The People of Eritrea

Eritrea has a population of 3,984,723 (July 1999 estimate) divided by religions and languages. The more than 3,9 million citizens of Eritrea belong to nine major ethnic groups, and are part of three distinct linguistic families - the Cushitic (or Hamitic), the Semitic, and the Nilotic languages.

Cushitic languages are spoken by the Beja in western Eritrea, the Afar in the southern tip of the country, and the Saho in the eastern parts of the highlands. The widely spoken native languages in Eritrea are the Semitic ones, the closely related Tigrigna and Tigré.

The Kunama and the Nara are the Nilotic languages of Eritrea, spoken in the lowlands between the Gash and Setit rivers. The main working languages are Tigrigna and Arabic. English is the medium of instruction from middle school level upwards.

Hundreds of thousands of Eritreans from a total population of close to 4 million are in exile. This presents the phenomenal scenario that one out of every five Eritreans lives abroad. Young people were sent away for fear of forced conscription into the Ethiopian army and to avert the daily cruelties of the 1961-91 Ethiopian occupation.

Religion In Eritrea:

The population is equally divided between Christian (Orthodox, Roman catholic and Lutheran/Evangelical protestants) and Muslim religions. Most Christians belong to the Orthodox Church. As a result of the War of Liberation, the Eritrean Orthodox Church gained its independence from the Ethiopian Church. Among the Christians the Catholics or Protestants are a minority.

The population of the high plateau (south and central regions) is predominantly Christian, whereas the western lowlands, northern highlands and the coastal areas are predominantly Sunni Muslim. Both religious groups have managed to live together in harmony and in peace. There is also a small community of Kunama-speaking animists (Gash-Setit).

Enda Mariam Orthodox church Asmara
(with tower of the roman catholic cathedral and
minaret of Al Khulafa Al Rashiudin Mosque on the background)

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