(2002), 11.31 (2001), 9.625 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Eritrea

Telephones - main lines in use:
38,100 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
NA

Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate
domestic: very inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government
is seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002)
international: country code - 291; note - international connections
exist

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM NA, shortwave 2 (2000)

Radios:
345,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2000)

Televisions:
1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.er

Internet hosts:
1,047 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2001)

Internet users:
9,500 (2003)

Transportation Eritrea

Railways:
total: 306 km
narrow gauge: 306 km 0.950-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 4,010 km
paved: 874 km
unpaved: 3,136 km (1999 est.)

Ports and harbors:
Assab, Massawa

Merchant marine:
total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 16,069 GRT/19,549 DWT
by type: cargo 3, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll
off 1
registered in other countries: 1 (2005)

Airports:
17 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 13
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Military Eritrea

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service;
conscript service obligation - 16 months (2004)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: NA (2005)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$151 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
13.4% (2004)

Transnational Issues Eritrea

Disputes - international:
Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002 Ethiopia-Eritrea
Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but despite
international intervention, mutual animosities, accusations and
armed posturing prevail, preventing demarcation; Ethiopia refuses to
withdraw to the delimited boundary until technical errors made by
the EEBC that ignored "human geography" are addressed, including the
award of Badme, the focus of the 1998-2000 war; Eritrea insists that
the EEBC decision be