Eritrea
State of Eritrea
- Capital: Asmara
- Eastern Africa
- 3 neighbours in Travle
Eritrea overview
Eritrea is in Eastern Africa, Africa. Its capital is Asmara. The World Bank counts about 3.6 million people for 2025 on 121,630 km² of surface area.
In the Travle map, Eritrea has 3 neighbours: Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan. From there, 125 countries can be reached by land.
Population, density and language
The World Bank counts 3,607,003 people in Eritrea for 2025, which is 129th of 170 by population. Spread over 121,630 km² of surface area (2024), that is about 30 people per km², 124th of 169 by density.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (SP.POP.TOTL), data updated 2026-10-08; checked 2026-10-19.Rankings compare the entries in Travle's country list that have World Bank data (170 with population, 169 with surface area). Some list entries are territories, so a rank here is not a rank among sovereign states.
| Language | Share (est.) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Tigrinya | 60% | official (de facto) |
| English | 59% | official |
| Tigre | 18% | — |
| Arabic | 4.9% | official |
| Afar | 3.6% | — |
| Saho | 3.6% | — |
CLDR shares are estimates of people who use each language, so they can add up to more than 100%.
How big is Eritrea, really?
With 121,630 km² (2024, land plus inland water), Eritrea is 99th of 169 by surface area and covers 0.09% of the combined area of those entries.
In that ordering, Nicaragua (130,370 km²) is just larger; North Korea (120,540 km²) just smaller.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (AG.SRF.TOTL.K2), data updated 2026-10-08; checked 2026-10-19.Eritrea at a glance
- Capital
- Asmara
- Region
- Eastern Africa, Africa
- Population
- 3,607,003 (2025)
- Surface area
- 121,630 km² (2024)
- Density
- 30 people per km²
- Official languages
- Tigrinya (de facto), English and Arabic
- Currency
- Nakfa (ERN)
- Calling code
- +291
- Internet domain
- .er
- Land neighbours
- 3 (Natural Earth) · 3 (Travle)
Each figure is sourced in its own section below. "Not available" means no source used on this page has the figure.
Eritrea within Eastern Africa
Natural Earth places Eritrea in Eastern Africa (UN subregion). Of the 15 entries from Travle's country list in that subregion, Eritrea is 14th by population and 11th by surface area, with 0.7% of the combined population of those entries.
| Country | Population (2025) | Area km² (2024) |
|---|---|---|
 Ethiopia | 135,472,051 | 1,129,819 |
 Tanzania | 70,545,865 | 945,500 |
 Kenya | 57,532,493 | 591,970 |
 Uganda | 51,384,894 | 241,551 |
 Mozambique | 35,631,653 | 799,380 |
 Madagascar | 32,740,678 | 591,896 |
 Malawi | 22,216,120 | 118,484 |
 Zambia | 21,913,874 | 752,612 |
 Somalia | 19,654,739 | 637,657 |
 Zimbabwe | 16,950,795 | 390,760 |
 Rwanda | 14,569,341 | 26,340 |
 Burundi | 14,390,003 | 27,834 |
 South Sudan | 12,188,788 | 646,883 |
| Eritrea | 3,607,003 | 121,630 |
 Djibouti | 1,184,076 | 23,200 |
Sources: World Bank WDI (SP.POP.TOTL, AG.SRF.TOTL.K2), data updated 2026-10-08; subregion from Natural Earth 1:110m. A dash means the World Bank has no figure.
Location, borders and position
Eritrea is in Eastern Africa, Africa. Its outline in Natural Earth lies in the northern hemisphere and the eastern hemisphere. Its capital, Asmara, is at about 15.3° N and 38.9° E.
On land, Natural Earth's boundary data gives Eritrea 3 neighbours; the Travle game map gives it 3.
Sources: Natural Earth 1:110m (outline and capital) and 1:10m boundary lines (neighbours), public domain.
Where Eritrea is on the map
Countries bordering Eritrea
Natural Earth's boundary data and the Travle map agree on these 3 land neighbours.
| Country | Direction | Land boundary in Natural Earth | Border in Travle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Djibouti | south-east | Yes | Yes |
| Ethiopia | south | Yes | Yes |
 Sudan | west | Yes | Yes |
Geographic column: Natural Earth 1:10m Admin-0 boundary lines (land) 5.1.0 (public domain), checked 2026-10-19; Natural Earth shows de facto boundaries and does not settle disputes. Travle column: the game's own border map.
Money and language in Eritrea
Currency
- Nakfa: code ERN, numeric 232. ISO 4217 lists it for this country only.
Official languages
- Tigrinya (de facto): official only here, according to CLDR.
- English: official in 91 territories in CLDR, including Eritrea.
- Arabic: official in 26 territories in CLDR, including Eritrea.
CLDR is a technical reference, not a legal text. Laws and constitutions can describe languages differently.
Currency, domain and dialling code
- Currency
- Nakfa (ERN)
Source: Unicode CLDR release-48-2 currencyData (region ER); code, name and number from ISO 4217 list one (SIX), published 2026-09-17; checked 2026-10-19. - Internet domain
- .er
Source: IANA Root Zone Database; checked 2026-10-19. - International dialling code
- +291
Source: ITU, List of ITU-T Recommendation E.164 assigned country codes (position on 15 December 2016); checked 2026-10-19. - Time
- UTC+03:00 all year (2026)
IANA zones: Africa/Asmara
Source: IANA Time Zone Database 2026e (zone.tab); UTC offsets computed for 15 Jan and 15 Jul 2026 with Node.js ICU tz 2026a; checked 2026-10-19.
