signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993

Eritrea People

Population: 4,298,269 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.85% (male 922,691; female 918,916)

15-64 years: 53.87% (male 1,147,927; female 1,167,705)

65 years and over: 3.28% (male 71,232; female 69,798) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.84% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 42.52 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 12.07 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)