Recent discoveries, in and around the area of Sembel, near the capital Asmara, show evidence of a society that predated Aksum.

It is situated about 25 kilometers south of the capital Asmara, and has a population of about 25,000 inhabitants.

In 1998, the airline disrupted their flights to the Eritrean capital Asmara after a war erupted between the two countries.

Mr Gebremeskel described the public mood in the Eritrean capital Asmara as 'obviously an unhappy one'.

Emba Soira is reached by a paved road from the city of Senafe, located 135 kilometres south of the national capital Asmara.

She was detained at Mai Serwa military camp, north of the capital Asmara.

The river begins in the central Eritrean highland plateau, in the suburbs northwest of the capital Asmara.

Since then the Eritrean Italians have diminished as a community and now are reduced to a few hundreds, mainly located in the capital Asmara.

On the central front, Ethiopian troops are believed to have pushed to within 60 miles of the Eritrean capital Asmara.

In 2005, the US Department of State estimated the cost of staying in the capital Asmara at $150 per day.