What is the capital of Eritrea?

The capital of Eritrea is Asmara. The city is also the country’s largest urban centre and lies on the Eritrean Highlands at roughly 2,325 metres above sea level.

Asmara’s name is traditionally connected with “Arbate Asmara,” a Tigrinya expression associated with four villages whose women helped unite the communities after repeated conflict. The settlement grew in importance because it stood on routes linking the highlands with the Red Sea port of Massawa.

Under Italian rule, Asmara became the capital of Italian Eritrea in 1897 and underwent rapid urban development. Italian planners left behind an unusually rich collection of modernist, Art Deco, Futurist, and Rationalist buildings. In 2017, UNESCO listed “Asmara: A Modernist African City” as a World Heritage Site.

Asmara temporarily ceased to be a national capital during Eritrea’s federation with Ethiopia, when Addis Ababa was the federal capital. After Eritrea became independent in 1993, Asmara resumed its role as the country’s capital. Assab, Keren, and Massawa are important cities, but none is the national capital.