Djibouti{{otheruses}} The '''Republic of Djibouti''' (جيبوتي) is a country in eastern Africa, located in the Horn of Africa. Djibouti is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. On the other side of the Red Sea, on the Arabian Peninsula, 20 km from the coast of Djibouti, is Yemen. {| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |+<big><big>'''جمهورية جيبوتي Jumhuriyaa Jibuti République de Djibouti'''</big></big> |- | style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan=2 | {| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" | align="center" width="125px" | Image:Djibouti_flag_large.png|125px|Flag of Djibouti | align="center" width="125px" | Image:Dj).jpg |- | align="center" width="125px" | (Flag of Djibouti|In Detail) | align="center" width="125px" | (Full size) |} |- | align="center" colspan=2 | ''National motto: —'' |- | align=center colspan=2 | image:LocationDjibouti.png|Location of Djibouti |- | '''Official languages''' | Arabic language|Arabic, French language|French |- | '''Capital''' | Djibouti, Djibouti|Djibouti |- | '''President of Djibouti|President''' | Ismail Omar Guelleh |- | '''Prime Minister of Djibouti|Prime Minister''' | Dileita Mohamed Dileita |- | '''Area'''  - Total  - % water | List of countries by area|Ranked 147th 1 E10 m²|23,000 km² 0% |- | '''Population'''  - Total (2000)  - Density | List of countries by population|Ranked 161st 460,700 21/km² |- | '''Independence''' | June 27, 1977 |- | '''Currency''' | Djiboutian Franc|Franc (ISO_4217|DJF) |- | '''Time zone''' | UTC+3 |- | '''National anthem''' | ''National anthem of Djibouti|Flag song'' |- | '''Top-level domain|Internet TLD''' | .dj |- | '''List of country calling codes|Calling Code''' | 253 |} == History == ''Main article: History of Djibouti'' The area of Djibouti has been occupied by several tribes, currently the Afar and the Somali Isa. These tribes had regular trade contacts with the Arabs, and adopted Islam as their religion. In the 19th century, France established a protectorate in the area, named '''French Somaliland''', governed by Léonce Lagarde. In 1967, the name was changed to the '''French Territory of the Afars and the Issas'''. On June 27, 1977, the country was granted independence as '''Djibouti'''. A civil war led by Afar rebels in the early 1990s was stopped by a peace accord in 1994. == Politics == ''Main article: Politics of Djibouti'' Ismail Omar Guelleh was on Saturday sworn in for a second and final six-year term as president of the tiny Horn of Africa nation, the official news agency, Agence Djiboutienne d'Information (ADI), reported. Guelleh won 100 percent of the votes cast in a one-man race on 8 April. According to ADI, 78.9 percent of approximately 197,000 registered voters cast their ballots - at 200 voting booths - across the country. Opposition parties boycotted, describing the poll as "ridiculous, rigged and rubbish". Present at the swearing in ceremony were several regional leaders. Guelleh, in an address during the ceremony, said: Djibouti's second president, Guelleh was first elected to ofice in 1999, taking over from his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, who had ruled the country since its independence from France in 1977. [Full story at: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=47007] The head of state of Djibouti is the president, who is elected for a term of six years. The president appoints a prime-minister, and heads the council of ministers. The legislative body is formed by the ''Chambre des Deputes'', which consists of 65 members which are elected every five years. == Subdivisions == Djibouti is divided into six districts (cercles, singular - cercle): {| | * Arta District * 'Ali Sabih District * Dikhil District * Djibouti District * Obock District * Tadjoura District (Note: Arta is a recently created district.) | Image:Djibouti_districts_named.png|Map of the districts of Djibouti. |} == Geography == Image:Djibouti_sm03.png|thumb|250px|Map of Djibouti ''Main article: Geography of Djibouti'' Djibouti Scarcely 100 years old, the capital is home to two-thirds of the nation's population. Djibouti sits on the western shore of an isthmus in the Gulf of Tadjoura, overlooking a small marina where dhows, fishing skiffs and pleasure boats are moored. The Central Market (Le Marché Central) just south of the centre of town, is worth seeing, in particular for its fresh sprigs of [khat], a mild stimulant flown in daily from [Ethiopia]. The best beaches near the city are [Doralé] and the less accessible [Khor-Ambado]. [Ali Sabieh] The road from Djibouti to Ali Sabieh crosses two spectacular desert plains, Petit Bara and Grand Bara, and at the eastern end you can go windsurfing on wheels. There are one or two