Assab


Assab or Aseb is a port city in the Southern Red Sea Region of Eritrea. It is situated on the west coast of the Red Sea.
Languages spoken in Assab are predominantly Afar, Tigrinya, and Arabic.

Overview

Assab is known for its large market, beaches and nightlife. It is served by the Assab International Airport.
In 1989, Assab had a population of 39,600 inhabitants. It possessed an oil refinery, which was shut down in 1997 for economic reasons. Until 1998, Ethiopia used Assab as port to process ⅔ of its trade with the world. Ever since and due to closed borders between Eritrea and Ethiopia, both the port and the port town lost most of their relevance. In 2005, an estimate placed the population of Assab at 20,222 inhabitants. In 2008, following a border dispute with neighbouring Djibouti and consequently an unsafe border between both parties, which saw forces from Qatar acting as mediators in a buffer zone, the role of Assab diminished further. Nearby is the site of the ancient city of Arsinoe.

Climate

Assab has the typical hot desert climate of the Danakil Region. The city’s climate is arid and extremely hot, with an extremely low average annual rainfall of. Assab experiences high temperatures during both the day and the night, with the annual mean average temperature approaching.

History

On 15 November 1869 the port of Assab was bought by the Italian Rubattino Shipping Company of from the local Sultan. After the Italian government took over control of the port in 5 July 1882 it laid the foundations for the formation of the colony of Italian Eritrea which became the independent country of Eritrea.

Economy

The port facilities were greatly expanded in the early 1990s, with the construction of the new terminal, but the port has declined since trade with Ethiopia was terminated in 1998 as a consequence of the Eritrean-Ethiopian War. The United Arab Emirates reportedly uses the port and airport for logistics, and as a detention center.