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East Africa, south of Somalia, bordering the Red Sea. Slightly smaller than Massachusetts. Desert.
French territory until 1977. Civil war between ethnicities in the 1990s that ended in 2001. Presidential elections held in 1999.
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Factbook: "The economy is based on service activities connected with the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in the Horn of Africa. Two-thirds of Djibouti's inhabitants live in the capital city; the remainder are 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. Imports and exports from landlocked neighbor Ethiopia represent 85% of port activity at Djibouti's container terminal. Djibouti has few natural resources and little industry."
2009: $2,800
2008: $2,700
2007: $2,600
2007: 59%
Living in an urban area: 87% (2008)
July 2009: 724,622. Growth rate: 2.164 (ranked 46th)
July 2008: 506,221
July 2005: 476,703
2009: 58.33 (ranks 41st)
2009: 58.33