DEMOGRAPHICS
NINE BIHERS
Eritrea is a country of nine nationalities. They belong to Nilo-Saharan, Kushitic, and Semitic families. The earliest inhabitants of Eritrea were Pygmoid type of people. The Nilo-Saharan family (Nilotic) were the first migrants to Eritrea. They migrated to Eritrea from Upper Nile. They intermarried with the Pygmoid population. This resulted in Nara and Kunama ethnic groups.
During 2000 BC Kushites migrated to Eritrea from North Africa. They intermarried with the earlier inhabitants. These are represented by the Beja (Ben Amir and Hidareb), Bilen, Afar and Saho. The latest migrants were the Semitic people (1000BC-700 BC). They came across the Red Sea from the firtile agricultural highlands of the Arabian Peninsula. First they settled on the coastal areas. But they found the coastal areas to be hot and arid compared to their original land. So they encroached into the cooler and fertile highlands of Eritrea. Therefore the Eritrean people can be grouped into three.
Semitic: Tigrinya 50%, Tigre 30%, Rashaida 1%
Nilotic: Kunama 4%, Nara 2%
Kushitic: Bilen 3%, T’bdawie (Hedareb/Beja) 2%, Saho 4%, Afar 4%
The unofficial total population estimate of Eritea is 3,700,000 to 4,400,000 people.
** % is unofficial estimate
LANGUAGES
Eritrea does not have a national official language, Tigrinya, Tigre, Saho, Afar, Kunama, Bilen, Hedareb/Beja, Nara and Arabic languages are equally represented in Eritrea.
Although it’s important to know that, Eritrea’s main “working languages” are English Tigrinya and Arabic.
RELIGION
However, in Eritrea people live in harmony. It is very common to see mosques and churches built side by side at the same village and town, and religious holidays are celebrated by Muslims and Christians together. The Eritrean people are demonstrating that this land has been a safe refuge for its congregations since the 7th century. Religious tolerance and harmony are deeply rooted in the Eritrean culture and they are a sign of the Eritrean people’s unique identity.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 9 BEAUTIFUL ETHNIC GROUPS OF ERITREA, PLEASE CLICK ON ANY OF THE GROUPS BELOW.
