rica, at the entrance to the Red Sea between Eritrea and
Somalia
Map references:
Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
22,000 sq km
land area:
21,980 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than Massachusetts
Land boundaries:
total 508 km, Eritrea 113 km, Ethiopia 337 km, Somalia 58 km
Coastline:
314 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
desert; torrid, dry
Terrain:
coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains
Natural resources:
geothermal areas
Land use:
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
9%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
91%
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
desertification
natural hazards:
prone to earthquakes, droughts
international agreements:
party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ship Pollution; signed,
but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change
Note:
strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to
Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; a vast
wasteland

@Djibouti, People

Population:
412,599 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.71% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
42.94 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
15.8 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
111 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
49.23 years
male:
47.42 years
female:
51.1 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.21 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Djiboutian(s)
adjective:
Djiboutian
Ethnic divisions:
Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian 5%
Religions:
Muslim 94%, Christian 6%
Languages:
French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
48%
male:
63%
female:
34%
Labor force:
NA
by occupation:
a small number of semiskilled laborers at the port and 3,000 railway
workers
note:
52% of population of working age (1983)

@Djibouti, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Djibouti
conventional short form:
Djibouti
former:
French Territory of the Afars and Issas French Somaliland
Digra