Djibouti

Djibouti (French: Djibouti; Arabic: جيبوتي, Ŷībūtī, [ʤiːbuːtiː]), officially known as the Republic of Djibouti, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It has 23,200 km² and shares borders with Eritrea to the north, with Ethiopia to the west and south, and with Somalia to the southeast. It also has its coasts washed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

In ancient times the territory of Djibouti was part of Punt and in the Middle Ages the area was the cradle of the sultanates of Adel and Ifat. At the end of the XIX century, the colony of French Somaliland was created as a result of the signing of several treaties signed by the sultans of Somalia and the Afar people with the French. The area was renamed the French Territory of the Afars and Issas in 1967. A decade later the people of Djibouti voted for independence, marking the official formation of the Republic of Djibouti, which was named after its capital. The country joined the UN that same year, on September 20, 1977. In the early 1990s, tensions over government representation led to an armed conflict that culminated in 2000 in a power-sharing agreement. power between the ruling party and the opposition.

Djibouti is a multi-ethnic nation with a current population of nearly 800,000, with Somalis and Afar people being the largest ethnic groups. Both speak Afroasiatic languages which are recognized as national languages, although Arabic and French are the official languages. More than 90% of Djiboutians practice Islam, the predominant religion in the entire region for more than a millennium.

The country is strategically located near one of the busiest points for commercial shipping, at the access to the Red Sea from the Indian Ocean, so its coast is a refueling center of enormous importance for merchant ships and it is also the port for imports and exports of neighboring Ethiopia. In addition to being a thriving center of world trade, Djibouti is home to several military bases for foreign armies and the headquarters of the Intergovernmental Authority on East African Development.

History

The area of Djibouti is occupied by several ethnic groups and basically influenced by two cultures: the Ethiopian and the Arab. Currently, the afar or danaquiles in the northern two thirds of the territory and the Somali partiality of the issa, in the southern third, coexist in conflict in this small state. However, the history of Djibouti, recorded in the poetry and songs of its nomadic peoples, dates back thousands of years to a time when the inhabitants of those lands traded furs by bartering with perfumes and spices from Egypt, India, and Chinese.

In the 19th century, France established a protectorate in this area called French Somaliland, governed by Léonce Lagarde. Charles de Gaulle's visit to Djibouti in August 1966 sparked pro-independence demonstrations. Fouled by this reception, the French head of state refused to receive the representatives of the opposition. The next day, the square where the General was going to give his speech was invaded by thousands of demonstrators. He gave the order to "clear the square". Without warning, the French troops dispersed the crowd with offensive grenades. The authorities officially counted six dead and hundreds injured, but some newspapers considered this number to be an underestimate. After the manifestation of a demand for independence in August 1966, and the subsequent social conflicts, a mined and electrified dam was erected around the city, officially to contain migrations. Several people lost their lives trying to cross it. Denounced as a wall of shame by the opposition, the dam was not dismantled until 1982.

In 1967, it was renamed French Territory of the Afars and Issas. On June 27, 1977, it gained independence under the name of Djibouti.

Djibouti's civil war led by Afar rebels in the early 1990s was ended by a peace agreement in 1994.

French Somalia in 1922.

In 2001 Dileita Mohamed Dileita became Prime Minister. The following year the country became a base for international actions against terrorism. In the 2003 elections the ruling coalition elected all 65 parliamentarians.

In 2005 President Guelleh was re-elected without opponents, the opposition criticized the re-election claiming a lack of democracy in the dispute. Although international observers consider the conditions of the lawsuit good.

Government and politics

The President of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh.

Djibouti is a semi-presidential republic where executive power is vested in the government and legislative power is vested in the government alongside parliament. The president is the head of state and appoints a prime minister as head of government. Djibouti's Chamber of Deputies, the country's parliament, consists of 65 members.

Djibouti maintains good relations with Western countries. It is a member of the African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN), the League of Arab States, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), the Intergovernmental Authority on East African Development (IGAD), among other. In recent years, it has been the destination of hundreds of refugees from neighboring countries, mainly Somalia. In 2007 there were 8,642 Somali nationals as refugees living in the country.

The country has not experienced any political changes since independence. Most of the power is in the hands of the same family: the current president, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, is the nephew of his predecessor, Hassan Gouled Aptidon.

Djibouti is home to the largest French military base in the world since its independence in 1977. France also has a listening station that can cover the entire Arabian Peninsula and part of the Middle East. The United States established a military base in the country in 2002 with 4,000 troops.

Human Rights

In terms of human rights, regarding membership of the seven bodies of the International Bill of Human Rights, which include the Human Rights Committee (HRC), Djibouti has signed or ratified:

Status of major international human rights instruments

Djibouti	International treaties
	CESCR		CCPR			CERD	CED	CEDAW		CAT		CRC			MWC	CRPD
	CESCR	CESCR-OP	CCPR	CCPR-OP1	CCPR-OP2-DP			CEDAW	CEDAW-OP	CAT	CAT-OP	CRC	CRC-OP-AC	CRC-OP-SC		CRPD	CRPD-OP
Pertenence
Signed and ratified, signed, but not ratified, neither signed nor ratified, without information, it has agreed to sign and ratify the body concerned, but also recognizes the competence to receive and process individual communications from the competent bodies.

Political-administrative organization

Regions of Djibouti.

Districts of Djibouti.

Djibouti is divided into five regions and one city. In turn, these regions are further subdivided into eleven districts, some of which span multiple regions. Each region, each district, and any other minor government is autonomous before the law.

