from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Djibouti
Introduction
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 is also developing
stronger 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.
Geography
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red
Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia
Geographic 11 30 N, 43 00 E
coordinates:
Map Africa
references:
Area: total: 23,000 sq km
land: 22,980 sq km
water: 20 sq km
Area - slightly smaller than Massachusetts
comparative:
Land total: 516 km
boundaries: border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km,
Somalia 58 km
Coastline: 314 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: desert; torrid, dry
Terrain: coastal plain and plateau separated by central
mountains
Elevation lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m
extremes: highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m
Natural geothermal areas, gold, clay, granite, limestone,
resources: marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum
Land use: arable land: 0.04%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.96% (2005)
Irrigated 10 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances
hazards: from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash
floods
Environment - inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable
current land; desertification; endangered species
issues:
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
agreements: Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes
note: and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail
traffic into Ethiopia; mostly wasteland; Lac Assal
(Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa
People
Population: 486,530 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.3% (male 105,760/female 105,068)
15-64 years: 53.3% (male 135,119/female 124,367)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 8,183/female 8,033) (2006
est.)
Median age: total: 18.2 years
male: 18.7 years
female: 17.7 years (2006 est.)
Population 2.02% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 39.53 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 19.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 102.44 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 110.07 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 94.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 43.17 years
expectancy at male: 41.86 years
birth: female: 44.52 years (2006 est.)
Total 5.31 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 2.9% (2003 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 9,100 (2003 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - 690 (2003 est.)
deaths:
Major degree of risk: high
infectious food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal
diseases: diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2005)
Nationality: noun: Djiboutian(s)
adjective: Djiboutian
Ethnic groups: Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and
Italian 5%
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.)
Government
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
Government republic
type:
Capital: name: Djibouti
geographic coordinates: 11 30 N, 43 15 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
Administrative 6 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); Ali Sabieh,
divisions: Arta, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjourah
Independence: 27 June 1977 (from France)
National Independence Day, 27 June (1977)
holiday:
Constitution: multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4
September 1992
Legal system: based on French civil law system, traditional
practices, and Islamic law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal adult
Executive chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8
branch: May 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed Dileita
DILEITA (since 4 March 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the
president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a
six-year term (eligible for a second term); election
last held 8 April 2005 (next to be held by April 2011);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Ismail Omar GUELLEH reelected
president; percent of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 100%
Legislative unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes
branch: (65 seats; members elected by popular vote for
five-year terms)
elections: last held 10 January 2003 (next to be held
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
Judicial Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
branch:
Political Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh];
parties and Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH];
leaders: 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 [Ismail Omar GUELLEH]
(governing party); 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
Political Union for Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includes
pressure RPP, FRUD, PPSD and PND); Union for Democratic
groups and Changeover or UAD (opposition coalition includes ARD,
leaders: MRDD, UDJ, and PDD) [Ahmed Dini AHMED]
International ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77,
organization IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
participation: IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU,
LAS, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Roble OLHAYE Oudine
representation chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington,
in the US: DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270
FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador W. Stuart SYMINGTON
representation embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre,
from the US: Djibouti
mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti
telephone: [253] 35 39 95
FAX: [253] 35 39 40
Flag two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and
description: light green with a white isosceles triangle based on
the hoist side bearing a red five-pointed star in the
center
Economy
Economy - The economy is based on service activities connected
overview: 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 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. 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 at least
50% 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% 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.
GDP $619 million (2002 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $702 million
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 3.2% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $1,000 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 17.9%
composition by industry: 22.5%
sector: services: 59.6% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 282,000 (2000)
Labor force - agriculture: NA%
by occupation: industry: NA%
services: NA%
Unemployment 50% (2004 est.)
rate:
Population 50% (2001 est.)
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 3% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $135 million
expenditures: $182 million; including capital
expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
Agriculture - fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides
products:
Industries: construction, agricultural processing, salt
Industrial 3% (1996 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 240 million kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 100%
production by hydro: 0%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 223.2 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003)
production:
Oil - 12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Exports: $250 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)
commodities:
Exports - Somalia 55.2%, Yemen 19.5%, Ethiopia 17.9% (2005)
partners:
Imports: $987 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals,
commodities: petroleum products
Imports - Saudi Arabia 21.7%, India 18.5%, China 10%, Ethiopia
partners: 4.8%, France 4.5%, US 4.3%, Japan 4.2% (2005)
Debt - $394 million (2004 est.)
external:
Economic aid - $64.1 million (2004)
recipient:
Currency Djiboutian franc (DJF)
(code):
Currency code: DJF
Exchange Djiboutian francs per US dollar - 177.72 (2005), 177.72
rates: (2004), 177.72 (2003), 177.72 (2002), 177.72 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 11,100 (2004)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 34,500 (2004)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of
system: 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, Marseille, Colombo, and
Singapore; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; Medarabtel regional
microwave radio relay telephone network
Radio AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 52,000 (1997)
Television 1 (2002)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 28,000 (1997)
Internet .dj
country code:
Internet 1,540 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 1 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 9,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 13 (2006)
Airports - total: 3
with paved over 3,047 m: 1
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - total: 10
with unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (2006)
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 (2005)
Roadways: total: 2,890 km
paved: 364 km
unpaved: 2,526 km (1999)
Merchant total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT
marine: by type: cargo 1 (2006)
Ports and Djibouti
terminals:
Military
Military Djibouti National Army (includes Navy and Air Force)
branches:
Military 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
service age
and
obligation:
Manpower males age 18-49: 95,328
available for females age 18-49: 87,795 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 46,020
for military females age 18-49: 42,181 (2005 est.)
service:
Military $29.05 million (2005 est.)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 4.3% (2005 est.)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords
international: with "Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some
political ties to various factions in Somalia;
thousands of Somali refugees await repatriation in
UNHCR camps in Djibouti
Refugees and refugees (country of origin): 17,331 (Somalia) (2005)
internally
displaced
persons:
Trafficking in current situation: Djibouti is a source, transit, and
persons: destination country for women and children trafficked
for the purposes of sexual exploitation and possibly
forced labor; small numbers are trafficked from
Ethiopia and Somalia for sexual exploitation; economic
migrants from these countries also fall victim to
trafficking upon reaching Djibouti City or the
Ethiopia-Djibouti trucking corridor; women and children
from neighboring countries reportedly transit Djibouti
to Arab countries and Somalia for ultimate use in
forced labor or sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Djibouti does not
fully comply with the minimum standards for the
elimination of trafficking; however, it is making
significant efforts to do so based partly on the
government's commitments to undertake future action