The economic centre of the country is at the port of Djibouti, which is linked by rail with Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. Djibouti serves as a free trade zone in Northern Africa and the harbour is one of only 3 active ports in the horn of Africa. This makes it useful as a transhipment and refuelling destination. Nomadic herders graze their cattle, goats and sheep on the limited pastureland. Dates are grown on small areas of irrigated land.
Fishing is a small industry and sea salt is a major resource to the country.
Djibouti has an international airport served by Air France and the national carrier, Air Djibouti. As at January 1996 all nationals except France require visas in order to visit Djibouti. Djibouti has a very open economy and there are almost no capital controls. Since 1949, the Djiboutian Franc has been pegged to the US dollar and is freely convertible. An apparent coup attempt in late 2000 has done little to raise doubts in the country, although domestic dissent coupled with regional intrigues is cause for concern.