Although Eritreans are currently facing the worst political and economic conditions they have seen since their independence, they still welcome visitors with open arms, peaceful smiles and wickedly lovely cups of coffee.

The eastern sliver of Eritrea marks the northern limit of Africa’s famed Rift Valley. The rifting has drastically thinned the earth’s crust in this region, causing subsidence. Much of the area sits below sea level. The central highlands, which run almost north-south, can claim more moderate temperatures, fertile soils and elevations reaching 3018 meters. Lying between the highlands and the Sudanese border are the western lowlands. Lowlands are less fertile than the highlands and therefore much less intensively cultivated.

Despite Eritrea’s petite size, it hosts nine ethnic groups, each with their own language and customs. Asmara is an aberration. The litter-strewn, sprawling ghettos of many developing-world cities and the bleak high-rise office buildings of post-colonial Africa are absent.