1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
23,310 km²; 89% desert wasteland, 10% permanent pasture, and less than 1% cultivated
Coastline
314 km (includes offshore islands)
Land boundaries
517 km WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
12 nm (fishing 200 nm; economic zone 200 nm)
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
Somalis (Issas) and Afars
Labor force
a small number of semiskilled laborers at port
Language
French (official), Somali, Afar, Arabic, all widely used
Literacy
about 5%
Nationality
noun—Afar(s), Issa(s); adjective—Afar, Issa
Organized labor
some 3,000 railway workers organized
Population
306,000 (July 1982) average annual growth rate 4.1%
Religion
94% Muslim, 6% Christian
Government
Branches
65-member Parliament, Cabinet, President, Prime Minister
Capital
Djibouti
Communists
possibly a few sympathizers
Elections
Parliament elected May 1977 Political parties and leaders: Peoples Progress Assembly (RPP), Hassan Gouled
Government leader
President HASSAN Gouled Aptidon
Legal system
based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and Islamic law
Member of
Arab League, FAO, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, ISCO, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN
Official name
Republic of Djibouti
Political subdivisions
5 Cercles (districts)
Suffrage
universal
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
livestock; desert conditions limit commercial crops to about 6 hectares, including fruits and vegetables
Electric power
55,000 kW capacity (1980); 220 million kWh produced (1980), 770 kWh per capita
Exports
$86 million (1978); hides and skins, and transit of coffee; values plummeted after railroad line was cut
Fiscal year
probably same as that for France (calendar year)
GNP
$264.7 million (1978)
Imports
$92 million (1978); almost all domestically needed goods—foods, machinery, transport equipment
Industry
ship repairs and services of port and railroad drastically reduced with war of 1977-78 in Ethiopia's Ogaden that cut the railroad line; it has since been reopened
Monetary conversion rate
178 Djibouti francs=US$1
Communications
Airfields
11 total, 11 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runway; 1 with runway 2,440-3,659 m, 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
2 major transport aircraft, including 1 leased in
Highways
1,387 km total; 279 km bituminous surface, 112 km improved earth; 996 km unimproved earth
Ports
1 major (Djibouti)
Railroads
the Franco-Ethiopian railroad extends for 97 km through Djibouti
Telecommunications
fair system of urban facilities in Djibouti and radiocommunication stations at outlying places; 4,350 telephones (1.2 per 100 popl.); 1 AM station and no FM stations; 1 TV station; 1 INTELSAT satellite station at Ambouli, working with Indian Ocean satellite
Military and Security
Military budget
for fiscal year ending 31 December 1981, $2.9 million; about 3.4% of central government budget
Military manpower
males 15-49, about 64,000; about 38,000 fit for military service Defense is responsibility of France