Djibouti
Republic of Djibouti conventional short form: Djibouti former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland
republicIndependence 27 June 1977 (from France)
Djibouti as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 113 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.
No fields match. Try a shorter word.
Introduction
1 fieldBackground
The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. A peace accord in 1994 ended a three-year uprising by Afars rebels.
Geography
Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia
18 fieldsLand use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 9% forests and woodland: 0% other: 91% (1993 est.)
Natural hazards
- earthquakes;
- droughts;
- occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods
Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
- strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields;
- terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia;
- mostly wasteland
People
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2001 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 42.58% (male 98,314; female 97,859) 15-64 years: 54.58% (male 132,619; female 118,841) 65 years and over: 2.84% (male 6,787; female 6,280) (2001 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 51.21 years male: 49.37 years female: 53.1 years (2001 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 46.2% male: 60.3% female: 32.7% (1995 est.)
Government
Republic; President GUELLEH Ismail Omar (since 8 May 1999)
20 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes, 65 seatsone dot, one seat
Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti conventional short form: Djibouti former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland
Administrative divisions
5 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); 'Ali Sabih, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjoura
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President GUELLEH Ismail Omar (since 8 May 1999);
- head of government: Prime Minister DILLEITA Mohamed Dilleita (since 4 March 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
- election last held 9 April 1999 (next to be held NA 2005);
- prime minister appointed by the president election results: GUELLEH Ismail Omar elected president;
- percent of vote - GUELLEH Ismail Omar 74.4%, IDRIS Moussa Ahmed 25.6%
Legislative branch
- unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: last held 19 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: percent of vote - NA%;
- seats - RPP 65;
- note - RPP (the ruling party) dominated the election
Political parties and leaders
- Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh];
- Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH];
- People's Progress Assembly or RPP (governing party) [Ismail Omar GELLEH]
Political pressure groups and leaders
Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy or FRUD and affiliates; Movement for Unity and Democracy or MUD
International organization participation
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador ROBLE Olhaye Oudine chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Donald YAMAMOTO embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti telephone: [253] 35 39 95
Flag description
two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red five-pointed star in the center
Economy
The economy is based on service activities connected with the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in northeast Africa.
32 fieldsElectricity
Economy - overview
The economy 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.
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). 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 year 2001 will see only small growth as port activity should decrease now that Ethiopia has more trade route options.
Budget
revenues: $133 million expenditures: $187 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
Industries
limited to a few small-scale enterprises, such as dairy products and mineral-water bottling
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti are adequate as are the microwave radio relay connections to outlying areas of the country domestic: microwave radio relay network international: submarine cable to Jiddah, Suez, Sicily, Marseilles, Colombo, and Singapore;
- satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat;
- Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone network
Transportation
8 fieldsRailways
total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad) narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge note: Djibouti and Ethiopia plan to revitalize the century-old railroad that links their capitals by 2003
Merchant marine
total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Military
Djibouti National Army (includes Navy and Air Force)
5 fieldsTransnational Issues
1 fieldCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Djibouti.” The World Factbook 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/djibouti/2001.