Introduction
Djibouti is a small country, situated in the horn of Africa. Djibouti city is the capital of Djibouti. Irrespective of its size, the nation is one of very talented and ambitious nations. The nation is surrounded by several nations and almost all of them are indulged in various kinds of disputes or warlike situations but Djibouti is unaffected by these disputes and remains in a very peaceful and stable state of affairs. This paper intends to discuss the Djibouti and several other related aspects.
Geography
The nation is surrounded by Eretria in the north and Somalia in the southwest while it shares its boundaries with Ethiopia in the south west. Total land boundary that Djibouti shares with its neighboring nations, is approx 516 kilometers. Djibouti shares 349 kilometers with Ethiopia which is the largest while it shares 109 kilometers with Eretria and 58 kilometers with Somalia. Rest of the Djiboutian border is surrounded by the Red Sea as well as by the Gulf of Aden at its east coast. The total coastal area of Djibouti is 314 kilometers. Djibouti has a total land area of 23,200 square kilometers and holds 151 rank in the world (Central Intelligence Agency).
History
The whole region including Djibouti was historically known as Land of Punt. It is believed that the whole region was ruled by ancient Egyptian pharaohs. Adal and Ifat sultanates also ruled this region for a long time. It is said that the region was one of very flourishing centers of trade and commerce since very ancient times. During and after the World War II, the region witnessed a struggle of dominance by Italy, France and United Kingdom.
Djibouti came under the rule of France in this struggle. Under the French rule, the nation was named as French territory of Afars and Issas. People of this region and other countries raised their voice to make this region free from French rule. There were two referendums on the issue and these two referendums were turned down by the France but the nation earned its freedom on 27th June in the year 1977 through a nationwide referendum.
Population
Djibouti has 163rd rank in the world with a population of approx 8, 10,000 people. Almost 37percent population belongs to the age group of 25 to 54 with leading number of females. The population growth rate of Djibouti is 2.23 percent. Birth rate in the Djibouti is 24 per thousand while death rate is 7.84 per thousand. Infant mortality rate is 50 deaths per thousand births while maternal mortality rate is higher with 200 deaths per 1000 births (Central Intelligence Agency).
Life expectancy of an average Djiboutian is 62 years. Male life expectancy is lesser i.e. 60 years while female live till 65. Migration rate in Djibouti is 6.06 percent. The literacy rate is 68 percent with 78 percent in male and 59 percent in female. Almost 77 percent Djiboutian reside in the urban areas while rest of the population resides in rural and semi urban areas. The biggest and most crowded city is the capital of Djibouti, Djibouti city that also shelters more than half of total population of the nation.
Ethnicity
The society is a blend of people from different ethnicities. Djibouti is a home of Somali, afar, French, Arabs, Italians and Ethiopians. Somali constitute 60 percent of total Djiboutian populations, afar are the second biggest with a number of 30 percent while rest of the population is divided into French, Italians, Arabs, and Ethiopians. 94 percent of total population believes in Islam while 6 percent people are followers of Christianity. French and Arabic are official languages of the nation while Somali and Afar are other main languages of the nation (Lonely Planet).
Government and administration
Djibouti is a republic and it has a constitution of its own. There are several political parties in Djibouti and elections are held every five year. President is the chief of the state who is elected by the popular vote of Djiboutian people for a term of five years. The president can hold this post till the age of 75 years. Currently the president of Djibouti is Ismail Omar Guelleh who is holding this post since the year 1999.
Prime minister is the head of the government who is appointed by the president of the nation. Abdoul kader Kamil MOHAMED is the current prime minister of Djibouti. A cabinet with council of ministers is appointed and is responsible to the president. The country has a mixed legal system that consists of French as well as Islamic laws. The legal system is mainly based on French civil code as it used to be in the year 1977 when the nation got freedom from the France. Rest laws, mainly family, customary and succession laws and are based on local traditions and Islamic religious laws.
