Djibouti

President: Ismail Omar Guelleh (1999)
Prime Minister: Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed (2013)
Land area: 8,486 sq mi (21,979 sq km); total area: 8,880 sq mi (23,000 sq km)
Population (2014 est.): 810,179 (growth rate: 2.23%); birth rate: 24.08/1000; infant mortality rate: 50.2/1000; life expectancy: 62.4

Capital (2011 est.): Djibouti, 496,000
Monetary unit: Djibouti franc
National name: Jumhouriyya Djibouti
Languages: French and Arabic (both official), Somali, Afar
Ethnicity/race: Somali 60%, Afar 35%, other 5% (includes French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian)
National Holiday: Independence Day, June 27
Religions: Islam 94%, Christian 6%
Literacy rate: 67.9% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2013 est.): $2.505 billion; per capita $2,700. Real growth rate: 5%. Inflation: 2.5%. Unemployment: 59% in urban areas, 80% in rural areas (2007 est.). Arable land: 0.09%. Agriculture: fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides. Labor force: 294,600 (2012). Industries: construction, agricultural processing, salt. Natural resources: geothermal areas, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum. Exports: $90.8 million (2013 est.): reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit). Imports: $593.3 million (2013): foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products. Major trading partners: Somalia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, India, China, Indonesia, UAE (2012).
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 18,000 (2012); mobile cellular: 209,000 (2012). Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001). Broadcast media: state-owned Radiodiffusion-Television de Djibouti (RTD) operates the sole terrestrial TV station as well as the only 2 domestic radio networks; no private TV or radio stations; transmissions of several international broadcasters are available (2007). Internet hosts: 215 (2012). Internet users: 25,900 (2009).
Transportation: Railways: total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad) (2008). Highways: total: 3,065 km (2000 est.). Waterways: none. Ports and harbors: Djibouti. Airports: 13 (2013).

Fun Facts

  • The country, the size of Massachusetts
  • Djibouti is mainly a desert landscape, around 90% of the land is desert
  • It is a country rich with coral and fish species
  • It is home to the only USA military base in Africa
  • Home to a lake that’s saltier than the Dead Sea
  • In Djibouti, it’s common for taxi fares to go up after sunset, by about 50%