Geography

Eritrea is located in East Africa (more specifically the 'Horn of Africa'), and is bordered on the northeast and east by the Red Sea. The country is virtually bisected by one of the world's longest mountain ranges, the Great Rift Valley, with fertile lands to the west and the descent to desert in the East. Off the sandy and arid coastline is situated the Dahlak Archipelago and its fishing grounds. The land to the south, in the highlands, is slightly drier and cooler. The highest point of the country, Amba Soira, is located in the centre of Eritrea, at 3,018 metres (9,902 ft) above sea level.

The Afar Triangle (or Danakil Depression) of Eritrea is the probable location of a triple junction where three tectonic plates are pulling away from one another: the Arabian Plate, and the two parts of the African Plate (the Nubian and the Somalian) splitting along the East African Rift Zone.

In 2006, Eritrea announced it would become the first country in the world to turn its entire coast into an environmentally protected zone. The 837 mile coastline, along with another 1,209 miles of coast around its more than 350 islands, will come under governmental protection.

The main cities of the country are the capital city of Asmara and the port town of Asseb in the southeast, as well as the towns of Massawa to the east, and Keren to the north.