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Background:
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T he
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 |
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Location:
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Eastern
Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between
Eritrea and Somalia |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total:
23,000 sq km
water: 20 sq km
land: 22,980 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than Massachusetts |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
516 km
border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km,
Somalia 58 km |
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Coastline:
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314
km |
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Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and
Definitions):
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territorial
sea: 12 NM
contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
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Climate:
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desert;
torrid, dry |
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Terrain:
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coastal
plain and plateau separated by central mountains |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Lac Assal -155 m
highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m |
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Natural resources:
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geothermal
areas |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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10 sq
km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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earthquakes;
droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian
Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods |
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Environment - current issues:
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inadequate
supplies of potable water; limited arable land;
desertification; endangered species |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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strategic
location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to
Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia;
mostly wasteland; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point
in Africa |
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Population:
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466,900 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
43.2% (male 101,168; female 100,545)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 131,320; female 119,387)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 7,327; female 7,153)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
18.3 years
male: 18.8 years
female: 17.7 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.1% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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40.39
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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19.42
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
105.54 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 97.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 113.3 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 43.12 years
male: 41.83 years
female: 44.44 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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5.48 children
born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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11.75% (2001
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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37,000 (2001
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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2,000 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Djiboutian(s)
adjective: Djiboutian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Somali 60%, Afar
35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian 5% |
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Religions:
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Muslim 94%,
Christian 6% |
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Languages:
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French
(official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 67.9%
male: 78%
female: 58.4% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Djibouti
conventional short form: Djibouti
former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French
Somaliland |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Djibouti |
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Administrative divisions:
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5 districts (cercles,
singular - cercle); 'Ali Sabih, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock,
Tadjoura |
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Independence:
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27 June 1977
(from France) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day,
27 June (1977) |
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Constitution:
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multiparty
constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992 |
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Legal system:
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based on French
civil law system, traditional practices, and Islamic law |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister DILEITA Mohamed
Dileita (since 4 March 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the
president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a
six-year term; election last held 9 April 1999 (next to be
held NA 2005); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Ismail Omar GUELLEH elected
president; percent of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 74.4%, IDRIS
Moussa Ahmed 25.6% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65 seats; members
elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
elections: last held 10 January 2003 (next to be held
NA January 2008)
election results: percent of vote - RPP 62.2%, FRUD
36.9%; seats - RPP 65, FRUD 0; note - RPP (the ruling party)
dominated the election |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court or
Cour Supreme |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic
National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh]; Democratic Renewal
Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH]; Djibouti Development Party
or PDD [Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM]; Front pour la Restauration de
l'Unite Democratique or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD]; People's
Progress Assembly or RPP (governing party) [Ismail Omar
GUELLEH]; Peoples Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Moumin
Bahdon FARAH]; Republican Alliance for Democracy or ARD [Ahmed
Dini AHMED]; Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ [leader
NA] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Union for
Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includes RPP, FRUD, PPSD
and PND); Union for Democratic Changeover or UAD (opposition
coalition includes ARD, MRDD, UDJ, and PDD) [Ahmed Dini AHMED] |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador ROBLE Olhaye
FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302
telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270
chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington,
DC 20005 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Marguerita RAGSDALE
embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre,
Djibouti
mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti
telephone: [253] 35 39 95
FAX: [253] 35 39 40 |
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Economy - overview:
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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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GDP:
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purchasing
power parity - $619 million (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.5%
(2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing
power parity - $1,300 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
3.5%
industry: 15.8%
services: 80.7% (2001 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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50%
(2001 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2%
(2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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282,000
(2000) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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NA% |
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Unemployment rate:
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50%
(2000 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$135 million
expenditures: $182 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
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Industries:
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construction,
agricultural processing |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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3%
(1996 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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180
million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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167.4
million kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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11,300
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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fruits,
vegetables; goats, sheep, camels |
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Exports:
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$155
million f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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reexports,
hides and skins, coffee (in transit) |
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Exports - partners:
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Somalia
61.9%, Yemen 21.9%, Pakistan 5.2%, Ethiopia 4.5% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$665
million f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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foods,
beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products |
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Imports - partners:
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Saudi
Arabia 18.2%, Ethiopia 10.5%, US 9.3%, France 8.6%, China
8.3%, Netherlands 4.2% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$366
million (2002 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$36
million (2001) |
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Currency:
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Djiboutian
franc (DJF) |
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Currency code:
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DJF |
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Exchange rates:
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Djiboutian
francs per US dollar - 177.72 (2003), 177.72 (2002), 177.72
(2001), 177.72 (2000), 177.72 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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10,100 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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15,000 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti
are adequate as are the microwave radio relay connections to
outlying areas of the country
domestic: microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 253; submarine cable to
Jiddah, Suez, Sicily, Marseilles, Colombo, and Singapore;
satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1
Arabsat; Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone
network |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM 2,
shortwave 0 (2001) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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1 (2002) |
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Internet country code:
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.dj |
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Internet hosts:
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498 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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4,500 (2002) |
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Railways:
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total: 100
km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway)
narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and
Ethiopia (2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
2,890 km
paved: 364 km
unpaved: 2,526 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
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none |
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Ports and harbors:
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Djibouti |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 1
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports:
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13 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1524 to 2437 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Djibouti National
Army (including Navy and Air Force) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 108,771 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 64,540 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$26.5 million
(2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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4.4% (2003) |
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Disputes - international:
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Djibouti
maintains economic ties and border accords with
"Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some
political ties to various factions in Somalia including the
Somali Transitional National Government in Mogadishu |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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