Djibouti Facts

Djibouti Facts and History

Africa

Djibouti – a gem in the Horn of Africa

Djibouti – with an area of 23,200 km² and a population of only around 800,000, the country is one of the rather small countries in Africa.

It is located in East Africa on the so-called Horn of Africa on the Red Sea and on the Gulf of Aden. Its coastline is around 145 kilometers.

One of the most famous people from Djibouti is the marathon runner Hussein Ahmed Salah, who won the bronze medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Name of the country Republic of Djibouti
Form of government Presidential Republic
Geographical location East Africa on the Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea
National anthem “Hinjinne u sara kaca…”
Population approx. 920,000 (Credit: Countryaah: Djibouti Population)
Ethnicities approx. 60% Issa (Northern Somali) and 40% Danakil (Afar)
Religions approx. 94% Sunni Muslims and 6% Christians
Languages Arabic and French are the official languages.
Capital Djibouti (Djibouti)
Surface 23,200 km²
Highest mountain Musa Ali with a height of 2,063 m
Longest river There are no major rivers in Djibouti.
Largest lake Assal lake
International license plate DJI
National currency 1 Djiboutian franc = 100 centimes
Time difference to CET + 2 h
International phone code 00253
Mains voltage, frequency 220 volts and 50 hertz(an adapter is required)
Internet TLD (Top Level Domain) .dj

Djibouti: history

Until the 19th century

The first demonstrable settlement of the country was made by shepherd tribes of the Galla (Oromo), who emigrated from there to what is now Ethiopia. The also nomadic tribes of the Danakil (Afar) and the North Somali Issa still make up the population of Djibouti today. In the course of the 7th century the region came under Arab influence and was Islamized.

According to Abbreviationfinder website, at the beginning of the 15th century the Sultanate of Adal developed, which extended over the areas of today’s Eritrea, Eastern Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia and which was suppressed about a century later by the Ethiopian King David II. Colonization of Somalia began towards the end of the 19th century. The country was divided into British Somaliland, Italian Somalia, French Somaliland (later Djibouti), the Ethiopian Ogaden region and the northeastern border district of Kenya under British rule in 1862. In 1896 the French Somaliland colony was founded.

20th century until today

The country became French overseas territory in 1946. After a referendum in 1967, the division into two areas (“Territoire Français des Afars et des Issas”) according to the dominant ethnic group, with the Afar tending to support French domination.

In 1977 Djibouti gained independence. The country’s first president was Hassan Gouled Aptidon, who was re-elected in 1982, 1987 and 1993. In 1991, an uprising by the Afar against the Issa-dominated government in the north of the country sparked a civil war, which was ended by government troops in 1993. After Hassan Gouled Aptidon did not run for elections in 1999, his former head of cabinet Ismail Omar Guelleh took over the presidency. A final peace treaty between the government and the rebel party FRUD did not come about until 2001. Ismail Omar Guelleh won the presidential election in April 2005.

On April 10, 2006, a boat carrying more than 200 passengers capsized in front of the port of Djibouti, and at least 69 people drowned.

Djibouti Facts