Asmara, also Asmera, capital and largest city of Eritrea, located near the Red Sea port of Massawa. Industries include tanning, lumber and flour milling, vegetable processing, and the manufacture of perfumes, glass, cement, bricks, and buttons. A hydroelectric plant and gold and copper mines are nearby. A technical and professional school is located in the city.

Asmara succeeded Massawa as the capital of Eritrea in 1900, when Eritrea was an Italian colony. Asmara is in Hamasien province, about 7,000 feet above sea level. It has a pleasant climate throughout the year. Eritrea with Asmara as capital city is one of the newest and most promising nations in Africa - and contains remnants of some of its oldest civilizations. One of the earliest known references to Eritrea is from Aeschylus (Fragment 67) in which he refers to the "Mare Erythreum" (Red Sea) as "the lake that is the jewel of Ethiopia."

Eritrea recently fought and won one of the longest wars in the world. After thirty years of bitter strugle, Eritrea achieve total independence and the right to self-determination. The Eritrean people acheived their goals in 1991 in a stunning defeat of the occupying Ethiopian forces which also helped liberate Ethiopia from the Soviet-backed Dergue (Menguistu Hailemariam) regime.

That sunset, along Pantai Asmara (Lovers' Beach) a group of people was chatting under the shelter of the tree. The afternoon sun scattered its red glow over the quiet beach scenery. The light that sneaked in between the leaves added to the beauty of this natural beach scenery. Asmara Beach is located about 3 kilometers east of Kupang City. Its location is quite strategic and easily accessible by anyone, without transportation difficulties. To visit the beach, we can use city transportation those heading to Perumnas (housing estate), Walikota (City Hall), Tarus, or Penfui. These four routes will all pass Asmara Beach. Hence, it will be easy for those having no private transportation. Asmara Beach with its natural beauty, charming and fascinating never runs out of visitors. When we visit Asmara Beach, we will first be greeted by a statue of a monkey, on the left side of the entrance. Preceding a few meters inside, we will find a similar statue with the hands positioned as it is gesturing welcome.

The people The people of Eritrea, are known as Eritreans. They are a resilient group of people who thrive on hope and a deep tradition of comradeship among each other. The fact that most of the population spent many years in Diaspora or on the war front, has helped in establishing a deep bond between them that transcends mere ethnic or religious divisions. The more than 3,5 million citizens of Eritrea belong to nine major ethnic groups, and are part of three distinct linguistic families - the Cushitic (or Hamitic), the Semitic, and the Nilotic languages.

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