Asmara (redirected from Asmara, Eritrea)

Asmara (äsmä`rä, äz–), city (1996 est. pop. 400,000), capital of Eritrea, at an altitude of c.7,300 ft (2,225 m). The name also appears as Asmera. A commercial and industrial center, it is connected by rail and highway with the Red Sea port of Massawa. Textiles and clothing, processed meat, beer, shoes, and ceramics are the major industrial products. Asmara was a small village until the 1880s, when it became an Ethiopian regional administrative center. Occupied by the Italians in 1889, it became (1900) the capital of the Italian colony of Eritrea. In the 1930s, Asmara was rapidly developed as a base for the Italian invasion (1935–36) of Ethiopia; many Art Deco and other modern buildings survive from this period. In 1941 the city was taken by British forces. In 1950 the Eritreans, seeking independence from Ethiopia, reached an agreement with the government. But as Eritrean self-governance was withdrawn, the Eritrean Liberation Front was founded and an armed revolt ensued. Asmara's airport became key in the conflict as it was used by the Eritreans to obtain arms and supplies from outside supporters. It became a part of Eritrea with that country's independence (1993).

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Asmara

City (pop., 2002 est.: 500,600), capital of Eritrea. It lies on the northern tip of the Ethiopian Plateau at an elevation of 7,628 ft (2,325 m). Its Red Sea port, Massawa, is 40 mi (65 km) northeast. Formerly a hamlet of the Tigre people, Asmara became the capital of the Italian colony of Eritrea in 1900. It was under British control from 1941 until Eritrea's federation with Ethiopia in 1952 and became the capital of independent Eritrea in 1993. It is an agricultural marketplace.

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Asmara

the capital of Eritrea; cathedral (1922); Grand Mosque (1937); university (1958). Pop.: 615 000 (2005 est.)