Djibouti

§1. 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.

§2. Djibouti Geography

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 km²
  land: 22,980 km²
  water: 20 km²

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:
  territorial sea: 12 nm
  contiguous zone: 24 nm
  exclusive economic zone: 200 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, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite,
  gypsum, pumice, petroleum

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

Irrigated land:
  10 km² (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; 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

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

§3. Djibouti 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 growth rate:
  2.02% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  39.53 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  19.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

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 mortality rate:
  total: 102.44 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 110.07 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 94.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 43.17 years
  male: 41.86 years
  female: 44.52 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  5.31 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  2.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  9,100 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  690 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
  degree of risk: high
  food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal 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.)

§4. Djibouti Government

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:
  18 years of age; universal adult

Executive branch:
  chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 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; 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 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 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 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]; 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]

International organization participation:
  ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
  ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, 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 representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador ROBLE Olhaye
  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 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

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

§5. Djibouti Economy

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 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 (purchasing power parity):
  $619 million (2002 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  NA

GDP - real growth rate:
  3.5% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $1,300 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 3.5%
  industry: 15.8%
  services: 80.7% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
  282,000 (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%

Unemployment rate:
  50% (2004 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% (2002 est.)

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

Agriculture - products:
  fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides

Industries:
  construction, agricultural processing, salt

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

Electricity - production:
  240 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  223.2 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  0 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
  12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Exports:
  $250 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
  Somalia 63.8%, Yemen 22.6%, Ethiopia 5% (2004)

Imports:
  $987 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
  Saudi Arabia 19.7%, India 12.4%, Ethiopia 11.8%, China 8.1%, France 5.6%,
  US 4.8% (2004)

Debt - external:
  $366 million (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $36 million (2001)

Currency (code):
  Djiboutian franc (DJF)

Exchange rates:
  Djiboutian francs per US dollar - 177.72 (2005), 177.72 (2004), 177.72
  (2003), 177.72 (2002), 177.72 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Djibouti Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  11,100 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  34,500 (2004)

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,
    Marseille, Colombo, and 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)

Television broadcast stations:
  1 (2002)

Internet country code:
  .dj

Internet hosts:
  506 (2005)

Internet users:
  9,000 (2005)

§7. Djibouti Transportation

Airports:
  13 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 3
  over 3,047 m: 1
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 10
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
  914 to 1,523 m: 5
  under 914 m: 3 (2005)

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 (2004)

Roadways:
  total: 2,890 km
  paved: 364 km
  unpaved: 2,526 km (1999)

Merchant marine:
  total: 1 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT
  by type: cargo 1 (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Djibouti

§8. Djibouti Military

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

Military service age and obligation:
  18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
  males age 18-49: 95,328 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 18-49: 46,020 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $29.05 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  4.3% (2005 est.)

§9. Djibouti Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords 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 internally displaced persons:
  refugees (country of origin): 17,331 (Somalia) (2005)


<Factbook 2006>
