In 1936, after the defeat of Ethiopia, Italy created an empire in Africa called "Africa Orientale Italiana". It lasted 6 years until WWII and was made of 6 governorates. One of these was the "Eritrea Governorate". The original Italian Eritrea, called even Colonia primogenita, was enlarged of 110.000 km2 with territories taken from northern Ethiopia that were populated mostly by ethnic Eritreans. In 1938 the Eritrea governorate was divided in 13 "commissariati"
The Eritrea Governorate in 1938 had an area of 231,280 km² and a population of more than 1500,000 - of which nearly 100,000 were Italian colonists concentrated in Asmara. Massawa was the port of the Italian Colony of Eritrea and was hugely improved and enlarged. Eritrea was chosen by the Italian government to be the industrial center of the Africa Orientale Italiana. The Italian government implemented agricultural reforms, primarily on farms owned by Italian colonists. In the region of Asmara there were in 1940 more than 2,000 small and medium sized industrial companies, concentrated in the areas of construction, mechanics, textiles, electricity and food processing. According to the Italian census of 1939 the city of Asmara had a population of 98,000, of which 53,000 were Italians. This fact made Asmara the main "Italian town" of the Italian empire in Africa. Furthermore, because of the Italian architecture of the city, Asmara was called Piccola Roma. In all Eritrea the Italians were more than 75,000 in that year. Consequently, the living standard of life in Eritrea in 1939 was considered one of the best of Africa, for the Italian colonists and for the native Eritreans. In early 1940 laws were established that enabled all the autochthonous Eritreans in the Italian military forces to receive a "pension" with their families; no other European colonial country granted this at that moment. In summer 1940 the Italians conquered in British Sudan the area of Kassala, that was temporarily annexed until spring 1941. In those months the Allies invaded Italian Eritrea and the last governor surrendered on May 19, 1941. The British destroyed the Eritrea Governorate and created a military occupation government associated with Ethiopia's Negus: during the East African campaign of World War II it fell under British occupation in early 1941.
Governors
There were 5 Italian governors, under a Viceroy representing the emperor Victor Emmanuel III:
