Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea is located in eastern Africa and covers an area of 124,300
square kilometers. The word ‘Eritrea’ comes from the Greek for
‘red.’ The population of 4.56 million is comprised of the Tigrinya,
Tigray, and Afaras well as nine other nationalities. Many residents
believe in Christianity or Islam, and the main languages spoken are
Tigrinya, Tigre, General English, and Arabic. The currency is the
Nakfa and the capital is Asmara.
National Flag
The Eritrean national flag is made up of three triangles of green,
red, and blue. Red symbolizes liberation and struggle for
independence, green represents agriculture and animal husbandry, and
blue denotes the rich marine resources and wealth. A yellow olive
branch emblem symbolizes mineral resources and peace.
History
Long-standing rule of the feudal dynasty in Ethiopia, 19 end of the
century had never formed a unified political entity. In 1869,
Italian colonialists invaded Ethiopia, and by 1890, Italy had
consolidated the country into a unified colonial entity named
Eritrea. In 1941, during World War II, Italy suffered military
defeat, and Eritrea became a British trusteeship. In 1952, Eritrea
formed a local government and formed a federal relationship with
Ethiopia. In 1962, Ethiopian Emperor Selassie forced the
cancellation of the federal system, with Eritrea becoming a province
of Ethiopia. On May 23, 1991, Eritrea became formally independent.
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