Eritrea is in the Horn of Africa, north of Ethiopia, east of Sudan and northwest of Djibouti. It's on the Red Sea; its name comes from the Greek for 'red land.' The capital is Asmara. Several islands in the Red Sea, notably the Dahlak Archipelago and the Hanish Islands, belong to Eritrea. With a population of about 6 million, Eritrea has an area of approximately 45,400 square miles. The most common languages spoken in Eritrea are Tingriya, Arabic and English.

Once home to herds of elephants known to Ptolemaic Egypt, Eritrea now has one herd of East African elephants, the most northerly herd in East Africa. Since 2006, the entire 837 mile long coastline and neighboring islands have formed an environmentally protected zone, making Eritrea the first nation to so protect its coastal areas. The country is split by the mountains that form the Great Rift Valley of Africa. The south, being the highlands, is cooler and drier than the north.

Eighty percent of Eritrea's people engage in agriculture, both farming and herding. The islands in the Red Sea provide a small fishing industry. Despite having recently emerged from strife with Ethiopia, Eritrea's is growing at an annual rate of about 3,6 percent; its gross domestic product is about $1,9 billion.

Eritrea is made of ethnically diverse peoples. About 60 percent of them are Tingrinya, descendants of the ancient Ge'ez speaking people of ancient Ethiopia. Tigre people, who are related to the Tingrinya, make up about 30 percent. The remaining people are Afroasiatic-speaking people speaking Cushitic languages; among them the Saho, Hedareb, Afar and Bilen peoples. Several smaller Nilo-Sahara ethnic groups live in Eritrea. Most people speak more than one language.

Because of its location, Eritrea has been a center of trade for millenia. The influence of the world's visitors can be seen in this tiny country. The traditional dress is varied throughout Eritrea's regions, reflecting its multicultural heritage. The cuisine is spicy and grain-based, often eaten with a flat bread.