ኤርትራ
Eritrea

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Eritrea is the most recent African nation to receive its independence, gained after a thirty year struggle for liberation from its southern neighbor, Ethiopia.  Eritrea is located in the Horn of Africa, stretching some 1,151km (720m) along the western shore of the Red Sea (opposite Yemen and Saudi Arabia) from its border in the north and east with the Sudan to its border with Djibouti and Ethiopia in the south.  The nation is geographically divided into four main regions: the arid Red Sea coastal plain (Metahet), the highland plateau (Kebessa), the mountainous regions of Sahel and Senhit in the north, and the semi-arid western lowlands that slopes towards the Sudan.  There is an amazing variation in altitude, from the Danakil depression, which is 75m (246ft) below sea level, to Soira, which is 3018m (9900ft) above sea level.  The capital and largest city, Asmara, is situated in the highland plateau at an elevation of 2325m (7628ft) above sea level and is linked by roads to the other major cities of Keren, Massawa, Dekemhare, Mendefera, and Adi-Keyh.

The population of Eritrea is estimated at about five million, with about half identifying themselves ethnically as Tigrinya; nearly one-third identify themselves as Tigré; and the remainder of the population identifies as Afar-Saho (10%), Bilen (5%) or Kunama-Nara (5%).  All languages are official and are taught in Eritrean schools, however, Tigrinya, Arabic and English are the generally accepted languages of prestige and common use.  Eritreans are roughly equally split between the Islamic and Christian faiths, with the latter belonging mostly to the Eritrean Orthodox Church. Paul Henze has written a short essay about Eritrean history, which lays out some of the basic events and movements.

Lonely Planet lists some of the attractions in Eritrea, which include the incredible scuba diving opportunities along the Red Sea coastline and off the Dahlak Islands, the modernist and Art-Deco architecture and striking highland views in Asmara, and numerous sites related to the former Aksumite Empire that once governed the entire region of what is now Eritrea and northern Ethiopia.

More to come...

Things I have done:

Tigrinya Keyboard Mapping for Mac OS X: adds ability to include Tigrinya on your OS X Input Menu, using the included Unicode fonts.
Asmara TrueType font: a Latin/Roman font used for the titles and menu on this website, styled to resemble ፊደል, the Tigrinya alphabet.

Tigrinya resources:

Summer Cooperative African Language Institute
The Tigrinya Writing System

Links:

Mebrat Tzehaie's Homepage: complete overview of Eritrea, with many pictures
Eritrea Portal
Dehai Eritrean News and Mailing List