---
title: "Eritrea — capital, area, population and currency"
description: "Eritrea: capital Asmara, area 117,600 km², population 3,607,003 (2025), currency Eritrean nakfa. Languages, time zones and calling code."
url: https://atoneplace.net/country/eritrea/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Eritrea

**Eritrea: Capital Asmara**

117,600 km² · 3,607,003 people (2025) · Eritrean nakfa

The Danakil Depression in the south is one of the hottest places on Earth measured by year-round average, and sits over 100 m below sea level. The Dahlak Archipelago off the Red Sea coast has more than 120 islands, of which only a handful are inhabited.

## The facts

- **Capital:** Asmara
- **Area:** 117,600 km² — 45,406 sq mi
- **Population:** 3,607,003 (2025)
- **Density:** 30.7 people per km²
- **Currency:** Eritrean nakfa (ERN, Nfk)
- **Official languages:** Arabic, English, Tigrinya
- **Time zone:** UTC+03:00
- **Calling code:** +291
- **Drives on the:** right
- **ISO codes:** ER · ERI
- **Continent:** Africa

## How it compares

- **By area:** 100 of 200
- **By population:** 132 of 200

> Population is the only figure on this page that dates — it is a 2025 estimate and will drift. Area, capital, currency, languages, calling code and driving side change rarely or never.

## Countries of a similar size

| Country | Area (km²) | Population |
| --- | --- | --- |
| North Korea | 120,538 | 26,571,036 |
| Malawi | 118,484 | 22,216,120 |
| Eritrea ← | 117,600 | 3,607,003 |
| Benin | 112,622 | 14,814,460 |
| Honduras | 112,090 | 11,005,850 |

## Common questions

### What is the capital of Eritrea?

Asmara

### What currency does Eritrea use?

The Eritrean nakfa (ERN).

### How big is Eritrea?

117,600 km², or 45,406 square miles — 100 of 200 by area.

### Which side of the road does Eritrea drive on?

The right.

## Related pages

- [North Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country/north-korea/)
- [Malawi](https://atoneplace.net/country/malawi/)
- [Benin](https://atoneplace.net/country/benin/)
- [Honduras](https://atoneplace.net/country/honduras/)
- [Nigeria](https://atoneplace.net/country/nigeria/)
- [Ethiopia](https://atoneplace.net/country/ethiopia/)
- [Egypt](https://atoneplace.net/country/egypt/)
- [Democratic Republic of the Congo](https://atoneplace.net/country/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/)
- [Tanzania](https://atoneplace.net/country/tanzania/)
- [South Africa](https://atoneplace.net/country/south-africa/)
- [Kenya](https://atoneplace.net/country/kenya/)
- [Sudan](https://atoneplace.net/country/sudan/)

## Sources

- The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/) [Public domain (US Government)]
- World Bank Open Data — The World Bank (https://data.worldbank.org/) [CC BY 4.0]