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Solutions Journal
Djibouti
Table of Contents |
Djibouti is an east-African nation on the Gulf of Aden at the entrance to the Red Sea from the Indian Ocean, part of the region known as the "Horn of Africa." It is located between the nations of Eritrea and Somalia.
Djibouti's major environmental issues include: inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land; desertification; and, endangered species.
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 United States. Djibouti hosts the only US military base in sub-Saharan Africa and is considered by the US to be a "front-line state in the global war on terrorism."
Geography
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia
Geographic Coordinates: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia
Area: 23,000 km2 (22,980 km2 land and 20 km2 water)
arable land: 0.04%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.96% (2005)
Land Boundaries: 516 km. Border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km
Coastline: 314 km
Maritime Claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural Hazards: earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods
Terrain:Coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains. Its lowest point is Lac Assal (-155 metres) and its highest point is Moussa Ali (2,028 metres).
Climate: Desert; torrid, dry
Government
Government Type: Republic
Capital: Djibouti
Independence Date: 27 June 1977 (from France)
Legal System: based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and Islamic law; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
International Environmental Agreements
Djibouti is party to international agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, and Wetlands.
People and Society
Population: 506,221 (July 2008 est.)
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 43.3% (male 110,089/female 109,331)
15-64 years: 53.1% (male 139,164/female 129,614)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 9,068/female 8,955) (2008 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 1.945% (2008 est.)
Birthrate: 38.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death Rate: 19.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net Migration Rate: NA
Life Expectancy at Birth: 43.31 years (2008 est.)
Total Fertility Rate: 5.14 children born/woman (2008 est.)
Languages: French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar
Literacy: 67.9% (male: 78% - female: 58.4% [2003 est.])
Water
Total Renewable Water Resources: 0.3 cu km (1997)
Freshwater Withdrawal: Total: 0.02 cu km/yr (84% domestic, 0% industrial, 16% agricultural). Per capita: 25 cu m/yr (2000)
Agriculture
Agricultural Products: fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides
Irrigated Land: 10 sq km (2003)
Resources
Natural Resources: geothermal areas, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum.
Energy
| Production | Consumption | Exports | Imports | Reserves | |
| Electricity | 306 million kWh (2006) | 226.9 million kWh (2006) | 0 kWh (2006) | 0 kWh (2006) | |
| Oil | 0 bbl/day (2005) | 5,066 bbl/day (2007) | 19.13 bbl/day (2004) | 11,860 bbl/day (2004) | 0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Natural Gas | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | 0 cu m (2005) | 0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Source: CIA Factbook | |||||
Conflict
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
Refugee: refugees (country of origin): 8,642 (Somalia) (2007)
Economy
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 (Purchasing Power Parity): $1.738 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (Official Exchange Rate): $841 million (2007 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 5.2% (2007 est.)
GDP-per capita (PPP): $2,300 (2007 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.2%
industry: 14.9%
services: 81.9% (2006)
Population Below Poverty Line: 42% (2007 est.)
Industries: construction, agricultural processing
Exports: reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)
Export Partners: Somalia 65.4%, Ethiopia 21.2%, Yemen 3.3% (2006)
Imports: foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products
Import Partners: Saudi Arabia 20.5%, India 17.6%, China 9.6%, Ethiopia 4.6%, Malaysia 4.4%, Japan 4.1% (2006)
Economic Aid Recipients: $78.6 million (2005)
Currency: Djiboutian franc (DJF)
Ports and Terminals: Djibouti
Further Reading