Capital: Djibouti Language: French Currency: Djiboutian franc (DJF)
Cities of Djibouti
General details about Djibouti
CAPITAL CITY OF Djibouti: Djibouti LANGUAGE OF Djibouti: French CURRENCY OF Djibouti: Djiboutian franc (DJF) COMMENTS ABOUT Djibouti: Djibouti - officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a small country in eastern Africa. Cities : Djibouti (capital), Ali Sabieh, Balho, Dikhil, Khor Angar, Obock, Tadjoura, Yoboki
Best Places : Arta, Ali Adea, Holhol, Daasbuo, Moucha Island, Maskali Island Visa/Passport : Visas are available at the airport in Djibouti for 5000 FDJ (about USD 28$). Time zone : EAT (UTC+3) Calling code :+253
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 three consecutive six-year terms as president. Unrest among the Afars minority during the 1990s led to multi-party elections resulting in President Ismail Omar GUELLEH attaining office in May 1999. A peace accord in 2001 ended the final phases of a ten-year uprising by Afar rebels. Djibouti occupies a very 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. GUELLEH favors close ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country. CLIMATE OF Djibouti: Djibouti's climate is very hot and arid, especially in the summer. From October to April the temperature is cooler, with occasional rain. Cyclones from the Indian Ocean create heavy rains and flash flooding. RELIGION OF Djibouti: Muslim 94%, Christian 6% Djibouti's main religion is Islam. Just like Islam in other countries, every town and village in Djibouti has a mosque, in which people go to worship in. Tombs of their former religious leaders and those considered "holy" are known as sacred spaces. The most famous sacred space for Islam is Djibouti is the tomb of Sheikh Abu Yazid, found in the Goda Mountains. In addition to the Islamic calander, Muslims in Djibouti also recognize New Years Eve (January 1), and Labor Day (May 1), as holidays. POPULATION OF Djibouti: 466,900 (July 2004 est.)>> HISTORY OF Djibouti: The Republic of Djibouti gained its independence from the French on June 27, 1977. France had colonised it in the early 19th century and renamed it Umunga (previously called Comoros). Independence was claimed once before in 1887 when a local tribe overthrew the 8 permanent soldiers stationed there. Their independence only lasted 3 weeks before they were once again colonised. 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 among the first on the African continent to accept Islam. Djibouti is a Muslim country which regularly takes part in Islamic as well as Arab meetings. ECONOMY OVERVIEW OF Djibouti: The economy is based on service activities connected with the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in northeast Africa. Two-thirds of the inhabitants live in the capital city, the remainder being 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. It 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 50% continues to be a major problem. Inflation is not a concern, however, because of the fixed tie of the franc to the US dollar. Per capita consumption dropped an estimated 35% over the last seven years because of recession, civil war, and a high population growth rate (including immigrants and refugees). Faced with a multitude of economic difficulties, the government has fallen in arrears on long-term external debt and has been struggling to meet the stipulations of foreign aid donors.
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CAPITAL CITY OF Djibouti: Djibouti
