62 Facts About Republic Djibouti

1. Republic Djibouti is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Ethiopia to the west and south, and Somalia to the southeast.

2. Republic Djibouti hopes the TNG can form the basis for bringing peace and stability to Somalia.

3. Republic Djibouti is on seismically active terrain, at the meeting point of the Arabian and African tectonic plates, with frequent tremors and thick layers of lava flow from past volcanic activity.

4. Republic Djibouti is part of the Afar Triangle, a three-sided structural depression that forms part of the East African Rift Valley.

5. Republic Djibouti is a small, desert country on the coast of the Horn of Africa.

6. Republic Djibouti recently established a close relationship with the breakaway state of Somaliland, which has rebelled from the internationally recognized but essentially powerless Somali government.

7. Republic Djibouti is a small but strategically important republic on the coast of northeastern Africa.

8. Republic Djibouti has one weekly newspaper, the government-owned La Nation de Djibouti, which had a circulation of 4,300 in 2000.

9. In 2004 Republic Djibouti had an estimated 512,000 goats, 466,000 sheep, 297,000 cattle, and 8,800 asses.

10. Republic Djibouti is divided into five cercles, or districts, with councils and appointed administrators.

11. In 2002 Republic Djibouti had 2,890 kilometers of roads, 364 kilometers (226 miles) of which were paved.

12. Republic Djibouti is a developing African country located on the Gulf of Aden.

13. In 2001, US exports to Republic Djibouti totaled $18.7 million while US imports from Djibouti were about $1 million.

14. Republic Djibouti is a cash-based economy and credit cards are not widely accepted.

15. In 2002, Republic Djibouti agreed to host a US military presence at Camp Lemonier, a former French Foreign Legion base outside the capital that now houses approximately 1,800 American personnel.

16. Republic Djibouti has allowed the US military, as well as other nations, access to its port and airport facilities.

17. Republic Djibouti has one of the most liberal economic regimes in Africa, with almost unrestricted banking and commerce sectors.

18. In 2001, US exports to Republic Djibouti totaled $18.7 million, while US imports from Djibouti were about $1 million.

19. Republic Djibouti became the only significant port for landlocked Ethiopia, handling all its imports and exports, including huge shipments of US food aid in 2000 during the drought and famine.

20. Republic Djibouti maintains a cultural exchange and education agreement with France.

21. Republic Djibouti is the base of a large French overseas military force consisting of three thousand men, with one Foreign Legion battalion that helps control the strategic Red Sea entrance and the port, mediates in domestic conflicts, and protects the republic against its neighbors.

22. Republic Djibouti produces only 5 percent of its own food needs, making it a huge food importer from Ethiopia and Somalia (meat and dairy products).

23. Republic Djibouti lies in a hot, arid area of the Horn of Africa.

24. Republic Djibouti had no identity as a state or national unit before 1859, when the French concluded a treaty with the local Afar sultan of Obock.

25. Republic Djibouti is in northeast Africa, on the Red Sea coast, bordered by Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.

26. Republic Djibouti lies just south of the entryway to the Red Sea.

27. Republic Djibouti is linked to Europe by several Air France flights per week to Paris.

28. Republic Djibouti sits astride the East Africa, Red Sea, and Gulf of Aden rift systems, providing a singular environment for studying movements of these three tectonic plates.

29. Republic Djibouti has only a few pools, but beaches are plentiful, fairly clean, and enjoyable.

30. Republic Djibouti is effectively a city-state; there is little banking outside of the capital.

31. Republic Djibouti succeeded in raising 31 percent of the GDP as government revenue in 1997.

32. Republic Djibouti broke off diplomatic links with Eritrea and forged solid links with the ruling Ethiopian party in 1998.

33. Republic Djibouti was known as French Somaliland until 1967 when it was renamed the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas; it became Djibouti at independence in 1977.

34. Republic Djibouti has had a stable government since independence under the ruling People's Progress Assembly, namely the presidencies of Hassan Gouled and his successor Ismael Gouleh.

35. Republic Djibouti has a land area of 23,000 square kilometers, making it slightly smaller than the US state of Massachusetts.

36. Republic Djibouti is situated in the Horn of Africa, at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, bordering the Gulf of Aden.

37. Republic Djibouti has one primary weekly newspaper, the government-owned La Nation de Djibouti, which had a circulation of 4,300 in 2000.

38. In 1983, Republic Djibouti inaugurated a powerful state-owned AM radio transmitting station, built with French and FRG funds.

39. In 2004, Republic Djibouti had an estimated 512,000 goats, 466,000 sheep, 297,000 cattle, and 8,800 asses.

40. Republic Djibouti is situated in one of the least stable regions of the world, and it occupies a highly strategic location facing the Saudi Arabian peninsula, straddling the choke point between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

41. Republic Djibouti had about 100 km of single-track, narrow gauge railway in 2004, which linked the capital with Addis Ababa.

42. Republic Djibouti is situated on the east coast of Africa along the Bab al-Mandab, the strait that links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

43. In 2017, Republic Djibouti opened two of the largest projects in its history, the Doraleh Port and Djibouti-Addis Ababa Railway, funded by China as part of the "Belt and Road Initiative", which will increase the country's ability to capitalize on its strategic location.

44. Republic Djibouti was the base of operations for French forces during the Persian Gulf War, and the French remain a strong military and technical presence.

45. Republic Djibouti is the capital, largest city, and most significant port.

46. Republic Djibouti is accessible through its important port in the capital, which offers service across the Gulf of Aden in Yemen.

47. Republic Djibouti has two lakes of interest: Abhe Lake and Lake Assal.

48. The history of Republic 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.

49. The Constitution of Republic Djibouti names Islam as the sole state religion, and provides for the equality of citizens of all faiths and freedom of religious practice (Article 11).

50. Republic Djibouti hosts a number of immigrants and refugees from neighboring states, with Djibouti City nicknamed the "French Hong Kong in the Red Sea" due to its cosmopolitan urbanism.

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

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

53. Republic Djibouti has eight mountain ranges with peaks of over 1,000 metres.

54. Republic Djibouti has a total area of 23,200 square kilometres.

55. Republic 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.

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

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

58. Republic Djibouti has a dominant-party system, with the People's Rally for Progress controlling the legislature and the executive since its foundation in 1979 (the party currently rules as a part of the Union for a Presidential Majority, which currently holds a supermajority of seats).

59. Republic Djibouti mentioned that the Adal kingdom had its capital in Zeila, a port city in the northwestern Awdal region abutting Djibouti.

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

61. Republic Djibouti is a multi-ethnic nation with a population of over 942,333 inhabitants.

62. Republic Djibouti joined the United Nations the same year, on 20 September 1977.