In addition, it has lowland plains as well as off-the-coast some 300 coral islands (the Dahlak Islands). The population of Eritrea is about 5 million. The population is half Christian and half Muslim.

Rare protests broke out in Eritrea's capital ... by government interference in the affairs of a community-funded Muslim school. Information Minister Yemane Meskel downplayed reports of violence.

Nine men and women from around Australia give voice to what it's really like to live as a Muslim. Eritrean-born Medina Idriess, 65, a mother of seven and grandmother of 11, tells of the invisible ...