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CIA Seal  World Factbook Seal Djibouti
Flag of Djibouti
Map of Djibouti
Introduction Djibouti
Geography Djibouti
Geographic coordinates:
11 30 N, 43 00 E
Map references:
total: 23,000 sq km
land: 22,980 sq km
water: 20 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries:
total: 516 km
314 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
desert; torrid, dry
coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m
highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m
Natural resources:
Land use:
arable land: 0.04%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.96% (2005)
Irrigated land:
10 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
Environment - current issues:
Environment - international agreements:
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
People Djibouti
486,530 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
Median age:
total: 18.2 years
male: 18.7 years
female: 17.7 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.02% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
39.53 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
19.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
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
Infant mortality rate:
total: 102.44 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 110.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 94.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 43.17 years
male: 41.86 years
female: 44.52 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.31 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.9% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
9,100 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
690 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
vectorborne disease: malaria (2005)
noun: Djiboutian(s)
adjective: Djiboutian
Ethnic groups:
Muslim 94%, Christian 6%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 67.9%
male: 78%
female: 58.4% (2003 est.)
Government Djibouti
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti
conventional short form: Djibouti
local long form: Republique de Djibouti/Jumhuriyat Jibuti
local short form: Djibouti/Jibuti
former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland
Government type:
name: Djibouti
geographic coordinates: 11 30 N, 43 15 E
Administrative divisions:
27 June 1977 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 June (1977)
multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992
Legal system:
18 years of age; universal adult
Executive branch:
cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 April 2005 (next to be held by April 2011); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Ismail Omar GUELLEH reelected president; percent of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 100%
Legislative branch:
elections: last held 10 January 2003 (next to be held January 2008)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders:
Political pressure groups and leaders:
International organization participation:
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Roble OLHAYE Oudine
telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270
FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador W. Stuart SYMINGTON
embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti
mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti
telephone: [253] 35 39 95
FAX: [253] 35 39 40
Flag description:
Economy Djibouti
Economy - overview:
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$619 million (2002 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$702 million (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.2% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,000 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 17.9%
industry: 22.5%
services: 59.6% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
282,000 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Unemployment rate:
50% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:
50% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3% (2005 est.)
revenues: $135 million
expenditures: $182 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
Agriculture - products:
fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides
construction, agricultural processing, salt
Industrial production growth rate:
3% (1996 est.)
Electricity - production:
200 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
186 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - consumption:
11,900 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2004 est.)
$250 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)
Exports - partners:
Somalia 66.3%, Ethiopia 21.5%, Yemen 3.4% (2005)
$987 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 21.9%, India 18.7%, China 10.1%, Ethiopia 4.8%, France 4.7%, US 4.3%, Japan 4.2% (2005)
Debt - external:
$394 million (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$64.1 million (2004)
Currency (code):
Djiboutian franc (DJF)
Currency code:
Exchange rates:
Djiboutian francs per US dollar - 177.72 (2005), 177.72 (2004), 177.72 (2003), 177.72 (2002)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Djibouti
Telephones - main lines in use:
11,100 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
34,500 (2004)
Telephone system:
domestic: microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 253; submarine cable to Jiddah, Suez, Sicily, Marseille, Colombo, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone network
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)
52,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2002)
28,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
Internet hosts:
1,540 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
9,000 (2005)
Transportation Djibouti
13 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (2006)
narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2005)
total: 2,890 km
paved: 364 km
unpaved: 2,526 km (1999)
Merchant marine:
total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Military Djibouti
Military branches:
Djibouti National Army (includes Navy and Air Force)
Military service age and obligation:
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 95,328
females age 18-49: 87,795 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 46,020
females age 18-49: 42,181 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$29.05 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
4.3% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Djibouti
Disputes - international:
Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with "Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to various factions in Somalia; thousands of Somali refugees await repatriation in UNHCR camps in Djibouti
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 17,331 (Somalia) (2005)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Djibouti is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and possibly forced labor; small numbers are trafficked from Ethiopia and Somalia for sexual exploitation; economic migrants from these countries also fall victim to trafficking upon reaching Djibouti City or the Ethiopia-Djibouti trucking corridor; women and children from neighboring countries reportedly transit Djibouti to Arab countries and Somalia for ultimate use in forced labor or sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Djibouti does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so based partly on the government's commitments to undertake future action

This page was last updated on 18 January, 2007