ResourcesOverview
Djibouti lies in a hot and semi-arid zone where the weather is influenced by the Indian Ocean monsoon. Mean air temperatures vary between 25 °C in the winter to 35 °C in the summer. Annual rainfall ranges from 50 to 215 mm. During the south-west monsoon, from June to September, northerly winds move surface waters from the Gulf of Aden out into the Arabian sea. This is reversed during October to May, bringing cooler waters into nearshore areas. Salinity ranges from 36 to 39 ppt, increasing during south-west monsoon periods, and water temperature ranges between 25 °C and 29 °C.
Agriculture, cattle-breeding and fisheries contribute < 2.5% of the national income, but the international port of Djibouti contributes significantly to the national economy. Coastal and marine tourism is still in its infancy.
At the confluence of three biogeographic zones, Djibouti is home to a unique assemblage of coral reef species. Ecologically, the confluence of warm-water tropical biota (from the Indian Ocean and Red Sea), with cold water upwelling habitats (from the Somali and Arabian regions) is notable at the Sept Frères Islands, and resembles marine conditions seen in only a few other parts of the world.
Current threats to coral reefs come from the tourism, shipping and coastal development sectors. A national biodiversity project supported by GEF is currently being implemented in the country. The goal is to draft a strategy and an action plan for conservation of the biodiversity in Djibouti, inclusive of coral reefs.
Geography
Area: 21,883 sq. km. (8,450 sq. mi.); about the size of Massachusetts.
Cities: Capital--Djibouti. Other cities--Dikhil, Ali-Sabieh, Obock, Tadjoura.
Terrain: Coastal desert.
Climate: Torrid and dry.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Djiboutian(s).
Population (est.): Between 650,000 and 800,000.
Annual growth rate: 6%.
Ethnic groups: Somalis (Issaks, Issas, and Gadaboursis), Ethiopian (Issas and Afars), Arab, French, and Italian.
Religions: Muslim 94%, Christian 6%.
Languages: French and Arabic (official); Somali and Afar widely used.
Education: Literacy--46.2%.
Health: Infant mortality rate-- 100 to 150/1,000. Life expectancy--50 yrs.
Work force: Low employment rate, estimates run well under 50% of the work force. The largest employers are the Government of Djibouti, including telecommunications and electricity; Port of Djibouti; and Airport. Able-bodied unemployed population (est. 1999)--50%.
Economy
GNP (1999 est.): $530 million.
Adjusted per capita income: $800 per capita for expatriates, $450 for Djiboutians.
Natural resources: Minerals (salt, perlite, gypsum, limestone) and energy resources (geothermal and solar).
Agriculture (less than 3% of GDP): Products--livestock, fishing, and limited commercial crops, including fruits and vegetables.
Industry: Types--banking and insurance (12.5% of GDP), public administration (22% of GDP), construction and public works, manufacturing, commerce, and agriculture.
Trade (1999 est.): Imports--$263 million, consists of basic commodities, pharmaceutical drugs, durable and nondurable goods; exports, $69 million, consists of everyday personal effects, household effects, hides and skins, and coffee. Major markets--France, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Arabian peninsula countries.
Profile
About two-thirds of the Republic of Djibouti's 652,000 inhabitants live in the capital city. The indigenous population is divided between the majority Somalis (predominantly of the Issa tribe, with minority Issak and Gadaboursi representation) and the Afars (Danakils). All are Cushitic-speaking peoples, and nearly all are Muslim. Among the 15,000 foreigners residing in Djibouti, the French are the most numerous. Among the French are 3,000 troops.
History
The Republic of Djibouti gained its independence on June 27, 1977. It is the successor to French Somaliland (later called the French Territory of the Afars and Issas), which was created in the first half of the 19th century as a result of French interest in the Horn of Africa. However, the history of Djibouti, recorded in poetry and songs of its nomadic peoples, goes back thousands of years to a time when Djiboutians traded hides and skins for the perfumes and spices of ancient Egypt, India, and China. Through close contacts with the Arabian peninsula for more than 1,000 years, the Somali and Afar tribes in this region became the first on the African continent to adopt Islam.
It was Rochet d'Hericourt's exploration into Shoa (1839-42) that marked the beginning of French interest in the African shores of the Red Sea. Further exploration by Henri Lambert, French Consular Agent at Aden, and Captain Fleuriot de Langle led to a treaty of friendship and assistance between France and the sultans of Raheita, Tadjoura, and Gobaad, from whom the French purchased the anchorage of Obock (1862).
Growing French interest in the area took place against a backdrop of British activity in Egypt and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. In 1884-85, France expanded its protectorate to include the shores of the Gulf of Tadjoura and the Somaliland. Boundaries of the protectorate, marked out in 1897 by France and Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia, were affirmed further by agreements with Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I in 1945 and 1954.
The administrative capital was moved from Obock to Djibouti in 1896. Djibouti, which has a good natural harbor and ready access to the Ethiopian highlands, attracted trade caravans crossing East Africa as well as Somali settlers from the south. The Franco-Ethiopian railway, linking Djibouti to the heart of Ethiopia, was begun in 1897 and reached Addis Ababa in June 1917, further facilitating the increase of trade.
During the Italian invasion and occupation of Ethiopia in the 1930s and during World War II, constant border skirmishes occurred between French and Italian forces. The area was ruled by the Vichy (French) government from the fall of France until December 1942, and fell under British blockade during that period. Free French and the Allied forces recaptured Djibouti at the end of 1942. A local battalion from Djibouti participated in the liberation of France in 1944.
On July 22, 1957, the colony was reorganized to give the people considerable self-government. On the same day, a decree applying the Overseas Reform Act (Loi Cadre) of June 23, 1956, established a territorial assembly that elected eight of its members to an executive council. Members of the executive council were responsible for one or more of the territorial services and carried the title of minister. The council advised the French-appointed governor general.
In a September 1958 constitutional referendum, French Somaliland opted to join the French community as an overseas territory. This act entitled the region to representation by one deputy and one senator in the French Parliament, and one counselor in the French Union Assembly.
The first elections to the territorial assembly were held on November 23, 1958, under a system of proportional representation. In the next assembly elections (1963), a new electoral law was enacted. Representation was abolished in exchange for a system of straight plurality vote based on lists submitted by political parties in seven designated districts. Ali Aref Bourhan, allegedly of Turkish origin, was selected to be the president of the executive council. French President Charles de Gaulle's August 1966 visit to Djibouti was marked by 2 days of public demonstrations by Somalis demanding independence. On September 21, 1966, Louis Saget, appointed governor general of the territory after the demonstrations, announced the French Government's decision to hold a referendum to determine whether the people would remain within the French Republic or become independent. In March 1967, 60% chose to continue the territory's association with France.
In July of that year, a directive from Paris formally changed the name of the region to the French Territory of Afars and Issas. The directive also reorganized the governmental structure of the territory, making the senior French representative, formerly the governor general, a high commissioner. In addition, the executive council was redesignated as the council of government, with nine members.
In 1975, the French Government began to accommodate increasingly insistent demands for independence. In June 1976, the territory's citizenship law, which favored the Afar minority, was revised to reflect more closely the weight of the Issa Somali. The electorate voted for independence in a May 1977 referendum, and the Republic of Djibouti was established on June 27, 1977. Hassan Gouled Aptidon became the country’s first president.
Information provided by CIA Worldfactbook, US Department of State, Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). ReefBase: Oliver, J. and M. Noordeloos. Editors. 2002, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center,
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