DJIBOUTI                                                                        
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 22,000 km2; land area: 21,980 km2                                   
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly larger than Massachusetts                            
                                                                                
Land boundaries: 517 km total; Ethiopia 459 km, Somalia 58 km                   
                                                                                
Coastline: 314 km                                                               
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;                                                         
                                                                                
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;                                                
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
Disputes: possible claim by Somalia based on unification of ethnic              
Somalis                                                                         
                                                                                
Climate: desert; torrid, dry                                                    
                                                                                
Terrain: coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains               
                                                                                
Natural resources: geothermal areas                                             
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures              
9%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 91%                                        
                                                                                
Environment: vast wasteland                                                     
                                                                                
Note: strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes                    
and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia          
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 346,311 (July 1991), growth rate 2.6% (1991)                        
                                                                                
Birth rate: 43 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                          
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 117 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                      
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 46 years male, 50 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 6.4 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Djiboutian(s); adjective--Djiboutian                         
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: Somali (Issa) 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab,                    
Ethiopian, and Italian 5%                                                       
                                                                                
Religion: Muslim 94%, Christian 6%                                              
                                                                                
Language: French and Arabic (both official); Somali and Afar widely             
used                                                                            
                                                                                
Literacy: 48% (male 63%, female 34%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1990 est.)                                                      
                                                                                
Labor force: NA, but a small number of semiskilled laborers at                  
the port and 3,000 railway workers; 52% of population of working age            
(1983)                                                                          
                                                                                
Organized labor: 3,000 railway workers                                          
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Republic of Djibouti                                            
                                                                                
Type: republic                                                                  
                                                                                
Capital: Djibouti                                                               
                                                                                
Administrative divisions: 5 districts (cercles, singular--cercle);              
Ali Sabih, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjoura                                    
                                                                                
Independence: 27 June 1977 (from France; formerly French Territory              
of the Afars and Issas)                                                         
                                                                                
Constitution: partial constitution ratified January 1981 by the                 
National Assembly                                                               
                                                                                
Legal system: based on French civil law system, traditional                     
practices, and Islamic law                                                      
                                                                                
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 June (1977)                              
                                                                                
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers               
                                                                                
Legislative branch: National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)                     
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)                                   
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State--President Hassan GOULED Aptidon (since 24 June                  
1977);                                                                          
                                                                                
Head of Government--Prime Minister BARKAT Gourad Hamadou (since 30              
September 1978)                                                                 
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders: only party--People's Progress                    
Assembly (RPP), Hassan GOULED Aptidon                                           
                                                                                
Suffrage: universal adult at age NA                                             
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
President--last held 24 April 1987 (next to be held April 1993);                
results--President Hassan GOULED Aptidon was reelected without                  
opposition;                                                                     
                                                                                
National Assembly--last held 24 April 1987 (next to be                          
held April 1992); results--RPP is the only party; seats--(65 total)             
RPP 65                                                                          
                                                                                
Communists: NA                                                                  
                                                                                
Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,              
IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU,                  
LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UNCTAD, UPU, WHO, WMO                         
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Roble OLHAYE; Chancery                    
(temporary) at the Djiboutian Permanent Mission to the UN; 866 United           
Nations Plaza, Suite 4011, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 753-3163;        
                                                                                
US--Ambassador Robert S. BARRETT IV; Embassy at Villa Plateau du                
Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti (mailing address is B. P.          
185, Djibouti); telephone  253  35-39-95                                        
                                                                                
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light                  
green with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a         
red five-pointed star in the center                                             
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: The economy is based on service activities connected with             
the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in             
northeast Africa. 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 over 40% continues to be a major problem. Per capita                    
consumption dropped an estimated 35% over the last five years with              
a population growth rate of 6% (including immigrants and refugees) and a        
recession.                                                                      
                                                                                
GDP: $340 million, $1,030 per capita; real growth rate - 1.0% (1989             
est.)                                                                           
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.7% (1989)                                   
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: over 40% (1989)                                              
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $131 million; expenditures $154 million, including             
capital expenditures of $25 million (1990 est.)                                 
                                                                                
Exports: $190 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);                                      
                                                                                
commodities--hides and skins, coffee (in transit);                              
                                                                                
partners--Middle East 50%, Africa 43%, Western Europe 7%                        
                                                                                
Imports: $311 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);                                      
                                                                                
commodities--foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals,                  
petroleum products;                                                             
                                                                                
partners--EC 36%, Africa 21%, Asia 12%, US 2%                                   
                                                                                
External debt: $355 million (December 1990)                                     
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate 0.1% (1989); manufacturing                   
accounts for 4% of GDP                                                          
                                                                                
Electricity: 110,000 kW capacity; 190 million kWh produced,                     
580 kWh per capita (1989)                                                       
                                                                                
Industries: limited to a few small-scale enterprises, such as                   
dairy products and mineral-water bottling                                       
                                                                                
Agriculture: accounts for only 5% of GDP; scanty rainfall limits                
crop production to mostly fruit and vegetables; half of population              
pastoral nomads herding goats, sheep, and camels; imports bulk of food          
needs                                                                           
                                                                                
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY78-89), $39                    
million; Western (non-US) countries, including ODA and OOF bilateral            
commitments (1970-88), $1,035 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89),            
$149 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $35 million                        
                                                                                
Currency: Djiboutian franc (plural--francs); 1 Djiboutian franc                 
(DF) = 100 centimes                                                             
                                                                                
Exchange rates: Djiboutian francs (DF) per US$1--177.721 (fixed                 
rate since 1973)                                                                
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Railroads: the Ethiopian-Djibouti railroad extends for 97 km                    
through Djibouti                                                                
                                                                                
Highways: 2,900 km total; 280 km bituminous surface, 2,620 km                   
improved or unimproved earth (1982)                                             
                                                                                
Ports: Djibouti                                                                 
                                                                                
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft                                           
                                                                                
Airports: 13 total, 10 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;                
none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;                   
4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m                                                    
                                                                                
Telecommunications: fair system of urban facilities in Djibouti and             
radio relay stations at outlying places; 7,300 telephones; stations--2          
AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station and 1 ARABSAT;            
1 submarine cable to Saudi Arabia                                               
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: Army (including Navy and Air Force), paramilitary                     
National Security Force, National Police Force                                  
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 89,519; 52,093 fit for military             
service                                                                         
