Eritrea, located on the Red Sea coast of the Horn of Africa, was the ‘firstborn’ colony of Italy. The potential of a trade centre and naval base at Assab first attracted Italian interests in 1869. The Kingdom of Italy, however, did not officially institute the 'Colony of Eritrea' until 1890.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2695/italian-colonialism-in-eritrea/.