Eritrea

Eritrea, situated in the Horn of Africa (in the northeastern part of the continent), was an Italian colony from 1890 until World War II, after which it was federated with Ethiopia, separated in 1993 and [Page 357]become an independent nation. It has a population of 4.4 million, and has a female life expectancy of 60.6 years. The birth rate in the country is 34.3 per 1,000, and there is an infant mortality rate of 46.3 per 1,000 live births. During the period of colonial rule, there was little attempt to improve the life of the vast majority of the population. Women continued to live as homemakers and tend to crops, as well as taking part in grinding corn. Abeba Tesfagiorgis, in her book A Painful ...