Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a nation in Eastern Africa's Horn of Africa. Asmara is the country's capital and largest city. Ethiopia lies to its south, Sudan lies to its west, and Djibouti lies to its southeast. Eritrea's eastern and northeastern regions both have extensive coastlines that run along the Red Sea. The Dahlak Archipelago and a few of the Hanish Islands are included in the country's 45,406 square miles (117,600 km2) total area.

Eritrea's human remains have been dated to 1 million years ago, and anthropological research suggests that the region may contain significant records regarding human evolution. Eritrea today is a nation of nine recognized ethnic groups that is multiethnic and multiethnic. The nine recognized ethnic groups speak nine different languages: Tigrinya is the most widely spoken, followed by Tigre, Saho, Kunama, Nara, Afar, Beja, Bilen, and Arabic. The three working languages are Tigrinya, Arabic, and English. The Ethiopian Semitic or Cushitic branches of the Afroasiatic family are spoken by the majority of residents. The Tigrinya people make up approximately 55% of these communities, while the Tigre people make up approximately 30%. Additionally, there are a number of Nilotic ethnic groups that speak Nilo-Saharan. The majority of people in the country follow either Islam or Christianity, with a small number following more traditional religions.