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Updated September 9, 2022 | Infoplease Staff Information
Infoplease has everything you need to know about Djibouti. Check out our country profile, full of essential information about Djibouti's geography, history, government, economy, population, culture, religion and languages. If that's not enough, click over to our collection of world maps and flags.

Facts & Figures

  • Republic of Djibouti

  • President: Ismail Omar Guelleh (1999)

  • Prime Minister: Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed (2013)

  • Land area: 8,486 sq mi (21,979 sq km); total area: 8,880 sq mi (23,000 sq km)

  • Population (2014 est.): 810,179 (growth rate: 2.23%); birth rate: 24.08/1000; infant mortality rate: 50.2/1000; life expectancy: 62.4

  • Capital (2011 est.): Djibouti, 496,000

  • Monetary unit: Djibouti franc

  • National name: Jumhouriyya Djibouti

  • Current government officials

  • Languages: French and Arabic (both official), Somali, Afar

  • Ethnicity/race: Somali 60%, Afar 35%, other 5% (includes French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian)

  • National Holiday: Independence Day, June 27

  • Religions: Islam 94%, Christian 6%

  • Literacy rate: 67.9% (2003 est.)

  • Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2013 est.): $2.505 billion; per capita $2,700. Real growth rate: 5%. Inflation: 2.5%. Unemployment: 59% in urban areas, 80% in rural areas (2007 est.). Arable land: 0.09%. Agriculture: fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides. Labor force: 294,600 (2012). Industries: construction, agricultural processing, salt. Natural resources: geothermal areas, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum. Exports: $90.8 million (2013 est.): reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit). Imports: $593.3 million (2013): foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products. Major trading partners: Somalia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, India, China, Indonesia, UAE (2012).

  • Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 18,000 (2012); mobile cellular: 209,000 (2012). Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001). Broadcast media: state-owned Radiodiffusion-Television de Djibouti (RTD) operates the sole terrestrial TV station as well as the only 2 domestic radio networks; no private TV or radio stations; transmissions of several international broadcasters are available (2007). Internet hosts: 215 (2012). Internet users: 25,900 (2009).

  • Transportation: Railways: total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad) (2008). Highways: total: 3,065 km (2000 est.). Waterways: none. Ports and harbors: Djibouti. Airports: 13 (2013).

  • International disputes: Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with "Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to various factions in Somalia; Kuwait is chief investor in the 2008 restoration and upgrade of the Ethiopian-Djibouti rail link; in 2008, Eritrean troops moved across the border on Ras Doumera peninsula and occupied Doumera Island with undefined sovereignty in the Red Sea.

  • Major sources and definitions

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