Eritrea: A Rising Power Along a Global Shipping Artery Eritrea's unique geography has long made it a hub of maritime activity.
Its 1,000 kilometer coastline along the Red Sea borders Sudan to the northwest and Djibouti to the southeast, with the Bab al Mandab Strait separating Eritrea from Yemen – one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
The ongoing conflict in Yemen has inadvertently boosted Eritrea's strategic importance.