Djibouti

Broadcast media

maintains restrictions on the licensing and operation of 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 country code

.dj

Internet hosts

195 (2010) country comparison to the world: 196

Internet users

25,900 (2009) country comparison to the world: 184

Telephone system

general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti are adequate, as are the microwave radio relay connections to outlying areas of the country domestic: Djibouti Telecom is the sole provider of telecommunications services and utilizes mostly a microwave radio relay network; fiber-optic cable is installed in the capital; rural areas connected via wireless local loop radio systems; mobile cellular coverage is primarily limited to the area in and around Djibouti city international: country code - 253; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable with links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean and 1 Arabsat); Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone network (2009)

Telephones - main lines in use

18,500 (2010) country comparison to the world: 195

Telephones - mobile cellular

165,600 (2010) country comparison to the world: 181

Agriculture - products

fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides

Budget

revenues: $497.4 million expenditures: $506.4 million (2010 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-0.8% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 56

Commercial bank prime lending rate

10.3% (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 95 11.1% (31 December 2009 est.)

Current account balance

-$55.9 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 71 -$71.1 million (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$428 million (2006) country comparison to the world: 167

Economy - overview

The economy is based on service activities connected with the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in the Horn of Africa. Two-thirds of Djibouti's 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. Imports and exports from landlocked neighbor Ethiopia represent 70% of port activity at Djibouti's container terminal. 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 nearly 60% in urban areas 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% between 1999 and 2006 because of recession, civil war, and a high population growth rate (including immigrants and refugees). Djibouti has experienced relatively minimal impact from the global economic downturn, but its reliance on diesel-generated electricity and imported food leave average consumers vulnerable to global price shocks.

Electricity - consumption

260.4 million kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 173

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - production

280 million kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 170

Exchange rates

Djiboutian francs (DJF) per US dollar - 177.71 (2007) 174.75 (2006) 177.72 (2005) 177.72 (2004) 177.72 (2003)

Exports

$71.2 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 192 $77.4 million (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities

reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)

Exports - partners

Somalia 80.4%, Yemen 4.1%, Egypt 4.1%, UAE 4% (2010)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.14 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$2.105 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 184 $2.014 billion (2009 est.) $1.918 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 3.5% industry: 16.5% services: 80% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,800 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 171 $2,800 (2009 est.) $2,700 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

4.5% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 81 5% (2009 est.) 5.8% (2008 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 30.9% (2002)

Imports

$416.9 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 189 $450.7 million (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products

Imports - partners

China 18%, Saudi Arabia 17.7%, India 12.9%, Malaysia 7.5%, US 5%, Pakistan 4.7% (2010)

Industries

construction, agricultural processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 130 1.7% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

40.7% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 8

Labor force

351,700 (2007) country comparison to the world: 158

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 169

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 86

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 111

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 174

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 129

Oil - consumption

12,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 149

Oil - exports

19 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 132

Oil - imports

11,230 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 140

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 167

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 123

Population below poverty line

42% (2007 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$230.6 million (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 161 $219.6 million (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$1.056 billion (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 166 $940.8 million (31 December 2008 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$406.4 million (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 170 $339 million (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$716.2 million (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 154 $577.7 million (31 December 2008)

Taxes and other revenues

43.6% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 30

Unemployment rate

59% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 193 note: data are for urban areas, 83% in rural areas

Area

total: 23,200 sq km country comparison to the world: 151 land: 23,180 sq km water: 20 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Climate

desert; torrid, dry

Coastline

314 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m

Environment - current issues

inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land; desertification; endangered species

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 0.02 cu km/yr (84%/0%/16%) per capita: 25 cu m/yr (2000)

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

Irrigated land

10 sq km (2008)

Land boundaries

total: 516 km border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km

Land use

arable land: 0.04% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.96% (2005)

Location

Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards

earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods volcanism: Djibouti experiences limited volcanic activity; Ardoukoba (elev. 298 m) last erupted in 1978; Manda-Inakir, located along the Ethiopian border, is also historically active

Natural resources

potential geothermal power, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum

Terrain

coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains

Total renewable water resources

0.3 cu km (1997)

Administrative divisions

6 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); Ali Sabieh, Arta, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjourah

Capital

name: Djibouti geographic coordinates: 11 35 N, 43 09 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

approved by referendum 4 September 1992; note - constitution allows for multiparties

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti conventional short form: Djibouti local long form: Republique de Djibouti/Jumhuriyat Jibuti local short form: Djibouti/Jibuti former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador James C. SWAN embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti telephone: [253] 35 39 95 FAX: [253] 35 39 40

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Roble OLHAYE Oudine chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270 FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302

Executive branch

chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed Dileita DILEITA (since 4 March 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the president (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; president is eligible to hold office until age 75; election last held on 8 April 2011 (next to be held by 2016); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Ismail Omar GUELLEH reelected president; percent of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 80.6%, Mohamed Warsama RAGUEH 19.4%

