Agordat is a city in Eritrea

Eritrea

Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...

. It was the former capital of the now defunct Barka

Barka (Eritrea)

Barka was a province of Eritrea until 1996, when it was divided between present day Gash-Barka and Anseba regions. Its capital was Agordat....

 Province of Eritrea (divided between present day Gash-Barka

Gash-Barka

Gash-Barka is one of the six regions of Eritrea. It is situated in the south-west of the country, bordering the Anseba region to the north, and the Central and Southern regions to the east; the county of Sudan lies to the west and Ethiopia to the south....

 and Anseba

Anseba

Anseba is an inland region of Eritrea, in the west of the country.-Overview:Its capital is Keren and it has an area of about 23,000 km². It is named after the Anseba River around which the region is situated. The river begins in the central Eritrean highland plateau, in the suburbs northwest of...

 regions).

Overview

It lies in the west of the country on the Barka River

Barka River

Barka River flows from the Eritrean Highlands to the plains of Sudan. With a length of over 640 km, the Barka rises just outside Asmara, and flows in a northwestern direction through Agordat. It merges with the Anseba River near the border with Sudan....

. An important market town

Market town

Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...

, it is home to a large mosque

Mosque

A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...

. This town was the last major town along the Eritrean Railway

Eritrean Railway

The Eritrean Railway is the only railway system in Eritrea. It was constructed between 1887 and 1932 by the Kingdom of Italy for the Italian colony of Eritrea, and connected the port of Massawa with Bishia near the Sudan border. The line was essentially destroyed by warfare in subsequent decades,...

 to Massawa

Massawa

Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa (Ge'ez ምጽዋዕ , formerly ባጽዕ is a city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. An important port for many centuries, it was ruled by a succession of polities, including the Axumite Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate,...

 through Asmara

Asmara

Asmara is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea, home to a population of around 579,000 people...

. The line continued on through to Bisha

Bisha

This article is about the Saudi Arabian city. For the disambiguation page, see Bisha, Saudi Arabia Bisha is a town in southwestern Saudi Arabia in 'Asir province. It is located at around .- External links :* : Splendid Arabia, An Online Guide to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia...

 its terminus. The local economy is reliant on passing traders moving between Asmara

Asmara

Asmara is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea, home to a population of around 579,000 people...

 and Kessela in the Sudan.

Agordat (often spelt Akordat) hosts an Italian hospital, many bars and small eateries. A considerable amount of Eritrea's fruit and vegetables, particularly bananas and oranges, pass through Agordat also including the local Akat fruit.

Agordat is a gateway for contraband from the Sudan and as such, many Sudanese trucks and traders can be seen passing through the town.

Climate

See also

• East African Campaign (World War II)
  East African Campaign (World War II)
  The East African Campaign was a series of battles fought in East Africa during World War II by the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations and several allies against the forces of Italy from June 1940 to November 1941....
  
  
• List of massacres committed during the Eritrean War of Independence