Administrative divisions5 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); 'Ali Sabih, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjoura
Age structure
0-14 years: 43.2% (male 101,168; female 100,545)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 131,320; female 119,387)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 7,327; female 7,153) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products
fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels
Airports
13 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1524 to 2437 m: 1 (2003 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (2003 est.)
Area
total: 23,000 sq km
water: 20 sq km
land: 22,980 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Massachusetts
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 three consecutive six-year terms as president. Unrest among the Afars minority during the 1990s led to multi-party elections resulting in President Ismail Omar GUELLEH attaining office in May 1999. A peace accord in 2001 ended the final phases of a ten-year uprising by Afar rebels. Djibouti occupies a very 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. GUELLEH favors close ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country.
Birth rate
40.39 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget
revenues: $135 million
expenditures: $182 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1999 est.)
Capital
Djibouti
Climate
desert; torrid, dry
Coastline
314 km
Constitution
multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992
Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti
conventional short form: Djibouti
former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland
Currency
Djiboutian franc (DJF)
Currency code
DJF
Death rate
19.42 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external
$366 million (2002 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Marguerita RAGSDALE
embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti
mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti
telephone: [253] 35 39 95
FAX: [253] 35 39 40
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador ROBLE Olhaye
FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302
telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270
chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
Disputes - international
Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with "Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to various factions in Somalia including the Somali Transitional National Government in Mogadishu
Economic aid - recipient
$36 million (2001)
Economy - overview
The economy is based on service activities connected with the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in northeast Africa. Two-thirds of the inhabitants live in the capital city, the remainder being 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. It 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 50% continues to be a major problem. Inflation is not a concern, however, because of the fixed tie of the franc to the US dollar. Per capita consumption dropped an estimated 35% over the last seven years 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.
Electricity - consumption
167.4 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production
180 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m
highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m
Environment - current issues
inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land; desertification; endangered species
Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups
Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian 5%
Exchange rates
Djiboutian francs per US dollar - 177.721 (2003), 177.721 (2002), 177.721 (2001), 177.721 (2000), 177.721 (1999)
Executive branch
chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister DILEITA Mohamed Dileita (since 4 March 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 9 April 1999 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Ismail Omar GUELLEH elected president; percent of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 74.4%, IDRIS Moussa Ahmed 25.6%
Exports
$155 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities
reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)
Exports - partners
Somalia 61.6%, Yemen 21.7%, Pakistan 6.1%, Ethiopia 4.5% (2003 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Flag description
two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red five-pointed star in the center
GDP
purchasing power parity - $619 million (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 3.5%
industry: 15.8%
services: 80.7% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
3.5% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates
11 30 N, 43 00 E
Geography - note
strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; mostly wasteland; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa
Government type
republic
Highways
total: 2,890 km
paved: 364 km
unpaved: 2,526 km (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
2.9% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
690 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
9,100 (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage shar
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Imports
$665 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities
foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products
Imports - partners
Saudi Arabia 20.2%, Ethiopia 11.1%, China 9.4%, France 6.7%, UK 5.2%, US 5% (2003 est.)
Independence
27 June 1977 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate
3% (1996 est.)
Industries
construction, agricultural processing
Infant mortality rate
total: 105.54 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 97.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 113.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2% (2002 est.)
International organization participation
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet country code
.dj
Internet hosts
702 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
1 (2000)
Internet users
6,500 (2003)
Irrigated land
10 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Labor force
282,000 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation
NA
Land boundaries
total: 516 km
border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km
Land use
arable land: 0.04%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.96% (2001)
Languages
French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar
Legal system
based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and Islamic law
Legislative branch
unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
elections: last held 10 January 2003 (next to be held NA January 2008)
election results: percent of vote - RPP 62.2%, FRUD 36.9%; seats - RPP 65, FRUD 0; note - RPP (the ruling party) dominated the election
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 43.12 years
male: 41.83 years
female: 44.44 years (2004 est.)
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
Map references
Africa
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Median age
total: 18.3 years
male: 18.8 years
female: 17.7 years (2004 est.)
Merchant marine
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2003 est.)
Military branches
Djibouti National Army (including Navy and Air Force)
Military expenditures - dollar figure
$26.5 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
4.4% (2003)
Military manpower - availability
males age 15-49: 108,771 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service
males age 15-49: 64,540 (2004 est.)
National holiday
Independence Day, 27 June (1977)
Nationality
noun: Djiboutian(s)
adjective: Djiboutian
Natural hazards
earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods
Natural resources
geothermal areas
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption
11,300 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports
NA (2001)
Oil - imports
NA (2001)
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Political parties and leaders
Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH]; Djibouti Development Party or PDD [Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM]; Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite Democratique or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD]; People's Progress Assembly or RPP (governing party) [Ismail Omar GUELLEH]; Peoples Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Moumin Bahdon FARAH]; Republican Alliance for Democracy or ARD [Ahmed Dini AHMED]; Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders
Union for Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includes RPP, FRUD, PPSD and PND); Union for Democratic Changeover or UAD (opposition coalition includes ARD, MRDD, UDJ, and PDD) [Ahmed Dini AHMED]
Population
466,900 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line
50% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate
2.1% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors
Djibouti
Radio broadcast stations
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)
Radios
52,000 (1997)
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 (2003)
Religions
Muslim 94%, Christian 6%
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal adult
Telephone system
general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti are adequate as are the microwave radio relay connections to outlying areas of the country
domestic: microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 253; submarine cable to Jiddah, Suez, Sicily, Marseilles, Colombo, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone network
Telephones - main lines in use
9,500 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular
23,000 (2003)
Television broadcast stations
1 (2002)
Televisions
28,000 (1997)
Terrain
coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains
Total fertility rate
5.48 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate
50% (2000 est.)