25 Facts About Djibouti

Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east.

Djibouti is near some of the world's busiest shipping lanes, controlling access to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

Djibouti could mean "Land of Tehuti" or "Land of Thoth ", after the Egyptian Moon God.

Together with northern Ethiopia, Somaliland, Eritrea and the Red Sea coast of Sudan, Djibouti is considered the most likely location of the territory known to the Ancient Egyptians as Punt .

Boundaries of the present-day Djibouti state were established as the first French establishment in the Horn of Africa during the Scramble for Africa.

Related searches

In 1958, on the eve of neighboring Somalia's independence in 1960, a referendum was held in Djibouti to decide whether to remain with France or to be an independent country.

Djibouti was exchanged for the two FLCS members in Aden, South Yemen.

Djibouti is a unitary presidential republic, with executive power resting in the presidency, which is by turn dominant over the cabinet, and legislative power in both the government and the National Assembly.

Djibouti has a dominant-party system, with the People's Rally for Progress controlling the legislature and the executive since its foundation in 1979 .

Djibouti maintains close ties with the governments of Somalia, Ethiopia, France and the United States.

In recent years, Djibouti has improved its training techniques, military command and information structures and has taken steps to becoming more self-reliant in supplying its military to collaborate with the United Nations in peacekeeping missions, or to provide military help to countries that officially ask for it.

China's presence in Djibouti is tied to strategic ports to ensure the security of Chinese assets.

Djibouti is partitioned into six administrative regions, with Djibouti city representing one of the official regions.

Djibouti is situated in the Horn of Africa on the Gulf of Aden and the Bab-el-Mandeb, at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.

Djibouti's climate is significantly warmer and has significantly less seasonal variation than the world average.

Djibouti has either a hot semi-arid climate or a hot desert climate, although temperatures are much moderated at the highest elevations.

Wildlife of Djibouti is listed as part of Horn of Africa biodiversity hotspot and the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden coral reef hotspot.

Djibouti was ranked the 177th safest investment destination in the world in the March 2011 Euromoney Country Risk rankings.

In 2012, the Djibouti government enlisted the services of the China Harbor Engineering Company Ltd for the construction of an ore terminal.

Air Djibouti is the flag carrier of Djibouti and is the country's largest airline.

Djibouti is part of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road that runs from the Chinese coast to the Upper Adriatic region with its connections to Central and Eastern Europe.

Telecommunications in Djibouti fall under the authority of the Ministry of Communication.

Djibouti has an installed electrical power generating capacity of 126 MW from fuel oil and diesel plants.

Djibouti has received a massive influx of migrants from Yemen.

The history of Djibouti is recorded in the poetry and songs of its nomadic people, and goes back thousands of years to a time when the peoples of Djibouti traded hides and skins for the perfumes and spices of ancient Egypt, India and China.

Related searches