[syn: Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti, Afars and Issas]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Djibouti \Djibouti\ prop. n. (Geography)
The capital city of Djibouti. Population (2000) = 395,000.
[PJC]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Djibouti
n 1: port city on the Gulf of Aden; the capital and largest city
of Djibouti [syn: Djibouti, capital of Djibouti]
2: a country in northeastern Africa on the Somali peninsula;
formerly under French control but became independent in 1997
[syn: Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti, Afars and Issas]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Djibouti
Introduction Djibouti
---------------------
Background: 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 Djibouti
------------------
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf
of Aden and the Red Sea, between
Eritrea and Somalia
Geographic coordinates: 11 30 N, 43 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 23,000 sq km
water: 20 sq km
land: 22,980 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries: total: 516 km
border countries: Eritrea 109 km,
Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km
Coastline: 314 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: desert; torrid, dry
Terrain: 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: geothermal areas
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: earthquakes; droughts; occasional
cyclonic disturbances from the
Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and
flash floods
Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable
water; desertification; endangered
species
Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: 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; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is
the lowest point in Africa
People Djibouti
---------------
Population: 472,810 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.6% (male 100,903;
female 100,420)
15-64 years: 54.5% (male 135,409;
female 122,209)
65 years and over: 2.9% (male 7,220;
female 6,649) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.59% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 40.33 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 14.43 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.09 male(s)/
female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 99.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 51.6 years
female: 53.52 years (2002 est.)
male: 49.73 years
Total fertility rate: 5.64 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 11.75% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 37,000 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,400 (2002 est.)
Nationality: noun: Djiboutian(s)
adjective: Djiboutian
Ethnic groups: Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab,
Ethiopian, and Italian 5%
Religions: Muslim 94%, Christian 6%
Languages: French (official), Arabic
(official), Somali, Afar
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 46.2%
male: 60.3%
female: 32.7% (1995 est.)
Government Djibouti
-------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of
Djibouti
conventional short form: Djibouti
former: French Territory of the
Afars and Issas, French Somaliland
Government type: republic
Capital: Djibouti
Administrative divisions: 5 districts (cercles, singular -
cercle); 'Ali Sabih, Dikhil,
Djibouti, Obock, Tadjoura
Independence: 27 June 1977 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 June (1977)
Constitution: multiparty constitution approved by
referendum 4 September 1992
Legal system: based on French civil law system,
traditional practices, and Islamic
law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal adult
Executive branch: chief of state: President Ismail
Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister
DILEITA Mohamed Dileita (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 December 2002);
prime minister appointed by the
president
election results: Ismail Omar
GUELLEH elected president; percent
of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 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 December
2002)
election results: percent of vote -
NA%; seats - RPP 64, FRUD 11; note -
RPP (the ruling party) dominated the
election
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders: Democratic National Party or PND
[ADEN Robleh Awaleh]; Democratic
Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi
HAMARITEH]; Front pour la
Restauration de l'Unite Democratique
or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD];
People's Progress Assembly or RPP
(governing party) [Ismail Omar
GUELLEH]
Political pressure groups and Movement for Unity and Democracy or
leaders: MUD
International organization ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF,
participation: ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW
(signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador ROBLE
Olhaye Oudine
FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302
telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270
chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th
Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Donald
US: YAMAMOTO
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: 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 Djibouti
----------------
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 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. Another
factor limiting growth is the
negative impact on port activity now
that Ethiopia has more trade route
options.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $586
million (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,400
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3%
industry: 10%
services: 87% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: 50% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 282,000
Labor force - by occupation: NA%
Unemployment rate: 50% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $135 million
expenditures: $182 million,
including capital expenditures of
$NA (1999 est.)
Industries: construction, agricultural
processing
Industrial production growth rate: 3% (1996 est.)
Electricity - production: 180 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 167.4 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep,
camels
Exports: $260 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: reexports, hides and skins, coffee
(in transit)
Exports - partners: Somalia 53%, Yemen 23%, Ethiopia 5%
(1998)
Imports: $440 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: foods, beverages, transport
equipment, chemicals, petroleum
products
Imports - partners: France 13%, Ethiopia 12%, Italy 9%,
Saudi Arabia 6%, UK 6% (1998)
Debt - external: $366 million (2002 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $36 million (2001)
Currency: Djiboutian franc (DJF)
Currency code: DJF
Exchange rates: Djiboutian francs per US dollar -
177.721 (fixed rate since 1973)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Djibouti
-----------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 10,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA (2002)
Telephone 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
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)
Radios: 52,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002)
Televisions: 28,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .dj
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 1,400 (2000)
Transportation Djibouti
-----------------------
Railways: 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
(2001 est.)
Highways: total: 2,890 km
paved: 364 km
unpaved: 2,526 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Djibouti
Airports: 12 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (2001)
Military Djibouti
-----------------
Military branches: Djibouti National Army (including
Navy and Air Force)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 110,221 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 64,940 (2002 est.)
service:
Military expenditures - dollar $26.5 million (FY01)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 4.4% (FY01)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Djibouti
-----------------------------
Disputes - international: Djibouti maintains economic ties and
border accords with "Somaliland"
leadership while politically
supporting the Somali Transitional
National Government in Mogadishu