hotels in town and you can see several traditional Afar huts around town. [Tadjoura] Tadjoura's setting is spectacular, especially when viewed from the sea. Within 10km (6mi) of town there are several peaks that rise to more than 1300m (4264ft), and there are superb coral reefs accessible to snorkellers and divers close to shore The Lakes [Lac Assal] is an aquatic wilderness surrounded by dormant volcanoes and lava fields one days travel via tarmac road west from the capital. You will pass Lac Goubet on the way, a seawater loch known locally as 'the pit of demons', then pass a stark, apocalyptic volcanic neck separating the two lakes. In the far south-west of the country on the border with Ethiopia, [Lac Abbé] is the dawn gathering place for flamingoes. You can only reach it by 4WD. Weird natural chimneys (or fumaroles) dot the foreshore. Djibouti is a little bigger than El Salvador but nowhere near as green; it is mostly a hot desert waste with virtually no arable land. Vaguely foetus-shaped, you can divide it into three regions to make sense of its geography: the coastal plain, the volcanic plateaus in the south and centre, and the mountain ranges up north. It shares borders with Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia on the Horn of Africa, and you can make out the coast of Yemen across the waves of the Red Sea. Lac Abbé is where you'll see flamingoes feeding in the mornings, and while it's not designated as a national park it's one of the few places where you will see wildlife of any kind. When you consider Djibouti's weather, 'torrid' and 'dry' come quickly to mind. It's too hot and there's too little water anywhere to support much more than the odd nomad's camel. The cooler season, which sometimes brings rain, averages 25°C (77°F), but at the peak of the hot season the mercury nudges 45°C (113°C). == Economy == ''Main article: Economy of Djibouti'' The economy of Djibouti 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. There are few natural resources and virtually no industries. 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). Also, renewed fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea has disturbed normal external channels of commerce. 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 Djiboutian Franc is tied to the United States Dollar. == Demographics == ''Main article: Demographics of Djibouti'' The population is divided into two main groups, the Issa, or Somalia|Somali people, who make up about 60%, and the Afar, about 35%. The remainder is formed by Europeans (mostly France|French and Italy|Italians), Arabs and Ethiopians. The presence of two different population groups was the cause of the civil war in the early 1990s. Almost all of the people of Djibouti are Muslim, only a small percentage is Christianity|Christian, notably the Europeans. Although French language|French and Arabic language|Arabic are the official languages, Somali language|Somali and Afar language|Afar are widely spoken. == Culture == ''Main article: Culture of Djibouti'' ''See also:'' Music of Djibouti, List of African writers (by country)#Djibouti|List of writers from Djibouti == Miscellaneous topics == * Communications in Djibouti * Transportation in Djibouti * Military of Djibouti * Foreign relations of Djibouti == External links == {{wikitravel}} * [http://www.djibnet.com Most popular Djibouti community site (in French)] * [http://www.republique-djibouti.com Official Website (in French)] *[http://www.ksafe.com/profiles/c_maps/djibouti.gif Djibouti on the whole Africa map] *[http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/dj.html CIA World Factbook - ''Djibouti''] *[http://www.al-bab.com/arab/countries/djibouti.htm Arab Gateway - ''Djibouti''] *[http://search.looksmart.com/p/browse/us1/us317916/us559898/us559899/us10065672/us559915/ LookSmart - ''Djibouti''] directory category *[http://dmoz.org/Regional/Africa/Djibouti/ Open Directory Project - ''Djibouti''] directory category *[http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Djibouti/ Yahoo! - ''Djibouti''] directory category {{Africa}} Category:Djibouti|* Category:Arab League Category:African Union member states {{CIAfb}} ar:جيبوتي bn:জিবুতি ca:Djibouti da:Djibouti de:Dschibuti et:Djibouti es:Yibuti eo:Ĝibutio fr:Djibouti gl:Xibutí - Djibouti ko:지부티 hi:जिबूती id:Djibouti it:Gibuti he:ג'יבוטי la:Dzibutum lv:Džibuti lt:Džibutis ms:Djibouti nl:Djibouti nds:Dschibuti ja:ジブチ no:Djibouti oc:Jiboti pl:Dżibuti pt:Djibouti ru:Джибути sk:Džibutsko sl:Džibuti sr:Џибути sq:Xhibuti fi:Djibouti sv:Djibouti zh:吉布地 First page | Prev | Next | Last page |

This article on Djibouti is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Djibouti".

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