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.
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 Afar
minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 with a
peace accord between Afar rebels and the Somali Issa-dominated
government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multiparty presidential elections
resulted in the election of Ismail Omar Guelleh as president; he was
reelected to a second term in 2005 and extended his tenure in office via
a constitutional amendment, which allowed him to begin a third term in
2011. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the
intersection of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and serves as an
important shipping portal for goods entering and leaving the east
African highlands and transshipments between Europe, the Middle East,
and Asia. The government holds longstanding ties to France, which
maintains a significant military presence in the country, and has strong
ties with the United States. Djibouti hosts several thousand members of
US armed services at US-run Camp Lemonnier.
Country Name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti
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conventional short form: Djibouti
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local long form: Republique de Djibouti/Jumhuriyat Jibuti
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local short form: Djibouti/Jibuti
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former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland
Capital:
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name: Djibouti
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geographic coordinates: 11 35 N, 43 09 E
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time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Independence:
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27 June 1977 (from France)
Government Type:
Executive Branch:
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chief of state: President Ismail Omar Guelleh (since 8 May 1999)
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head of government: Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed (since 1 April 2013)
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elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; president is eligible to hold office until age 75; election last held on 8 April 2011 (next to be held by 2016); prime minister appointed by the president
Legislative Branch:
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structure: unicameral Chamber of Deputies
Judicial Branch:
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structure: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
Population:
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810,179 (global rank: 163)
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growth rate: 2.23% (global rank: 41)
Nationality:
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noun: Djiboutian(s)
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adjective: Djiboutian
Major Cities:
Ethnic Groups:
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Somali 60%, Afar 35%, other 5% (includes French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian)
Religions:
Languages:
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French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar
Life Expectancy at Birth:
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total population: 62.4 years (global rank: 187)
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male: 59.93 years
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female: 64.94 years
Infant Mortality:
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total population: 50.2 deaths/1,000 live births (global rank: 41)
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male: 57.46 deaths/1,000 live births
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female: 42.72 deaths/1,000 live births
HIV/AIDS:
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adult prevalence rate: 1.2% (global rank: 39)
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people living with AIDS: 7,700 (global rank: 114)
Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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total population: 67.9%
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male: 78%
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female: 58.4%
Overview: Djibouti's economy is based on service activities connected with the
country's strategic location as a deepwater port on the Red Sea.
Three-fourths of Djibouti's inhabitants live in the capital city; the
remainder are mostly nomadic herders. Scant rainfall limits crop
production to small quantities of 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, exports, and re-exports - primarily of coffee from landlocked
neighbor Ethiopia - represent 70% 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. Djibouti holds foreign reserves amounting to less than six
months of import coverage. Djibouti has experienced relatively minimal
impact from the global economic downturn, but its reliance on
diesel-generated electricity and imported food leave average consumers
vulnerable to global price shocks. President Guelleh in 2013 told
international investors that Djibouti’s development plan is to increase
its prominence in financial and communication sectors.
Gross Domestic Product:
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GDP (PPP): $2.505 billion (global rank: 187)
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GDP per capita (PPP): $2,700 (global rank: 181)
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real growth rate: 5% (global rank: 58)
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composition by sector: agriculture: 3%, industry: 17.3%, services: 79.7%
Currency:
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currency: Djiboutian Frannc (DJF)
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exchange rate (per US Dollar): 177.7
Poverty:
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unemployment rate: 59%
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population below poverty line: 18.8%
Agricultural Products:
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fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides
Industries:
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construction, agricultural processing
Export Commodities:
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reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)
Import Commodities:
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foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products
Location:
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Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia
Area:
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total: 23,200 sq km (global rank: 151)
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land: 23,180 sq km
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water: 20 sq km
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comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Climate:
Land Use:
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arable land: 0.09%
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permanent crops: 0%
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other: 99.91%
Natural Resources:
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potential geothermal power, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum
Current Environmental Issues:
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inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land; desertification; endangered species
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international disputes: Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with "Somaliland"
leadership while maintaining some political ties to various factions in
Somalia; Kuwait is chief investor in the 2008 restoration and upgrade of
the Ethiopian-Djibouti rail link; in 2008, Eritrean troops moved across
the border on Ras Doumera peninsula and occupied Doumera Island with
undefined sovereignty in the Red Sea
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refugees (country of origin): 19,168 (Somalia)
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human trafficking: Djibouti
is a transit, source, and destination country for men, women, and
children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; economic
migrants from East Africa en route to Yemen and other Middle East
locations are vulnerable to exploitation in Djibouti; some woman and
girls may be forced into domestic servitude or prostitution after
reaching Djibouti City, the Ethiopian-Djiboutian trucking corridor, or
Obock - the main crossing point into Yemen; Djiboutian and foreign
children may be forced to beg, to work as domestic servants, or to
commit theft and other petty crimes
Published: Monday, March 9, 2015