About
The French Territory of the Afars and
the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as
president until 1999. Unrest among the Afars minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 following the
conclusion of a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Issa-dominated government. Djibouti's first multi-party presidential
elections in 1999 resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH. Djibouti occupies a very strategic geographic location at
the mouth of the Red Sea and serves as an important transshipment location for goods entering and leaving the east African
highlands. The present leadership favors close ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country,
but has also developed increasingly stronger ties with the United States in recent years. Djibouti currently hosts the only
United States military base in sub-Saharan Africa and is a front-line state in the global war on terrorism.
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Source: The World Factbook
Population: 476,703 (July 2005 est.)
Capital: Djibouti
Languages: French
(official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar
Religions: Muslim 94%, Christian 6%
Government: republic
Climate: desert; torrid, dry
Terrain: coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains
Geography: 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
Ethnic groups: Somali 60%, Afar
35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian 5%
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. Two-thirds of the inhabitants live in the capital
city, the remainder are 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. Djibouti 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 at
least 50% continues to be a major problem. While inflation is not a concern, due to the fixed tie of the Djiboutian franc to
the US dollar, the artificially high value of the Djiboutian franc adversely affects Djibouti's balance of payments. 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.
GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2002 est.)
GDP real growth: 3.5% (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate: 50% (2004 est.)
Internet country code: .dj
Dial code: +253
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Local currency is the Djibouti Franc
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