Geography of Eritrea

File:Massicci nei dintorni di senafé, 15.JPG

Massifs surrounding Senafe, Eritrea

Eritrea is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered on the northeast and east by the Red Sea, on the west and northwest by Sudan, on the south by Ethiopia, and on the southeast by Djibouti. The country has a high central plateau that varies from Template:Convert above sea level. A coastal plain, western lowlands, and some 350 islands comprise the remainder of Eritrea's land mass.

Climate

File:Koppen-Geiger Map v2 ERI 1991–2020.svg

Eritrea's climate according to Köppen

The climate of Eritrea is shaped by its diverse topography and its location within the tropics. The diversity in landscape and topography in the highlands and lowlands of Eritrea results in a diverse climate. The highlands have a temperate climate throughout the year, while most lowland zones are arid or semiarid.

The distribution of rainfall and vegetation types varies markedly throughout the country. Eritrean climate varies on the basis of seasonal and altitudinal differences. Based on variations in temperature Eritrea can be broadly divided into three major climate zones: a temperate zone, a subtropical climate zone and a tropical climate zone.<ref name=Mussie>Template:Cite book</ref> According to the Köppen climate classification, most of Eritrea has either a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) or a hot desert climate (BWh), although temperatures are much moderated at the highest elevations.<ref name=Mussie/>

In the central highlands, the hottest month is usually May to June with highs around Template:Convert. Winter is between December and February with lows at night that can be near freezing point. Asmara itself enjoys a pleasant climate all year round, although it can be quite cold at night in winter. There are two rainy seasons: the short rains in March and April and the main rains from late June to the beginning of September. The climate is usually sunny and dry as annual sunshine durations average around 3,000 hours and average annual rainfall shover around Template:Convert.<ref name=Mussie/>

On the coast along the Red Sea, the summertime is long, from June to September and extremely hot with averages high temperatures ranging from Template:Convert, and it's even hotter in Denkalia. The wintertime is nearly non-existent. Average high temperatures remain above Template:Convert during the least hot month of the year, while average low temperatures exceed Template:Convert. The rainy season along the coast north of Denkalia falls during the winter months but rainy days still remain scarce; rainfall is even more rare in Denkalia Region. The climate is always sunny and dry in this zone and cloudy days are rare.<ref name=Mussie/>

In the western lowlands, the high temperatures are comparable to those on the coast in the hottest months of April until June. December is the coolest month with averages low temperatures falling as low as Template:Convert. The rainy seasons are the same as for the highlands.<ref name=Mussie/>

Data

File:Eritrea Topography.png

Topography of Eritrea

Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan, also bordering Ethiopia.

Geographic coordinates: Template:Coord

Continent: Africa

Area

• total: 117,600 km²
  • country rank in the world: 99th
• land: 101,000 km²
• water: 16,600 km²

Area — comparative

• slightly smaller than Malawi
• Australia comparative: slightly more than half the size of Victoria
• Canada comparative: approximately twice the size of Nova Scotia
• United Kingdom comparative: slightly less than half the size of the United Kingdom
• United States comparative: approximately the size of Ohio
• EU comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Croatia

Land boundaries

• total: Template:Convert

border countries

• Djibouti Template:Convert
• Ethiopia Template:Convert
• Sudan Template:Convert

Note that the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia is disputed.

File:Dahlak Islands.jpg

The Dahlak Islands near Massawa, as seen from space.

Coastline

• Template:Convert total
  • mainland on Red Sea Template:Convert
  • islands in Red Sea Template:Convert

Maritime claims

• territorial sea: Template:Convert

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

Ecoregions

Most of Eritrea's coast is part of the Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands semi-desert ecoregion. The southern part of the Red Sea coast, along with the Red Sea coast of Djibouti, has been described as the Eritrean coastal desert, a harsh sand and gravel coastal strip covered in dune grasses and shrubs that is important as a channel for the mass migration of birds of prey.

Elevation extremes

• lowest point:
  • near Lake Kulul within the Afar Depression Template:Convert
• highest point:
  • Amba Soira Template:Convert

Natural resources

• gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly petroleum and natural gas, fish

Land use

• arable land: 6.83%
• permanent crops: 0.02%
• other: 93.15% (2012 est.)

Irrigated land

• Template:Convert (2003)

Total renewable water resources

• Template:Convert

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

• total: Template:Convert/yr (5%/0%/95%)
• per capita: Template:Convert/yr (2004)

Natural hazards

• frequent droughts, rare earthquakes and volcanic activity, and locust storms

Environment — current issues

• deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare;

Environment — international agreements

• party to:
  • Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection

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.

Extreme points

This is a list of the extreme points of Eritrea, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.

• Northernmost point - the point at which the border with Sudan enters the Red Sea, Northern Red Sea region
• Easternmost point - the point at which the border with Djibouti enters the Red Sea, Southern Red Sea Region
• Southernmost point - unnamed location on the border with Djibouti immediately east of the Djiboutian town of Dadda`to, Southern Red Sea Region
• Westernmost point - Abu Gamal mountain, Gash-Barka