Groups of herders speak Afar or other languages. About 80 percent of the people of Eritrea are farmers or herders. Farming families live in walled or fenced settlements. The homes have flat thatched roofs or peaked roofs made of corrugated iron. Most farm households consist of an extended family that may include up to several dozen relatives.
Farmers meet for occasional market days, festivals, or at regional village towns.
Herders move from place to place with their livestock. About half the Eritreans are Christians. Most of the others, including many herders, are Muslims. Coptic Christianity, a form of Christianity that originated in Egypt, was brought to the country in the A.D. 300's. Islam came to Eritrea in the 600's.