POPULATION:
5.2 million
LITERACY RATE:
40%
SELF DEFENSE FORCES:
 US  Armed Forces
LANGUAGES:
Tigre and Kunama, Cushitic dialects, Tigre, Nora Bana, Arabic    
ETHNIC GROUPS:
Pygmy, Bantu, Spanish, 
BORDERING COUNTRIES:
Djibouti, Ethiopia, Sudan  
ERITREA- On the surface Eritrea seems to be prosperous and the long inner conflict and hard won indepedence seems but a harsh memory.  However the population of Eritrea is a frightened one.  The country is fully aware of the strife taking place in its former ally Ethiopia, and is increasingly paranoid that the conflicts their will spread over its own borders.  It has watched the EEC slowly dominate the northwest, and move like a snake to control firmly the south and eastern portions of Africa, while the US forces move like a brushfire accross central Africa.  Now the conflict is at its door, and whichever side gains Ethiopia, Eritrea knows it is next on the list.  For this reason Eritrea has been quickly building its armed forces, buying massive amounts of military firepower from China and purchising military surplus heavily from Russia, Eastern European countries, and South American countries.  While Eritrea did officially take over Djibouti it has done little to nothing to aid the shattered country, except along the coast where the Red Sea Bottle neck offers a strategic naval advantage.  In fear of foreign incursion Eritrea makes no alliances with either the US or the EEC, and allows no western European or US corporations in the country.  It has also completely closed its borders to tourism and has openly and publicly (at least as far as Africa goes, the US and EEC stranglehold on the media prevents it from gaining access to the world forum) that any military intrusion on its borders will be veiwed as an act of war and immediately be eliminated.

(Written by Deric "D" Bernier)