Eritrea: Flag and Facts
Eritrea's flag has a red triangle pointing in from the left, a green triangle above it, a blue one below, and a gold wreath around an olive branch on the red section.
- Official name
- State of Eritrea
- Capital
- Asmara
- Region
- Eastern Africa
- Population
- 6.4 million (2025)
- Languages
- Arabic, English, Tigrinya
- Currency
- Eritrean nakfa
- Area
- 117,600 km² (45,406 sq mi)
- People
- Eritrean
- Calling code
- +291
- Highest point
- Soira 3,018 m
- Independence
- 24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)
- National symbols
- camel
About Eritrea
The red triangle copies the outline of the country itself. Green represents farming, red the blood shed for freedom, and blue the riches of the sea.
Italian colonial rule ended in 1941, followed by about a decade of British administration. In 1952 the UN made Eritrea a self-governing region within an Ethiopian federation, and Ethiopia annexed it outright 10 years later. That move set off a 30-year war that Eritrean fighters won in 1991. Voters backed independence in a 1993 referendum, and it took effect on 24 May. The coast along the Red Sea is a hot, dry desert, while the central highlands are cooler and wetter, getting up to 61 cm of rain a year, mostly from June to September.
Did you know?
- The camel is the national symbol of Eritrea.
- Soira, the tallest peak, rises 3,018 meters.
- The anthem is named Ertra, Ertra, Ertra, which means Eritrea three times.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about Eritrea
What is the capital of Eritrea?
Asmara, with about 1.073 million people in 2023.
What currency does Eritrea use?
The Eritrean nakfa, shortened to Nfk.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.