valley.

* Gambia's north and south borders are on both sides of the horizontally flowing Gambia River

GeoFact of the Day | Italy's Former African Colonies

Three African countries are located where ITALY established colonies centuries ago. The three countries are LIBYA, ERITREA, and SOMALIA. Libya is located in Northern Africa along the Mediterranean Sea coast, while Eritrea and Somalia are located in the Horn of Africa. Meanwhile, ETHIOPIA was occupied and annexed by Italy for approximately five years and was not technically considered a colony.

Eritrea

ERITREA is an East African country located in the peninsular Horn of Africa region, west of the Red Sea. There are 3 bordering countries: Djibouti to the southeast, Ethiopia to the south, and Sudan to the west. Eritrea has a population greater than 5.9 million, according to a 2014 estimate. The capital and largest-populated city in Eritrea is Asmara, inhabited by about 1.15 million residents in the metropolitan area with over 560,000 residents in the main city limits. The currency is the Eritrean Nakfa, and its ISO 4217 currency code is ERN.

Nile River

The Nile River is sometimes known as the longest river in the world — contending with the Amazon River for the longest river designation. The Nile River stretches for more than 4,100 miles and almost 6,600 miles long! The Nile and its major tributaries — the Blue Nile (east) and White Nile (south) — runs through 11 countries in Africa: Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The northern and main portion of the Nile is found in Egypt and Sudan. The Blue Nile predominantly flows through Ethiopia and Sudan. The White Nile is especially wide in South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda.