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.[1]
Assab Assab | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Church of St.Michael, Assab | |
  Assab Location in Eritrea | |
| Coordinates: 13°00′28″N 42°44′28″E | |
| Country |  |
| Region | Southern Red Sea |
| District | Southern Denkalya |
| Elevation | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Population (2005) | |
| • Total | 20,222 |
| Climate | BWh |
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 (Köppen climate classification BWh) of the Danakil Region. The city’s climate is arid and extremely hot, with an extremely low average annual rainfall of 40 mm (1.57 in). Assab experiences high temperatures during both the day and the night, with the annual mean average temperature approaching 31 °C (87.8 °F).
| Climate data for Assab (1961–1990, extremes 1937–1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 37.0 (98.6) |
37.0 (98.6) |
40.0 (104.0) |
43.0 (109.4) |
43.2 (109.8) |
46.2 (115.2) |
49.0 (120.2) |
48.4 (119.1) |
46.8 (116.2) |
43.0 (109.4) |
39.0 (102.2) |
36.5 (97.7) |
49.0 (120.2) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 31.3 (88.3) |
31.7 (89.1) |
33.8 (92.8) |
36.0 (96.8) |
37.0 (98.6) |
38.5 (101.3) |
41.2 (106.2) |
40.9 (105.6) |
38.1 (100.6) |
36.5 (97.7) |
33.9 (93.0) |
31.6 (88.9) |
35.5 (95.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.3 (79.3) |
26.7 (80.1) |
28.5 (83.3) |
30.5 (86.9) |
32.0 (89.6) |
33.1 (91.6) |
35.0 (95.0) |
34.6 (94.3) |
32.9 (91.2) |
31.2 (88.2) |
28.8 (83.8) |
26.9 (80.4) |
30.5 (86.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 21.3 (70.3) |
21.7 (71.1) |
23.2 (73.8) |
25.1 (77.2) |
27.0 (80.6) |
28.5 (83.3) |
30.3 (86.5) |
29.9 (85.8) |
28.5 (83.3) |
26.0 (78.8) |
23.7 (74.7) |
22.2 (72.0) |
25.6 (78.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 11.9 (53.4) |
12.4 (54.3) |
13.7 (56.7) |
14.0 (57.2) |
14.4 (57.9) |
17.5 (63.5) |
19.6 (67.3) |
19.9 (67.8) |
16.0 (60.8) |
15.0 (59.0) |
14.5 (58.1) |
12.1 (53.8) |
11.9 (53.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 4.0 (0.16) |
6.7 (0.26) |
1.8 (0.07) |
3.6 (0.14) |
1.7 (0.07) |
0.2 (0.01) |
6.9 (0.27) |
2.8 (0.11) |
1.1 (0.04) |
1.0 (0.04) |
4.5 (0.18) |
4.8 (0.19) |
39.1 (1.54) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 62 | 68 | 61 | 54 | 58 | 57 | 50 | 54 | 62 | 54 | 55 | 61 | 58 |
| Source 1: NOAA,[2] Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity, 1937–1970)[3] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[4] | |||||||||||||
History
On 15 November 1869 the port of Assab was bought by the Italian Rubattino Shipping Company of from the local Sultan.[5] 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.[6][7]
References
- Africa: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society [3 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society.
- "Assab Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- "Klimatafel von Assab (Aseb) / Eritrea" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 31, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- "Station Assab" (in French). Meteo Climat. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
- The Ethiopians: An Introduction to Country and People, second edition (London: Oxford University Press, 1965), p. 90. ISBN 0-19-285061-X.
- "Has Eritrea's migration problem been exaggerated?". BBC.
- "Yemen: UAE Backs Abusive Local Forces". Human Rights Watch. June 22, 2017.
Human Rights Watch was not able to verify these claims, but according to lawyers and activists, as well as relatives of men who had been disappeared, the UAE was transferring high-level detainees outside of Yemen. According to one of the activists, about 15 people accused of being members of AQAP or IS-Y had been transferred to the base the UAE has been developing in Eritrea’s port city, Assab, over the past two years. A man whose relatives had been disappeared said at least five officials told him the UAE transferred the men outside of Yemen, including three who said the men were being held in Eritrea.
External links
- . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.