Notes

-Eritrea's original inhabitants were joined successively by people from the Nile River area and by Egyptians, Cushites, and Semites. The region later was influenced by Greeks, Turks, Egyptians, and Persians.
-After 1885, Italy colonized the region, establishing some industries and confiscating land suitable for farming. Asmara, which became the national capital in 1897, still displays a distinct Italian influence. Italian forces eventually conquered Ethiopia as well in 1935.
-Ethiopia's emperor Haile Selassie I requested intervention from the League of Nations. In response, the Allied powers of World War II eventually halted Italy's advances and forced its surrender at Asmara in 1941.
-The land that is now Eritrea was ruled by various powers around the Red Sea area for most of history. In 1885, the Italians took control and made Eritrea a colony. They tried to use the land as a base to take over Ethiopia. They failed. After World War II, Italy lost the land to Great Britain and in 1952 the land was combined with Ethiopia into a single country. The Eritreans wanted their own country as they felt they would not be treated fairly by the Ethiopians. They were denied, however.

The Eritreans rebelled and struggled for their freedom for thirty years. They finally achieved their independence in 1993. They still have hostilities with Ethiopia and a dispute over the border between the two countries.