August 21 2012 at 06:52pm
By SAPA
Jacoline Prinsloo
File picture – International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane
Cape Town -
South Africa is continuing its mission to strengthen ties with the north east African country of Eritrea, the international relations department said on Tuesday.
This was underlined in a meeting between International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and her Eritrean counterpart Osman Salih Mohammed in Cape Town, it said.
“Minister Osman has indicated to me that Eritrea is open for business with South Africa, especially in the sectors of mining, railway and tourism infrastructure, agro-processing, agriculture, fisheries and solar energy,” Nkoana-Mashabane said.
“We have signed a declaration of intent, which records our mutual intention to work towards enhancing bilateral relations.”
The two countries should soon be in a position to enter into a general co-operation agreement, which would lay the foundation for exchanges in all spheres. – Sapa-
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