Eritrea codes and abbreviations
| Standard | Code |
|---|---|
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 | ER |
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 | ERI |
| ISO 3166-1 numeric | 232 |
| ISO 4217 currency (Nakfa) | ERN · 232 |
| Country-code top-level domain | .er |
| ITU-T E.164 country code | +291 |
Sources: Natural Earth (ISO 3166-1), ISO 4217 list one (SIX), IANA Root Zone Database, ITU E.164 list; linked with dates in the sections above.
Fun facts about Eritrea
- English has official status in 91 territories in Unicode CLDR, Eritrea among them.
- Arabic has official status in 26 territories in Unicode CLDR, Eritrea among them.
- The longest Travle trip from Eritrea takes 13 steps, to Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.
- UNESCO lists 1 World Heritage property in Eritrea; the earliest inscription dates from 2017.
Each fact is calculated from the sources cited on this page.
How far can you travel from Eritrea in Travle?
Starting from Eritrea and moving one border at a time, this is how many countries in the game's map you reach at each step. Countries that need a sea crossing never appear, because the game only follows land borders.
| Steps | Countries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | |
| 2 | 7 | |
| 3 | 11 | |
| 4 | 17 | |
| 5 | 14 | |
| 6 | 18 | |
| 7 | 13 | |
| 8 | 25 | |
| 9 | 10 | |
| 10 | 2 | |
| 11 | 1 | |
| 12 | 2 | |
| 13 | 2 |
In total 125 of the 171 other countries in the map can be reached by land. The longest trips take 13 steps and end in Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste. The other 46 cannot be reached without crossing the sea (18 in North America, 13 in South America, 6 in Oceania, 5 in Asia, 3 in Europe, 1 in Africa).
Nearby routes from Eritrea
Shortest land routes in the game's map to the countries up to 3 steps away. There can be several routes of the same length; this list shows one. The section above shows how many countries are reachable in total.
- Djibouti: 1 step (Eritrea → Djibouti)
- Ethiopia: 1 step (Eritrea → Ethiopia)
- Sudan: 1 step (Eritrea → Sudan)
Central African Republic: 2 steps (Eritrea → Sudan → Central African Republic)
Chad: 2 steps (Eritrea → Sudan → Chad)
Egypt: 2 steps (Eritrea → Sudan → Egypt)- Kenya: 2 steps (Eritrea → Ethiopia → Kenya)
Libya: 2 steps (Eritrea → Sudan → Libya)- Somalia: 2 steps (Eritrea → Djibouti → Somalia)
- South Sudan: 2 steps (Eritrea → Ethiopia → South Sudan)
Algeria: 3 steps (Eritrea → Sudan → Libya → Algeria)
Cameroon: 3 steps (Eritrea → Sudan → Central African Republic → Cameroon)
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 3 steps (Eritrea → Ethiopia → South Sudan → Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Israel: 3 steps (Eritrea → Sudan → Egypt → Israel)
Niger: 3 steps (Eritrea → Sudan → Libya → Niger)
Nigeria: 3 steps (Eritrea → Sudan → Chad → Nigeria)
Palestine: 3 steps (Eritrea → Sudan → Egypt → Palestine)
Republic of the Congo: 3 steps (Eritrea → Sudan → Central African Republic → Republic of the Congo)- Tanzania: 3 steps (Eritrea → Ethiopia → Kenya → Tanzania)
Tunisia: 3 steps (Eritrea → Sudan → Libya → Tunisia)- Uganda: 3 steps (Eritrea → Ethiopia → Kenya → Uganda)
World Heritage in Eritrea
UNESCO lists 1 World Heritage property in Eritrea. The first, inscribed in 2017, was Asmara: A Modernist African City.
- Asmara: A Modernist African City (cultural, inscribed 2017)
Source: UNESCO World Heritage List (XML feed); checked 2026-10-19. Names as listed by UNESCO; descriptions on this page are our own.
Eritrea — frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Eritrea?
Asmara.
Which countries border Eritrea?
On land, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan, according to Natural Earth's boundary data. The Travle map uses the same neighbours.
What currency and language does Eritrea use?
The currency is the Nakfa (ERN). Unicode CLDR gives Tigrinya, English and Arabic official status.
How far can you travel from Eritrea in Travle?
Following land borders only, 125 countries are reachable. The farthest need 13 steps: Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.
How many people live in Eritrea?
The World Bank counts 3,607,003 people for 2025.
How big is Eritrea?
121,630 km² of surface area (2024), according to the World Bank.
What is the dialling code and internet domain of Eritrea?
The international dialling code is +291 and the country-code domain is .er.
What time zone does Eritrea use?
UTC+03:00 all year (2026).
Keep exploring
- Spin the country wheel to get a random country.
- Play Travle and try to cross the map border by border.
- Browse all countries of the world, countries by population, capitals, country codes or try the flag quiz.