Geography of Eritrea

Eritrea is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered on the northeast and east by the Red Sea, on the west and northwest by Sudan, on the south by Ethiopia, and on the southeast by Djibouti. The country has a high central plateau that varies from 1,800 to 3,000 meters (5,906–9,843 ft) above sea level. A coastal plain, western lowlands, and some 350 islands comprise the remainder of Eritrea's land mass.
The climate of Eritrea is shaped by its diverse topography and its location within the tropics. The diversity in landscape and topography in the highlands and lowlands of Eritrea results in a diverse climate. The highlands have a temperate climate throughout the year, while most lowland zones are arid or semiarid.
The distribution of rainfall and vegetation types varies markedly throughout the country. Eritrean climate varies on the basis of seasonal and altitudinal differences. Based on variations in temperature Eritrea can be broadly divided into three major climate zones: a temperate zone, a subtropical climate zone and a tropical climate zone. According to the Köppen climate classification, most of Eritrea has either a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) or a hot desert climate (BWh), although temperatures are much moderated at the highest elevations.
In the central highlands, the hottest month is usually May to June with highs around 27 to 30 °C (80.6 to 86.0 °F). Winter is between December and February with lows at night that can be near freezing point. Asmara itself enjoys a pleasant climate all year round, although it can be quite cold at night in winter. There are two rainy seasons: the short rains in March and April and the main rains from late June to the beginning of September. The climate is usually sunny and dry as annual sunshine durations average around 3,000 hours and average annual rainfall shover around 500 millimetres or 19.69 inches.
On the coast along the Red Sea, the summertime is long, from June to September and extremely hot with averages high temperatures ranging from 40 to 46 °C (104.0 to 114.8 °F), and it's even hotter in Denkalia. The wintertime is nearly non-existent. Average high temperatures remain above 28 °C or 82.4 °F during the least hot month of the year, while average low temperatures exceed 20 °C or 68 °F. The rainy season along the coast north of Denkalia falls during the winter months but rainy days still remain scarce; rainfall is even more rare in Denkalia Region. The climate is always sunny and dry in this zone and cloudy days are rare.
In the western lowlands, the high temperatures are comparable to those on the coast in the hottest months of April until June. December is the coolest month with averages low temperatures falling as low as 15 °C or 59 °F. The rainy seasons are the same as for the highlands.
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan, also bordering Ethiopia.
Geographic coordinates: 15°00′N 39°00′E﻿ / ﻿15.000°N 39.000°E﻿ / 15.000; 39.000
Continent: Africa
Note that the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia is disputed.
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
Most of Eritrea's coast is part of the Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands semi-desert ecoregion. The southern part of the Red Sea coast, along with the Red Sea coast of Djibouti, has been described as the Eritrean coastal desert, a harsh sand and gravel coastal strip covered in dune grasses and shrubs that is important as a channel for the mass migration of birds of prey.
This is a list of the extreme points of Eritrea, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.
This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.