Click to see a larger map

Lying along the shore of the Red Sea, Eritrea has a landscape of rugged mountains, bush, and desert. A former Italian colony later annexed by Ethiopia, Eritrea fought a long war to win independence in 1993. It is the only country successfully to have seceded in postcolonial Africa. Like its southern neighbor, Eritrea is prone to recurring droughts and the threat of famine. War with Ethiopia in 1998–2000 brought heavy losses on both sides.