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; blue stands for sea and sky and the Issa Somali people; green symbolizes earth and the Afar people; white represents peace; the red star recalls the struggle for independence and stands for unity

Government type

republic

Independence

27 June 1977 (from France)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court

Legal system

mixed legal system based primarily on the French civil code (as it existed in 1997) and Islamic religious law (in matters of family law and successions), and customary law

Legislative branch

unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - constitutional amendments in 2010 provided for the establishment of a senate elections: last held on 8 February 2008 (next to be held in 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats - UMP (coalition of parties associated with President Ismail Omar GUELLAH) 65

National anthem

name: "Jabuuti" (Djibouti) lyrics/music: Aden ELMI/Abdi ROBLEH note: adopted 1977

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 June (1977)

Political parties and leaders

Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH]; Djibouti Development Party or PDD [Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM]; Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite Democratique or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD]; People's Progress Assembly or RPP [Ismail Omar GUELLEH] (governing party); Peoples Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Moumin Bahdon FARAH]; Republican Alliance for Democracy or ARD [Ahmed YOUSSOUF]; Union for a Presidential Majority or UMP [Mohamed Dileita DILEITA] (a coalition of parties including RPP, FRUD, PND, and PPSD); Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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. In 1999, Djibouti's first multi-party presidential elections resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH; he was re-elected to a second term in 2005. Djibouti occupies a 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 also has strong ties with the US. Djibouti hosts the only US military base in sub-Saharan Africa.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 170,386 females age 16-49: 221,411 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 114,557 females age 16-49: 154,173 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 8,360 female: 8,602 (2010 est.)

Military branches

Djibouti Armed Forces (Forces Armees Djiboutiennes, FAD): Djibouti National Army (includes Coastal Navy, Djiboutian Air Force (Force Aerienne Djiboutienne, FAD), National Gendarmerie (GN)) (2011)

Military expenditures

3.8% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 28

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; 16-25 years of age for voluntary military training; no conscription (2008)

Age structure

0-14 years: 35% (male 132,592/female 132,114) 15-64 years: 61.7% (male 206,323/female 260,772) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 11,349/female 13,924) (2011 est.)

Birth rate

25.27 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 59

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

29.6% (2006) country comparison to the world: 18

Death rate

8.23 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 93

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 98% of population rural: 52% of population total: 92% of population unimproved: urban: 2% of population rural: 48% of population total: 8% of population (2008)

Education expenditures

8.4% of GDP (2007) country comparison to the world: 9

Ethnic groups

Somali 60%, Afar 35%, other 5% (includes French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

2.5% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 27

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,000 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 73

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

14,000 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 88

Health expenditures

6.4% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 95

Infant mortality rate

total: 54.94 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 41 male: 62.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 47.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)

Languages

French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 61.14 years country comparison to the world: 182 male: 58.69 years female: 63.66 years (2011 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.9% male: 78% female: 58.4% (2003 est.)

Major cities - population

DJIBOUTI (capital) 567,000 (2009)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)

Maternal mortality rate

300 deaths/100,000 live births (2008) country comparison to the world: 45

Median age

total: 21.8 years male: 20.2 years female: 23.1 years (2011 est.)

Nationality

noun: Djiboutian(s) adjective: Djiboutian

Net migration rate

5.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 16

Physicians density

0.229 physicians/1,000 population (2006) country comparison to the world: 147

Population

757,074 (July 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 163

Population growth rate

2.237% (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 37

Religions

Muslim 94%, Christian 6%

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 63% of population rural: 10% of population total: 56% of population unimproved: urban: 37% of population rural: 90% of population total: 44% of population (2008)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 5 years male: 6 years female: 5 years (2009)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.8 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.71 children born/woman (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 74

Urbanization

urban population: 76% of total population (2010) rate of urbanization: 1.8% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with "Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to various factions in Somalia; Kuwait is chief investor in the 2008 restoration and upgrade of the Ethiopian-Djibouti rail link; in 2008, Eritrean troops move across the border on Ras Doumera peninsula and occupy Doumera Island with undefined sovereignty in the Red Sea

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 8,642 (Somalia) (2007)

Airports

13 (2010) country comparison to the world: 153

Airports - with paved runways

total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 2 (2010)

Ports and terminals

Djibouti

Railways

total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the 781 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway) country comparison to the world: 126 narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge note: railway is under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but is largely inoperable (2010)

Roadways

total: 3,065 km country comparison to the world: 165 paved: 1,226 km unpaved: 1,839 km (2000)

Transportation - note

the International Maritime Bureau reports offshore waters in the Gulf of Aden are high risk for piracy; numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crew, passengers, and cargo are held for ransom; the presence of several naval task forces in the Gulf of Aden and additional anti-piracy measures on the part of ship operators reduced the incidence of piracy in that body of water by more than half in 2010