The regions and the city are:

1. City of Djibouti
2. Arta Region
3. Ali Sabieh Region
4. Dikhil Region
5. Tadjoura Region
6. Obock Region

The eleven districts are:

1. Alaili Dadda District
2. Ali Sabieh District
3. As Eyla District
4. Balha District
5. Dikhil District
6. Djibouti District
7. Dorra District
8. Obock District
9. Randa District
10. Tadjourah District
11. Yoboki District

Geography

Lake Assal.

The Mousa Ali volcano, the volcanic area of Gufa and the pyroclastic cones.

Djibouti is located in eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea between Eritrea and Somalia. Its territory covers an area of 23,200 km².

The center of the country is mountainous, dividing Djibouti into a coastal plain and a plateau in the interior. The lowest point is Lake Assal (-155 meters), and the highest is Moussa Ali (2,028 meters). Djibouti's natural resources include geothermal energy.

For this small territory, the variety of landscapes is absolutely incredible. In the north, there is a tropical rainforest, which is currently home to a national park, the Bosque de Day National Park. We also observe the presence of a very rich fauna and flora, with many endemic species (such as the Francolin, a bird).

The sea is one of the richest in the world, and is an international diving site. You can observe one of the most emblematic animals of the country, the whale shark. Its size can reach 14 m, with a weight of 19,000 kg per animal, however, this does not represent any danger to humans. This fish feeds exclusively on plankton.

Djibouti is a party to international agreements on biodiversity, climate change, desertification, endangered species, law of the sea, protection of the ozone layer.

Ecology

The entire territory of Djibouti is included in the ecoregion called Ethiopian xeric grassland and scrubland, except for the northernmost coastal strip, in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which corresponds to the coastal desert of Eritrea.

Climate

Average climate parameters of Djibouti (city)
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	34	34	37	38	44	47	47	47	44	39	36	34	47
Average temperature (°C)	29	29	31	32	34	37	41	39	36	33	31	29	33.4
Temp. medium (°C)	23	24	25	26	28	30	31	29	29	27	25	23	26.7
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	19	18	21	21	21	23	22	22	23	21	18	17	17
Rains (mm)	10	13	25	13	5	0	3	8	8	10	23	13	131
Days of rain (≥ 1 mm)	3	2	2	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	2	2	17
Source: BBC Weather

Economy

Djibouti's economy is based primarily on services related to the country's strategic location and its status as a free trade zone in Northeast Africa. Two thirds of its inhabitants live in the capital city. Reduced rainfall limits the production of agricultural products, so most food must be imported.

The tourism sector is growing a lot. The country has a lot of arguments to attract more tourists to its territory.

Djibouti's port is the largest in the region since its inception. Gateway to the Suez Canal, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

In October 2016, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway opened. It is an international standard gauge electrified railway linking the capital of Ethiopia with the port of Djibouti on the Gulf of Aden, providing rail access to the sea for Ethiopia. More than 95% of Ethiopia's trade passes through Djibouti, accounting for 70% of the activity in the Djibouti port. The standard gauge railway replaces the old meter gauge railway from Addis Ababa to Djibouti which was abandoned in 2006, having been built by the French between 1894 and 1917.

There are very few natural resources, although they are very well used since adventure sports companies have proliferated since 2004 in the mountainous area of the country. Among the activities offered in the desert areas you can go on boogie, quad and camel excursions. France has its largest military base on foreign territory in Djibouti. The country is also an oil supply hub.

Three quarters of Djiboutians live on the equivalent of less than three dollars a day.

Demographics

Demographic evolution.

Aerial view of the city of Djibouti, the capital of Djibouti.

Djibouti had a population of 876,174 in 2015. It is a multi-ethnic country. The local population grew rapidly during the second half of the 20th century, from around 83,000 in 1960 to around 846,000 in 2016. The two largest ethnic groups are the Somali (60%) and the Afar (35%). The Somali clan component is made up mainly of the Issas, a sub-clan of the Dir. The remaining 5% of Djibouti's population consists mainly of Arabs, Ethiopians and Europeans (French and Italian). Approximately 76% of local residents are urban dwellers, the vast majority residing in the capital; the rest are shepherds.

Education

Education in Djibouti is heavily influenced by the French. Although the government put all its efforts into improving education in the country during the 1990s, the education system is still below the expectations of the population and the needs of development of the nation. There are currently 81 public primary schools, 24 private primary schools, twelve secondary schools and two vocational schools in Djibouti. 80% of the population is literate, men 70% and women 70%. 85% in 2010.

Health

Life expectancy at birth is 60 years for both men and women. There is an average of 2.71 children per woman. In the country there are around 18 doctors for every 100,000 people.

According to UN data from 2010, the mortality rate of mothers in childbirth is 300 per 100,000 births, whereas in 2008 it was 461.6 and in 1990 it was 606.5. The infant mortality rate was 95 per 1,000 births. The number of midwives is 6 per 1,000 births, compared to 1 in 1993, which demonstrates the great risk faced by pregnant mothers.

Compared to other countries in Africa, Djibouti is partly free of the AIDS epidemic, with an estimated 2% of the population infected with the HIV virus, most of them foreigners.

Religion

Hamoudi Mosque in Djibouti capital.

Djibouti's population is predominantly Muslim. Islam comprises about 94% of the country's population (about 740,000 as of 2012), while the remaining 6% of residents are Christians.

Culture

Traditional vase carved in wood from the region of Tadjoura.

Djibouti's culture is very similar to its neighbors. In addition, the long dependence on France has given its own characteristics to the Djiboutian culture. Regarding music, the biggest influences come from Ethiopian music with elements of Arabic music. Several internationally renowned writers have been born in Djibouti, who generally write in French, such as Mouna-Hodan Ahmed and Abdourahman Waberi, although the latter is considered a Somali despite being born in Djibouti.

Although French and Arabic are the official languages, Somali and Afar are also widely spoken.

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