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South Africa, Eritrea Strengthen Ties
Contributor: Natnael A /
August 20, 2012

Pretoria — International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane will host her Eritrean counterpart Osman Slih Mohammed in Cape Town on Tuesday.
Issues of mutual interest, including enhancing the bilateral political and economic relations between the two countries, as well as political developments on the continent, particularly in the Horn of Africa, will be discussed.
Diplomatic relations between South Africa and Eritrea were established in March 1995. Bilateral relations between the two African countries are strong and both countries have already established embassies in each other's capitals.
Exports to Eritrea from South Africa in 2010 amounted to R202 983 000, while imports from Eritrea amounted to R1 044 000.
"South African and Eritrean companies are exploring ways to further strengthen existing economic relations," said the department, adding that a South African business delegation visited Eritrea in July.
State of Eritrea ሃገረ ኤርትራ Hagere Ertra دولة إرتريا
Dawlat Iritrīya
Anthem: Ertra, Ertra, Ertra Eritrea, Eritrea, Eritrea
Capital (and largest city) Asmara
15°20′N 38°55′E / 15.333°N 38.917°E / 15.333; 38.917
Official language(s) Tigrinya, Arabic, English Other languages Tigre, Saho, Bilen, Afar, Kunama, Nara, Hedareb,.
Ethnic groups 60% Tigrinya, 30% Tigre, 4% Afar, 3% Saho, 3% Kunama
Demonym Eritrean Government Provisional government
- President Isaias Afewerki
Independence
- From Italy November 1941
- From United Kingdom under UN Mandate 1951
- from Ethiopia de facto 24 May 1991
- From Ethiopia de jure 24 May 1993
Area
- Total 117,600 km2 (100th)
45,405 sq mi - Water (%) 0.14%
Population
- 2009 estimate 5,224,000[4] (109th)
- 2008 census 5,291,370
- Density 43.1/km2 (165th)
111.7/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2010 estimate
- Total $3.625 billion[5]
- Per capita $681[5]
GDP (nominal) 2010 estimate
- Total $2.117 billion[5]
- Per capita $397[5]
HDI (2007) steady 0.472 (low) (165th)
Currency Nakfa (ERN)
Time zone EAT (UTC+3)
- Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+3)
Drives on the right
ISO 3166 code ER
Internet TLD .er
Calling code 291
1 ,. National TV: Eritrea Television (ERI-TV)
Eritrea (play /ˌɛrɨˈtreɪ.ə/ or /ˌɛrɨˈtriːə/;[6] Ge'ez: ኤርትራ ʾErtrā, Arabic: إرتريا Iritrīyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast. The northeast and east of the country has an extensive coastline on the Red Sea, directly across from Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands are part of Eritrea. Eritrea's size is approximately 117,600 km2 (45,406 sq mi) with an estimated population of 6 million...
Source: Wikipedia