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Djibouti

Djibouti

Djibouti officially the Republic of Djibouti is a country in the Horn of Africa. Djibouti is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. On the other side of the Red Sea, on the Arabian Peninsula, from the coast of Djibouti, is Yemen.

Country name:

  • conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti
  • conventional short form: Djibouti
  • local long form: Republique de Djibouti/Jumhuriyat Jibuti
  • local short form: Djibouti/Jibuti
  • former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland

Nationality:

  • noun: Djiboutian(s)
  • adjective: Djiboutian

Capital:

  • name: Djibouti
  • geographic coordinates: 11 35 N, 43 09 E
  • time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Independence:

  • 27 June 1977 (from France)

Population:

  • 506,221 (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

  • 1.945% (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

  • 2.9% (2003 est.)

Ethnic groups:

  • Somali 60%
  • Afar 35%
  • other 5% (includes French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian)

Religions:

  • Muslim 94%
  • Christian 6%

Languages:

  • French (official)
  • Arabic (official)
  • Somali, Afar

Literacy:

  • definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  • total population: 67.9%
  • male: 78%
  • female: 58.4% (2003 est.)

Location:

  • Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia

Government type:

  • republic

Area - comparative:

  • slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Climate:

  • desert; torrid, dry

Natural resources:

  • geothermal areas
  • gold
  • clay
  • granite
  • limestone
  • marble
  • salt
  • diatomite
  • gypsum
  • pumice
  • petroleum

Economy - overview:

The economy is based on service activities connected with the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in the Horn of Africa. Two-thirds of Djibouti's inhabitants live in the capital city; the remainder are mostly nomadic herders. Scanty rainfall limits crop production to fruits and vegetables, and most food must be imported. Djibouti provides services as both a transit port for the region and an international transshipment and refueling center. Imports and exports from landlocked neighbor Ethiopia represent 85% of port activity at Djibouti's container terminal. Djibouti has few natural resources and little industry. The nation is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance to help support its balance of payments and to finance development projects. An unemployment rate of nearly 60% continues to be a major problem. While inflation is not a concern, due to the fixed tie of the Djiboutian franc to the US dollar, the artificially high value of the Djiboutian franc adversely affects Djibouti's balance of payments. Per capita consumption dropped an estimated 35% between 1999 and 2006 because of recession, civil war, and a high population growth rate (including immigrants and refugees). Faced with a multitude of economic difficulties, the government has fallen in arrears on long-term external debt and has been struggling to meet the stipulations of foreign aid donors.

GDP - real growth rate:

  • 5.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

  • $2,300 (2007 est.)

Background:

The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among the Afars minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 following the conclusion of a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multi-party presidential elections resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH; he was re-elected to a second and final term in 2005. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the mouth of the Red Sea and serves as an important transshipment location for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands. The present leadership favors close ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country, but also has strong ties with the US. Djibouti hosts the only US military base in sub-Saharan Africa and is a front-line state in the global war on terrorism.

Environment - current issues:

  • inadequate supplies of potable water
  • limited arable land; desertification; endangered species

For more info please contact:
African Studies
(310) 825-3686
africa@international.ucla.edu