Everything about Djibouti totally explained
Djibouti (
Jībūtī,
Somali:
Jabuuti), officially the
Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the
Horn of Africa. Djibouti is bordered by
Eritrea in the north,
Ethiopia in the west and south, and
Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the
Red Sea and the
Gulf of Aden. On the other side of the Red Sea, on the
Arabian Peninsula, 20 kilometres (12
mi) from the coast of Djibouti, is
Yemen. The capital of Djibouti is the city of Djibouti.
History
The history of Djibouti as recorded in poetry and songs of its nomadic people, 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.
French interest developed in the nineteenth century when the area was ruled by the
sultan of
Raheita, Tadjoura and Gobaad. The French purchased the anchorage of Obock in 1862 and expanded it eventually to a colony called
French Somaliland with essentially the current boundaries. In 1967 the area became the French overseas territory of the
Afars and Issas.
The Republic of Djibouti gained its independence from
France on
June 27,
1977. Djibouti is an Islamic country which regularly takes part in Islamic affairs as well as Arab meetings.
Politics
Djibouti is a
semi-presidential republic, with
executive power in the central government, and
legislative power in both the government and parliament. The parliamentary party system is dominated by the
People's Rally for Progress and the current President is
Ismail Omar Guelleh. The country's current constitution was approved in September 1992. Djibouti is a
one party dominant state with the People's Rally for Progress in power. Opposition parties are allowed, but have no real chance of gaining power (
see Elections in Djibouti).
The government is seen as being controlled by the Somali Issa clan, though at its head power is shared between a Somali President and an Afar Prime Minister (Scoitas Shilades), with cabinet posts similarly divided. The country has recently come out of a decade long
civil war, with the government and the
Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD) signing a peace treaty in 2000. Two FRUD members are part of the current cabinet.
Despite elections of the 1990s being described as "generally fair", Guelleh was sworn in for his second and final six year term as president in a one-man race on
8 April 2005. He took 100% of the votes in a 78.9% turnout. Opposition parties
boycotted the election, describing the poll as "ridiculous, rigged, and rubbish".
Djibouti's second president, Guelleh was first elected to office in 1999, taking over from
Hassan Gouled Aptidon, who had ruled the country since its independence from France in 1977.
The prime minister, who follows the council of ministers ('cabinet'), is appointed by the President. The parliament - the
Chambre des Députés - consists of 52 members who are elected every five to nine years.
In 2001, the Djiboutian government leased the former
French Foreign Legion base
Camp Lemonier to the
United States. Camp Lemonier is being used by the
United States Central Command in operations as part of
Operation Enduring Freedom.
France's
13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade shares
Camp Lemonier with the
Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) of the
United States Central Command, which arrived in 2002. It is from Djibouti that
Abu Ali al-Harithi, suspected mastermind of the 2000
USS Cole bombing, and U.S. citizen
Ahmed Hijazi, along with four others persons, were killed in 2002 while riding a car in
Yemen, by a
Hellfire missile sent by a
RQ-1 Predator drone actionned from CIA headquarters in
Langley, Virginia. It is also from there that the U.S. Army launched attacks in 2007 against
Islamic forces in Somalia.
Geography
Djibouti lies in northeast Africa on the Gulf of Aden at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. Djibouti has of coastline and shares a border with Eritrea, with Ethiopia and with Somalia (total ). The country, the size of Massachusetts, is mainly a stony desert, with scattered plateaus and highlands.
Regions and districts
Djibouti is divided into 5
regions and one
city. It is further subdivided into 11
districts.
The regions and city are:
Economy
The economy of Djibouti 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. Scant rainfall limits crop production to
fruits and
vegetables, and most food must be imported.
In April 2005, the United Nations World Food Programme warned that 30,000 people in Djibouti face serious food shortages following three years of poor rains.
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 40% to 50% continues to be a major problem.
Inflation isn't a concern, however, because of the fixed tie of the
franc to the
U.S. 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). Renewed fighting between
Ethiopia and
Eritrea has been beneficial to Djibouti, the
Port of Djibouti now serving as landlocked Ethiopia's primary link to the sea. Faced with a multitude of economic difficulties, the government has fallen into arrears on long-term external debt and has been struggling to meet the stipulations of foreign aid donors.
Culture
Djiboutian attire evinces the hot, arid climate. Men wear a loosely wrapped piece of cloth that goes down to about the knee, along with a cotton robe over the shoulder, much like a Roman
toga. Women wear long skirts, typically dyed brown. Married women wear cloth to cover their heads, sometimes also covering their upper body. Unmarried or young women don't cover their heads. Traditional Arabian dress is worn strictly during religious festivals, especially in preparation for the
hajj. For some occasions, women may adorn themselves with jewelry and headdresses.
A lot of Djibouti's original art is passed on and preserved orally, mainly through song. Using their native language, these people can sing or dance a story, acting it out. Many examples of French and Islamic influences can be noted in their buildings, which contain plasterwork, carefully constructed
motifs and
calligraphy.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Djibouti'.
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