The estimated population of the Republic of Djibouti in 1994 was about 540,000. There are three coastal towns in Djibouti, namely, Djibouti, Tagora and Obek. The population of Djibouti, the main coastal city, is about 400,000. With similar conditions to those prevailing in the southern reefs of the Red Sea, the reef of Djibouti is very turbid. On the south coast, close to the border with Somalia, the effects of upwelling nutrient-rich water begin to be discernible in fish assemblages.
Water there is very turbid and the reefs poorly developed.
They support fewer species and lower abundances of reef-associated fish than reefs further north. Non-reef species are more abundant, however, and this area represents the main artisanal fishing ground in Djibouti. Somalia The Somali Democratic Republic, which forms the Horn of Africa, has a coastline approximately 3300 km long, bounded on the north by the Gulf of Aden and on the east by the Indian Ocean. The total area of the country is 637,657 sq km, with a population of approximately 5.4 million. The coastal ecosystems and habitats vary widely from north to south.