Djibouti Online Business Education. Administration. Economy. Politics. Culture. Religion. Media

Djibouti
Online Business Education. Economy. Politics. Culture. Religion. Media

Capital City: Djibouti

Internet Links

Republique Djibouti

Ismaïl Omar Guelleh

Introduction

Djibouti

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.

Geography Djibouti

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

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries: total: 516 km border countries: Eritrea 109 km,
Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km

Coastline: 314 km

Maritime claims:   200 NM territorial sea: 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% other: 100% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1998 est.)

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; endangered species

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; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa

People Djibouti

Population: 472,810 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.6% (male 100,903; female 100,420) 15-64
years: 54.5% (male 135,409; female 122,209) 65 years and over: 2.9%
(male 7,220; female 6,649) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.59% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 40.33 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 14.43 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.09 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 99.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:   53.52 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 5.64 children born/woman (2002 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,400 (2002 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.)

Government Djibouti

Country name:   Republic of Djibouti conventional short form: 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: 18 years of age; universal adult

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)
Council of Ministers responsible to the president elections: 9 April
1999 (next to be held December 2002); 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%

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 December 2002)
election results: 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];
Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite Democratique or FRUD [Ali Mohamed
DAOUD]; People's Progress Assembly or RPP (governing party) [Ismail
Omar GUELLEH]

Political pressure groups and leaders: 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, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW (signatory),
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

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

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

Economy Djibouti

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. Another
factor limiting growth is the negative impact on port activity now that
Ethiopia has more trade route options.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $586 million (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 0% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,400 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 10% services: 87%
(2001 est.)

Population below poverty line: 50% (2001 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 282,000

Labor force - by occupation: NA%

Unemployment rate: 50% (2000 est.)

Budget: revenues: $135 million expenditures: $182 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

Industries: construction, agricultural processing

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

Electricity - production: 180 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0%
(2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 167.4 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)

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: $366 million (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $36 million (2001)

Currency: Djiboutian franc (DJF)

Currency code: DJF

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

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Djibouti

Telephones - main lines in use: 10,000 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular: NA (2002)

Telephone system: general assessment: telephone facilities in the city
of Djibouti are adequate as are the microwave radio relay connections
to outlying areas
microwave radio relay network international: Singapore; satellite
earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1
Arabsat; Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone network

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios: 52,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002)

Televisions: 28,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .dj

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)

Internet users: 1,400 (2000)

Transportation Djibouti

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 (2001 est.)

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

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Djibouti

Airports: 12 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m:
1 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to
1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 3 (2001)

Military Djibouti

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

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 110,221 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 64,940
(2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $26.5 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.4% (FY01)

Transnational Issues Djibouti

Disputes - international: Djibouti maintains economic ties and border
accords with "Somaliland" leadership while politically supporting the
Somali Transitional National Government in Mogadishu

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002