Current Environmental Issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land; desertification; endangered species

Geography

(Source: EIA)

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:

total: 23,000 sq km
land: 22,980 sq km
water: 20 sq km

Land Boundaries:

total: 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

Elevation Extremes:

lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m
highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m

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 Agreement

Environmental-international Agreement:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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:

total population: 43.31 years
male: 41.89 years
female: 44.77 years (2008 est.)

Total Fertility Rate: 5.14 children born/woman (2008 est.)

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.)

Water

Total Renewable Water Resources: 0.3 cu km (1997)

Freshwater Withdrawal:

total: 0.02 cu km/yr (84%/0%/16%)
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

Land Use:

arable land: 0.04%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.96% (2005)

Energy

Health

Prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Adults: 2.9% (2003 est.)

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.)

Household Income or Consumption by Percentage Share:

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

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)

Communications

Telephones-main line in use: 10,800 (2005)

Telephones-mobile/cellular: 44,100 (2005)

Radio Broadcast Stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)

Television Broadcast Stations: 1 (2001)

Internet Hosts: 168 (2007)

Internet Users: 11,000 (2006)

Transportation

Airports: 13 (2007)

Railways:

total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway)
narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but remains largely inoperable (2006)

Roadways:

total: 3,065 km
paved: 1,226 km
unpaved: 1,839 km (2000)

Ports and Terminals: Djibouti