Eritrea Geography

What is the terrain and geography like in Eritrea?

Overview

Eritrea is a country of stark and dramatic landscapes from its 630-mile Red Sea coastline to its high craggy mountains to the desolate Danakil Depression. The capital of Asmara, at 7,600 feet above sea level, is located on a high plateau in the center of the country. The descent from Asmara to the port of Massawa is one of the most spectacular drives in the world, taking nearly three hours over hairpin curves to cover the 65 miles to the coast. Off the coast are some 350 islands, most of them uninhabited and little explored. The coral reefs which surround many of the islands were left undisturbed by tourism and over-fishing during the long war, and are among the healthiest in the world. The country’s lowest point is minus 75 meters, near Dalul in the Danakil Depression; its highest is Mount Soira at 3,018 meters. Only about 12% of the land is arable.

Geography - note

Strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993

Eritrea Use of Natural Resources

Geographic Location	Africa
Total Area	45,405 Square Miles 117,600 Square Kilometers
Land Area	38,996 Square Miles 101,000 Square Kilometers
Water Area	6,409 Square Miles 16,600 Square Kilometers
Land Boundaries	1,010 Miles 1,626 Kilometers
Irrigated Land	83 Square Miles 215 Square Kilometers
Border Countries	Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km
Coastline	1,388 Miles 2,234 Kilometers
Geographic Coordinates	15 00 N, 39 00 E
Terrain	Dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains
Highest Point	3,018 Meters
Highest Point Location	Soira 3,018 m
Lowest Point	-75 Meters
Lowest Point Location	Near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m
Natural Resources	Gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish
Time Zone	UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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