| Djibouti |
Introduction Geography People Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues

Djibouti | Introduction | Top of Page

Background: | The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. A peace accord in 1994 ended a three-year uprising by Afars rebels.

Djibouti | Geography | Top of Page

Location: | Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia

Geographic coordinates: | 11 30 N, 43 00 E

Map references: | Africa

Area: | total: 22,000 sq km land: 21,980 sq km water: 20 sq km

Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries: | total: 508 km border countries: Eritrea 113 km, Ethiopia 337 km, Somalia 58 km

Coastline: | 314 km

Maritime claims: | contiguous zone: 24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: | desert; torrid, dry

Terrain: | coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains

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

Natural resources: | geothermal areas

Land use: | arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 9% forests and woodland: 0% other: 91% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: | NA sq km

Natural hazards: | earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods

Environment - current issues: | inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification

Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: | strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; mostly wasteland

Djibouti | People | Top of Page

Population: | 460,700 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: | 0-14 years: 42.58% (male 98,314; female 97,859) 15-64 years: 54.58% (male 132,619; female 118,841) 65 years and over: 2.84% (male 6,787; female 6,280) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: | 2.6% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: | 40.66 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: | 14.66 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: | 101.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 51.21 years male: 49.37 years female: 53.1 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: | 5.72 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 11.75% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 37,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 3,100 (1999 est.)

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: 46.2% male: 60.3% female: 32.7% (1995 est.)

Djibouti | Government | Top of Page

Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti conventional short form: Djibouti former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland

Government type: | republic

Capital: | Djibouti

Administrative divisions: | 5 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); 'Ali Sabih, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjoura

Independence: | 27 June 1977 (from France)

National holiday: | Independence Day, 27 June (1977)

Constitution: | multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992

Legal system: | based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and Islamic law

Suffrage: | NA years of age; universal adult

Executive branch: | chief of state: President GUELLEH Ismail Omar (since 8 May 1999); head of government: Prime Minister DILLEITA Mohamed Dilleita (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: GUELLEH Ismail Omar elected president; percent of vote - GUELLEH Ismail Omar 74.4%, IDRIS Moussa Ahmed 25.6%

Legislative branch: | unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: last held 19 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - RPP 65; note - RPP (the ruling party) dominated the election

Judicial branch: | Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders: | Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH]; People's Progress Assembly or RPP (governing party) [Ismail Omar GELLEH]

Political pressure groups and leaders: | Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy or FRUD and affiliates; Movement for Unity and Democracy or MUD

International organization participation: | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador ROBLE Olhaye Oudine chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270 FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302

Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Donald YAMAMOTO embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti telephone: [253] 35 39 95 FAX: [253] 35 39 40

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

Djibouti | Economy | Top of Page

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 40% to 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. The year 2001 will see only small growth as port activity should decrease now that Ethiopia has more trade route options.

GDP: | purchasing power parity - $574 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: | 2% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 3% industry: 22% services: 75% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line: | NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2% (2000 est.)

Labor force: | 282,000

Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 75%, industry 11%, services 14% (1991 est.)

Unemployment rate: | 50% (2000 est.)

Budget: | revenues: $133 million expenditures: $187 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

Industries: | limited to a few small-scale enterprises, such as dairy products and mineral-water bottling

Industrial production growth rate: | 3% (1996 est.)

Electricity - production: | 180 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: | 167.4 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: | fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels

Exports: | $260 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Exports - commodities: | reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)

Exports - partners: | Somalia 53%, Yemen 23%, Ethiopia 5%, (1998)

Imports: | $440 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Imports - commodities: | foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products

Imports - partners: | France 13%, Ethiopia 12%, Italy 9%, Saudi Arabia 6%, UK 6% (1998)

Debt - external: | $356 million (1999 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: | $106.3 million (1995)

Currency: | Djiboutian franc (DJF)

Currency code: | DJF

Exchange rates: | Djiboutian francs per US dollar - 177.721 (fixed rate since 1973)

Fiscal year: | calendar year

Djibouti | Communications | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 8,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: | 203 (1997)

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: 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

Radio broadcast stations: | AM 2, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: | 52,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: | 1 (plus 5 low-power repeaters) (1998)

Televisions: | 28,000 (1997)

Internet country code: | .dj

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2000)

Internet users: | 1,000 (2000)

Djibouti | Transportation | Top of Page

Railways: | total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad) narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge note: Djibouti and Ethiopia plan to revitalize the century-old railroad that links their capitals by 2003

Highways: | total: 2,890 km paved: 364 km unpaved: 2,526 km (1996)

Waterways: | none

Ports and harbors: | Djibouti

Merchant marine: | total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.)

Airports: | 12 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: | total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)

Djibouti | Military | Top of Page

Military branches: | Djibouti National Army (includes Navy and Air Force)

Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 108,038 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 63,589 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $23 million (FY97)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 4.5% (FY97)

Djibouti | Transnational Issues | Top of Page

Disputes - international: | none