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Geography of Djibouti

Location:Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia
Geographic coordinates:11 30 N, 43 00 E
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 23,000 sq km
land: 22,980 sq km
water: 20 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries:total: 516 km
border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km
Coastline:314 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:desert; torrid, dry
Terrain:coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m
highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m
Natural resources:geothermal areas, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum
Land use:arable land: 0.04%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.96% (2005)
Irrigated land:10 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods
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
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

Djibouti Quickstats

  • Population: 496,374 (July 2007 est.)
  • Area: 23,200 km² (149th)
  • Density: 34 /km² (168th)
  • GDP (total): $1.641 billion (164th)
  • GDP (per capita): $2,070 (141st)
  • Literacy: 67.9%

Languages of Djibouti

Useful to know

  • Currency: Franc (DJF)
  • Dial code: +253

International Trade

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