Climate zones in Eritrea, 1991 to 2020
Share of Eritrea's classified land in each Köppen-Geiger zone in 1991 to 2020. Zones under 0.05% are left out. The 147,942 map cells used cover 100% of the country's outline (about 122,468 km²).
By major group: B (arid) 99%, A (tropical) 0.7%, C (temperate) 0.4%.
BWh, hot desert, is the main climate of Eritrea, covering 68% of its classified land in 1991 to 2020, with BSh (hot semi-arid (steppe)) next at 28%. In plain terms, hot desert means very dry and hot. Under the middle-of-the-road scenario (SSP2-4.5), 7.1% of its land is projected to be in a different zone by 2071 to 2099, with the biggest gain going to BSh (hot semi-arid (steppe)).
How Eritrea's zones have changed and may change
Each row compares a map with 1991 to 2020. "Share in a different zone" is the share of the country's area whose class is different from 1991 to 2020. Future rows are model projections under an emissions scenario, not forecasts.
| Map | Share in a different zone | Different major group | Biggest gain | Biggest loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 to 1930 (past) | 10% | 3.4% | BWh +5 percentage points | BSh -1.8 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP1-2.6 (low emissions) | 5.7% | 1.2% | BSh +3.8 percentage points | BWh -2.1 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 (middle of the road) | 7.1% | 1.1% | BSh +5.3 percentage points | BWh -3.1 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP5-8.5 (high emissions) | 9.5% | 2.2% | BSh +5.2 percentage points | BWh -4.4 percentage points |
For the past row, the comparison runs the other way: the 1901 to 1930 map against 1991 to 2020.
Zone shares by map
| Zone | 1901 to 1930 | 1991 to 2020 | SSP1-2.6 (2071 to 2099) | SSP2-4.5 (2071 to 2099) | SSP5-8.5 (2071 to 2099) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWh Hot desert | 64% | 68% | 66% | 65% | 64% |
| BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | 30% | 28% | 32% | 34% | 34% |
| BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) | 2.4% | 2.1% | 0.4% | - | - |
| Aw Tropical savannah | 1.7% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 2.4% |
| Cfb Temperate oceanic | 0.1% | 0.3% | - | - | - |
| Cwb Subtropical highland (dry winter) | 1.7% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.2% | - |
| BWk Cold desert | 0.2% | - | - | - | - |
| Cfa Humid subtropical | 0.1% | - | 0.1% | - | - |
| Cwa Humid subtropical with dry winter | 0.1% | - | - | - | - |
Percentages are of the country's classified land in each map. A dash means under 0.05%.
Zones found in Eritrea
Data: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0; country outlines from Natural Earth. In 1901 to 1930 the most common zone was BWh. See data sources and licences.