"Eritrea" is an ancient name, associated in the past with its Greek form Erythraia, Ἐρυθραία, and its derived Latin form Erythræa. This name relates to that of the Red Sea, then called the Erythræan Sea, from the Greek for "red",

Early developments
From the late first to early second millennium Eritrea witnessed a period of migrations: Since the late 7th century, so with the decline of Aksum,

Establishment
The boundaries of the present-day Eritrea nation state were established during the Scramble for Africa. In 1869 or ’70, the then ruling Sultan of Raheita sold lands surrounding the Bay of Assab to the Rubattino Shipping

Militant opposition to the incorporation of Eritrea into Ethiopia had begun in 1958 with the founding of the Eritrean Liberation Movement (ELM), an organization made up mainly of students,

Punt
Together with Djibouti, Tigray Region, Northern Somalia, and the Red Sea coast of Sudan, Eritrea is considered the most likely location of the land

British forces defeated the Italian army in Eritrea in 1941 at the Battle of Keren and placed the colony under British military administration until Allied forces could determine its fate. Several

The first President of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki, has authoritatively ruled Eritrea since 1993. People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) is the only legal political party.