Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 July 2009
A survey of the distribution of Aëdes aegypti and other Culicine mosquitos was made during the dry season of 1942, between 31st March and 15th May. The position of Eritrea gives it a particular interest in relation to the possible spread of yellow fever from Africa to the East. In the west it borders on the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, in parts of which yellow fever is endemic, and it has a Red Sea coast line of some 600 miles, near the centre of which is the port of Massawa. The Culicines hitherto found include six that are known to be potential vectors of yellow fever.
The topography and climate of Eritrea have been described by Lega, Raffaele and Canalis (1937). The country may be divided into four areas, the eastern and western plains, the mountain slopes and the plateau. The latter, on which lie several of the towns, is from about 1,900 to 2,500 metres (some 6,200 to 8,200 feet) above sea level.