Djibouti

**Djibouti** (officially called the **Republic of Djibouti**) is a country on the eastern coast of Africa. The capital city is also called Djibouti.

Djibouti gained its independence from France on June 27, 1977. The country was created out of the French Somaliland (later called the French Territory of the Afars and Issas), which was created in the 1800s as a result of French colonialism in Africa.

In 2020, about 920,000 people lived there. It is one of the least populous countries in Africa. Two ethnic groups, the Somali and the Afar people, account for most of the people living in the country.

Djibouti joined the United Nations on September 20, 1977. It is also a member of the Arab League, as well as the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

## History

The history of Djibouti goes back thousands of years when it was part of the Sabean Empire (Ethiopia) to a time when Djiboutians traded hides and skins for the perfumes and spices of ancient Egypt, Pakistan, and China. Through close contacts with the Arabian peninsula for more than 1,000 years, the Somali and Afar tribes in this region became among the first on the African continent to accept Islam. Djibouti is a Muslim country which regularly takes part in Islamic as well as Arab meetings.

The country is close to a narrow part of the Red Sea so it is considered an important area from a military viewpoint.

## Djiboutians

The **Djiboutians** () are the people inhabiting or originating from Djibouti (including their diaspora). The country is mainly composed of two ethnic groups, the Somali and the Afar. It has many languages - though Somali and Afar are the most widely spoken ones, Arabic and French serve as the official languages. There is a small Djiboutian diaspora in North America, Europe, and Australia.

## Geography

Djibouti is near to the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Awdal of Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east.

In the Great Rift Valley the rift between the African Plate and the Somali Plate meet the Arabian Plate. This makes a geologic tripoint that is the lowest place in Africa.

Djibouti has eight mountain ranges with peaks of over 1,000 m (3,281 ft). The Mousa Ali range is the country's highest mountain range.

The Grand Bara desert covers parts of southern Djibouti.

Most species of wildlife are found in the northern part of the country, in the ecosystem of the Day Forest National Park. This forest area is the main habitat of the endangered and endemic Djibouti francolin (a bird).

## Administrative divisions

Djibouti is divided into six administrative regions, with Djibouti city representing one of the official regions. It is further subdivided into twenty districts.

|Region|Area (km<sup>2</sup>)|Population (2010)|Capital|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Ali Sabieh|2,200|71,640|Ali Sabieh|
|Arta|1,800|40,163|Arta|
|Dikhil|7,200|83,409|Dikhil|
|Djibouti|200|529,900 (2015 est.)|Djibouti City|
|Obock|4,700|36,083|Obock|
|Tadjourah|7,100|84,041|Tadjoura|

## Religion

The people of Djibouti are mostly Muslim. Islam is observed by 94% of Djibouti's population (about 740,000) (2010 estimate). The remaining six percent follow Christianity.

The Republic of Djibouti names Islam as the only state religion. The Constitution of 1992 provides for the equality of citizens of all faiths as well as the freedom to practise any religion.

## Sports

Association football is the most popular sport in Djibouti. The country became a member of FIFA in 1994. They have only played in qualifying rounds for both the African Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup.

## Transportation

The country is linked to Ethiopia by way of the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway.

## Infobox (country)

- **conventional long name**: Republic of Djibouti
- **common name**: Djibouti
- **image flag**: Flag of Djibouti.svg
- **image coat**: Emblem of Djibouti.svg
- **symbol type**: Emblem
- **image map**: Location Djibouti AU Africa.svg
- **image map2**: Djibouti - Location Map (2013) - DJI - UNOCHA.svg
- **national motto**:

- **national anthem**: _Djibouti (anthem), Djibouti_

- **religion**: Sunni Islam
- **demonym**: Djiboutians
- **capital**: Djibouti (city), Djibouti
- **largest city**: capital
- **government type**: Unitary state, Unitary Dominant-party system, dominant-party Presidential system, presidential republic
- **leader title1**: List of heads of state of Djibouti, President
- **leader title2**: List of heads of government of Djibouti, Prime Minister
- **leader name1**: Ismaïl Omar Guelleh
- **leader name2**: Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed
- **sovereignty type**: Independence
- **established event1**: from France
- **established date1**: 27 June 1977
- **legislature**: National Assembly (Djibouti), National Assembly
- **area rank**: 146th
- **area km2**: 23,200
- **area sq mi**: 8,958
- **population estimate**: 921,804
- **population estimate year**: 2020
- **population density km2**: 37.2
- **population density sq mi**: 96.4
- **population density rank**: 168th
- **gdp ppp**: $3.974 billion
- **gdp ppp year**: 2018
- **gdp ppp per capita**: $3,788
- **gdp nominal**: $2.187 billion
- **gdp nominal year**: 2018
- **gdp nominal per capita**: $2,084
- **gini year**: 2015
- **gini**: 40.0
- **hdi year**: 2018
- **hdi change**: increase
- **hdi**: 0.495
- **hdi rank**: 171st
- **currency**: Djiboutian franc
- **currency code**: DJF
- **time zone**: East Africa Time, EAT
- **utc offset**: +3
- **drives on**: Right
- **calling code**: +253
- **cctld**: .dj


## Infobox (ethnic group)

- **group**: Djiboutians
 Djiboutiens
- **flag**:
- **flag caption**: Flag of Djibouti
- **population**: 921,000-935,000
- **langs**: Somali language, Somali, Afar language, Afar, Arabic language, Arabic, French language, French
- **rels**: Islam (100%; <small>Sunni Islam, SunniSufism</small>),
- **related groups**: Ethiopians, Eritreans, Djiboutians, Somalians (Somalis of Somalia), Horn of Africa, Horn Africans