Eritrea vs. Ethiopia
Geography
| Eritrea | Ethiopia | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan | Eastern Africa, west of Somalia |
| Geographic coordinates | 15 00 N, 39 00 E | 8 00 N, 38 00 E |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 117,600 sq km land: 101,000 sq km water: 16,600 sq km | total: 1,104,300 sq km land: 1,096,570 sq km water: 7,730 sq km note: area numbers are approximate since a large portion of the Ethiopia-Somalia border is undefined |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Pennsylvania | slightly less than twice the size of Texas |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,840 km border countries (3): Djibouti 125 km, Ethiopia 1033 km, Sudan 682 km | total: 5,925 km border countries (6): Djibouti 342 km, Eritrea 1033 km, Kenya 867 km, Somalia 1640 km, South Sudan 1299 km, Sudan 744 km |
| Coastline | 2,234 km (mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km) | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands | tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation |
| Terrain | dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains | high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Soira 3,018 m lowest point: near Kulul within the Danakil Depression -75 m mean elevation: 853 m | highest point: Ras Dejen 4,550 m lowest point: Danakil Depression -125 m mean elevation: 1,330 m |
| Natural resources | gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish | small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower |
| Land use | agricultural land: 75.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 6.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 68.3% (2018 est.) forest: 15.1% (2018 est.) other: 9.8% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 36.3% (2018 est.) arable land: 15.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 20% (2018 est.) forest: 12.2% (2018 est.) other: 51.5% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 210 sq km (2012) | 2,900 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | frequent droughts, rare earthquakes and volcanoes; locust swarms volcanism: Dubbi (1,625 m), which last erupted in 1861, was the country's only historically active volcano until Nabro (2,218 m) came to life on 12 June 2011 | geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts volcanism: volcanic activity in the Great Rift Valley; Erta Ale (613 m), which has caused frequent lava flows in recent years, is the country's most active volcano; Dabbahu became active in 2005, forcing evacuations; other historically active volcanoes include Alayta, Dalaffilla, Dallol, Dama Ali, Fentale, Kone, Manda Hararo, and Manda-Inakir |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing | deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; loss of biodiversity; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management; industrial pollution and pesticides contribute to air, water, and soil pollution |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Paris Agreement | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban |
| Geography - note | strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993 | note 1: landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; Ethiopia is, therefore, the most populous landlocked country in the world; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia note 2: three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean |
| Total renewable water resources | 7.315 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 122 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | density is highest in the center of the country in and around the cities of Asmara (capital) and Keren; smaller settlements exist in the north and south as shown in this population distribution map | highest density is found in the highlands of the north and middle areas of the country, particularly around the centrally located capital city of Addis Ababa; the far east and southeast are sparsely populated as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
