2005 Edition

Administrative divisions

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 43.3% (male 103,516/female 102,860) 15-64 years: 53.5% (male 133,168/female 121,823) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 7,748/female 7,588) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides

Airports

13 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1524 to 2437 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.) Military Djibouti

Area

land

22,980 sq km

total

23,000 sq km

water

20 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Massachusetts

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. Djibouti's first multi-party presidential elections in 1999 resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH. Djibouti occupies a very 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 has also developed increasingly stronger ties with the United States in recent years. Djibouti currently hosts the only United States military base in sub-Saharan Africa and is a front-line state in the global war on terrorism. Geography Djibouti

Birth rate

39.98 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$182 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1999 est.)

revenues

$135 million

Capital

Djibouti

Climate

desert; torrid, dry

Coastline

314 km

Constitution

multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Djibouti

conventional short form

Djibouti

former

French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland

Currency (code)

Djiboutian franc (DJF)

Currency code

DJF

Death rate

19.39 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$366 million (2002 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Marguerita RAGSDALE

embassy

Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti

FAX

[253] 35 39 40

mailing address

B. P. 185, Djibouti

telephone

[253] 35 39 95

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

chief of mission

Ambassador ROBLE Olhaye

FAX

[1] (202) 331-0302

telephone

[1] (202) 331-0270

Disputes - international

Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with "Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to various factions in Somalia; although most of the 26,000 Somali refugees in Djibouti who fled civil unrest in the early 1990s have returned, several thousand still await repatriation in UNHCR camps

Economic aid - recipient

$36 million (2001)

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.

Electricity - consumption

167.4 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

180 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

100%

hydro

0%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Moussa Ali 2,028 m

lowest point

Lac Assal -155 m

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

Ethnic groups

Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian 5%

Exchange rates

Djiboutian francs per US dollar - 177.72 (2004), 177.72 (2003), 177.72 (2002), 177.72 (2001), 177.72 (2000)

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers responsible to the president

chief of state

President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999)

election results

Ismail Omar GUELLEH reelected president; percent of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 100%

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

head of government

Prime Minister Mohamed Dileita DILEITA (since 4 March 2001)

Exports

$155 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities

reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)

Exports - partners

Somalia 63.8%, Yemen 22.6%, Ethiopia 5% (2004)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Djibouti

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

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

3.5%

industry

15.8%

services

80.7% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.5% (2002 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$619 million (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

11 30 N, 43 00 E

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

Government type

republic

Highways

paved

364 km

total

2,890 km

unpaved

2,526 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

2.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

690 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

9,100 (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA

Imports

$665 million f.o.b. (2002 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)

Independence

27 June 1977 (from France)

Industrial production growth rate

3% (1996 est.)

Industries

construction, agricultural processing, salt

Infant mortality rate

female

96.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

111.82 deaths/1,000 live births

total

104.13 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2% (2002 est.)

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Internet country code

.dj

Internet hosts

702 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

6,500 (2003) Transportation Djibouti

Irrigated land

10 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Labor force

282,000 (2000)

Labor force - by occupation

NA

Land boundaries

border countries

Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km

total

516 km

Land use

arable land

0.04%

other

99.96% (2001)

permanent crops

0%

Languages

French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar

Legal system

based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and Islamic law

Legislative branch

unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)

election results

percent of vote - RPP 62.2%, FRUD 36.9%; seats - RPP 65, FRUD 0; note - RPP (the ruling party) dominated the election

elections

last held 10 January 2003 (next to be held January 2008)

Life expectancy at birth

female

44.39 years (2005 est.)

male

41.84 years

total population

43.1 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

58.4% (2003 est.) Government Djibouti

male

78%

total population

67.9%

Location

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

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 (2004)

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.)

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Median age

female

17.69 years (2005 est.)

male

18.77 years

total

18.23 years

Merchant marine

by type

cargo 1 (2005)

total

1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT

Military branches

Djibouti National Army (includes Navy and Air Force)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$28.6 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

4.4% (2004) Transnational Issues Djibouti

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 June (1977)

Nationality

adjective

Djiboutian

noun

Djiboutian(s)

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

geothermal areas, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

11,300 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

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]

Population

476,703 (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

50% (2001 est.)

Population growth rate

2.06% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Djibouti

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios

52,000 (1997)

Railways

narrow gauge

100 km 1.000-m gauge note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2004)

total

100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin)

25,474 (Somalia) (2004) This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Religions

Muslim 94%, Christian 6%

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 (2005 est.)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal adult

Telephone system

domestic

microwave radio relay network

general assessment

telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti are adequate as are the microwave radio relay connections to outlying areas of the country

international

country code - 253; 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

Telephones - main lines in use

9,500 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

23,000 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

1 (2002)

Televisions

28,000 (1997)

Terrain

coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains

Total fertility rate

5.4 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

50% (2004 est.)