Djibouti

• earthquakes;
• droughts;
• occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods

• inadequate supplies of potable water;
• limited arable land;
• desertification;
• endangered species

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields;
• terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia;
• mostly wasteland;
• Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.007 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.08 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.015 male(s)/female

total population:

1.045 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

degree of risk:

high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease:

malaria

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007)

noun:

Djiboutian(s)

adjective:

Djiboutian

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

name:

Djibouti

geographic coordinates:

11 35 N, 43 09 E

time difference:

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

chief of state:

President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999)

head of government:

Prime Minister Mohamed Dileita DILEITA (since 4 March 2001)

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%

• Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh];
• Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH];
• Djibouti Development Party or PDD [Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM];
• Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite Democratique or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD];
• People's Progress Assembly or RPP [Ismail Omar GUELLEH] (governing party);
• Peoples Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Moumin Bahdon FARAH];
• Republican Alliance for Democracy or ARD [Ahmed Dini AHMED];
• Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ

• Union for Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includes RPP, FRUD, PPSD and PND);
• Union for Democratic Changeover or UAD (opposition coalition includes ARD, MRDD, UDJ, and PDD) [Ahmed Dini AHMED]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Roble OLHAYE Oudine

chancery:

Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

telephone:

[1] (202) 331-0270

FAX:

[1] (202) 331-0302

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

agriculture:

NA%

industry:

NA%

services:

NA%

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

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; mobile cellular coverage is limited to the area in and around Djibouti city

international:

• country code - 253;
• landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable with links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe;
• satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat;
• Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone network

total:

100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway)

narrow gauge:

100 km 1.000-m gauge

note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2006)

total:

2,890 km

paved:

364 km

unpaved:

2,526 km (1999)

total:

1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT

by type:

cargo 1 (2007)

males age 18-49:

95,328

females age 18-49:

87,795 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49:

46,020

females age 18-49:

42,181 (2005 est.)

• 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

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