 Eritrea. Ten interesting facts you didn't know about it. Eritrea is an independent country in Africa's horn. Eritrea is bordered on the east and northeast by the Red Sea, on the southeast by Djibouti, on the south by Ethiopia, and on the west by Sudan. It is the world's 99th largest country, with 4,406 square miles and including parts of the Hannish Islands and the Dalak archipelago. It has a population of roughly 5 million people and is a multi-ethnic country. Eritrea, along with India, Venezuela, and Brazil, is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, and the Arab League as an observer. Eritrea is small enough to be easily overlooked, while being torfed by two considerably larger neighbors. Despite its tremendous tourism potential, the country is already near the bottom of tourist arrivals in Africa and makes little attempt to attract new visitors. Those who are aware of what Eritrea has to offer are frequently deterred from going since organized trips remain out of reach for most budgets and Eritrea's hotels consistently fail to match international standards. It also doesn't help that, despite obvious changes in recent years, Eritrea's visa procedure remains opaque, unpredictable, and inconvenient. Here are some interesting facts about Eritrea. Please subscribe to Africa Reloaded as we begin the countdown. 10. Over 30% of the Eritrean freedom fighters were women. Women played an important role in Eritrea's independent struggle, accounting for more than 30% of a country's freedom fighters. In comparison to all previous liberation movements on the earth, this one had the biggest percentage of women. The Ethiopian forces were the adversary in the independence war. Following Ethiopia's takeover of Eritrea, the country's official language was changed to inherit. 9. One of the world's oldest hominids was discovered in Eritrea. In Eritrea's Afar area, a million-year-old cranium was discovered having features consistent with both Homo sapien and Homo erectus. The skull serves as a link between the first anatomically modern humans and the hominids. Prior to this finding, the oldest fossil with contemporary human characteristics was found 600,000 years ago in Boto, Ethiopia, Ernesto Abbey, and an international team of paleoanthropologists unearthed the skull. The nearly entire skull was discovered in ancient river and lake sediments deposited in the volcanic northern Danakil formation, together with two incisors and two pelvic pieces. 8. The highest point in Eritrea is in Baswar. The tallest peak in Eritrea is in Baswar, which stands at 9,902 feet. Baswar is located on the southeastern side of Deba and is part of the Eritrean highlands. A paved road leads to the mountain from Senate City, 83.9 kilometers south of Esmarth. 7. The name Eritrea is derived from the Red Sea's ancient name, and it was first used in 1890 when the Italian Eritrea was founded. The name of the country is derived from the region's previous name, Arithris, which is related to the ancient Greek name for the Red Sea, Arithrian Sea. During the Ethiopian and British occupations that followed, the name remained. The country's independence vote in 1993 reaffirmed the name Eritrea. 6. The name of the Eritrean capital city, Esmara means they may be united. In the present day Esmara area, there were once four clans, the Geza Sarencer, Geza Shalal, Geza Gertin and Geza Asmi. The communities from the lowlands and the head of the Sejer Mirab Malaash were constantly attacking these clans. As a result, the ladies of these tribes decided to band together against their mutual foes in order to keep a peace. The men decided to call themselves Arbate Esmara. Arbate Esmara is a Tigranian name that means before brought them together. 5. Eritrea was part of the ancient kingdom of Axum. The kingdom of Axum was an ancient country based in what is now Ethiopia, Eritrea and the Tigray region. The kingdom lasted from 100 until 940 AD and its capital was Axum. The commercial route connecting ancient India and the Roman Empire was led by Axum. The Queen of Sheva is said to have lived at Axum and the Ark of the Covenant is said to have been buried there. 4. Eritrea has no official language. Eritrea is a multilingual country and the country's constitution declares that all languages are equal. Tigrinia is Eritrea's de facto national language, with about 2,540,000 speakers in 2006. Tigrinia is extensively spoken in the country's central and southern regions. Tig, Nara, Safo, Kanama, Bilan, Bija, Afar and Arabic are some of Eritrea's other national languages. The de facto working languages are English and Tigrinia, but the government does not recognize Italian, their previous colonial language. 3. Eritrea is home to one of the oldest port cities in Africa. At their lives, a port city in Eritrea is one of the ancient African cities that was founded during the Axumite Kingdom, 100 AD to 940 AD. Atjulis was located on the Red Sea Zula Gulf, some 25 miles south of Masawa. Atjulis was a metropolitan city in the Axumite Kingdom. The Axumite Kingdom was able to become a major player in the Red Sea thanks to its control of this port. The Atjulis ruins can be seen in the modern-day city of Zula. The empires of Axumite and Deed included atjulis. During the 2nd and 3rd century AD, the port was frequented by Roman merchants. 2. Asmara, the capital city of Eritrea, is also referred to as New Rome or Italy's African city. Asmara is known as New Rome since Italian architecture can be found in many of the city's older structures. Benito Mussolini attempted to convert Asmara to Little Rome after assuming power in Eritrea. As a result, he constructed a number of enormous structures featuring excellent Italian architecture. Because Eritrea was occupied by the Italians for such a long time, the city has a particular Italian flavor. Over 400 structures, including the cinema capitol, Carin Casadel Facio, Orthodox Cathedral, and the villa in De Sempere, reflect an Italian architectural style. Some stores, such as Ferrementa, Pastic-Syria-Moderma, and Barbatoria, continue to employ Italian names. 1. Eritrea has never held a presidential or national election since independence. Eritrea is a one-party state that declared independence from Ethiopia in 1993. Since 2004, Eritrea has not hosted regional or municipal elections, while national and presidential elections have not been held since 1993. Since 1993, Eritrea has only had one president. President of Orchie Isias has long been critical of Western-style democracy. In an interview with Al Jazeera in 2008, the president indicated that his country will wait nearly four decades before conducting an election. The National Assembly's 75 members were elected in 1993, while the others were appointed. 2. Visiting Eritrea can be both exciting and frightening, depending on what you want to do and when you visit. If you plan to remain in Eritrea for an extended period of time, be prepared for the country's cultural peculiarities and strict legal systems. If you enjoyed this journey, please like, share, and subscribe to Africa Reloaded for more updates.