Djibouti-
conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti-
Capital: Djibouti
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Area: total: 23,000 sq km.
slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Background: 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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Coastline: 314 km-
Climate: desert; torrid, dry
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Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Marguerita RAGSDALE
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador ROBLE Olhaye-
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Economic aid - recipient: $36 million (2001)
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 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.-
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Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land; desertification; endangered species-
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Executive branch: chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999)-
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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-
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Geographic coordinates: 11 30 N, 43 00 E
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-
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Industries: construction, agricultural processing, salt-
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Land boundaries: total: 516 km-
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Languages: French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar
Legal system: based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and Islamic law-
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Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high-
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Map references: Africa-
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Population: 476,703 (July 2005 est.)-
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Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 25,474 (Somalia) (2004)-
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