Somali population plays an important role in the formation of the government. They are very huge in numbers and they constitute almost 60 percent of the Djiboutian population. They play major role in the formation and operation of the government. Somalis dominant the policies of the government and they possess the large share of Djiboutian economy as well. The government and administration favors Somalis than others.
Supreme Court and high courts are there to interpret law and to prevent any disarray in the society. The process of appointing judges in the Supreme Court and high courts is constitutional and there are very rare chances of any manipulation in the ascertained process. The nation is divided into several zones, districts and sub districts in order to maintain law and order situation in the society (Worldatlas).
Djibouti armed force is a combined force of the nation that consists of armed forces, coastal naval force and Djiboutian air force. The Djiboutian forces have fought with Eritrean army on issues of boundary safety and transgression. Djibouti is a member of United Nations and several other international organizations. Djibouti tries to keep playing an active role in the international affairs and expresses its opinion on several significant international issues (BBC: News Africa).
Djibouti shares an amicable relation with its neighbors. Land locked country Ethiopia is a major contributor in the Djiboutian economy. Djibouti helps Ethiopia in the trade of coffee and provides its port for the Ethiopian transportation. The economy of djibouti is depended on the amicable relations with other countries. Djibouti also provides its territory as refueling centre to other countries.
Economy
The Djiboutian economy is dependent on service sector. Commercial activities are concentrated around free trade policies as well as its strategic coastal location in the red sea. Almost tree fourth of total Djiboutian population lives in the capital city while rest others are wandering herders. Rainfall is very limited thus Djiboutian is dependent on the production of some fruits and vegetables only that they export. Other food items are imported for daily consumption (Leonard).
The port city of Djibouti plays the most significant role in the trade and commerce activities of Djibouti. A major part of this port’s activities is dedicated to the export and import of Ethiopian goods. Djibouti also provides its port as refueling centre and transshipment centre in lieu of money. Due to lack of ample natural resources, Djibouti is dependent on foreign aid in order to balance its trade and economy and to carry its development projects.
The Djiboutian economy grows at a steady growth of 4- percent but growing unemployment has emerged as a major issue. Unemployment rate of 60 percent is something that requires immediate attention. Djibouti has a GDP of $ 2.505 billion and per capita income stands at $ 2700. The contribution of service sector in Djiboutian economy is 80 % while the contribution of industrial sector in the economy is 17.3 %. Agricultural sector contributes only 3 percent of the total GDP of Djiboutian economy.
Inflation is not an issue because the country has tied up its currency with the US dollar though the artificial higher value of Djiboutian currency affects the balance of payments in an adverse manner. The economy of Djibouti has successfully sustained the recent economic recession. Reliance of Djiboutian people on imported food items, gas, petrol, diesel and electricity is a matter of concern for the Djiboutian economy and it may make the economy vulnerable to global economic problems (USA IBP).
Transportation
There are 13 airports in Djibouti and the nation as around 100 kilomtres of railway track. The total lentgh of Roads in the country is approax 3000 kilometers. Transportation mediums need more investment as they are in not very good state. The Djibouti port is the lifeliene of this country. The port is the centre of all economic activities of this nation that fulfills the needs of neighboring countries and eafrns foreign money for Djibouti.
Communication
A lare number of Djiboutian people use telephone, mobile and internet services. The overnment as complete control over telecomunication sector. The government operated Djibouti telecom is the only company that provides telecomunication services to the people of Djibouti. State sponsored television channels and radio stations are only way of entertainment in the country. No private or international operators are allowed in this sector.
Education
Education is a priority for the government of Djibouti. The Djiboutian government spends a substantial amount of its revenue on the education sector. The Djiboutian government took several steps in order to improve the educational system of the nation. It involved other parties including parets, teacers, leaders, social activists, some NGO’S and experts to improve the situation. The governemnt enacted an education planning act and recruited teachers. All this cumulative steps resulted in a substantial change in the education system of the country and a huge number of children including girls started going into schools.
Health
Health is another sector that requires some attention of the government. Health services are in a sporadic state. There are almost a dozen of doctors to treat 1000 people. There is no need to say that the number of doctors is very less. Female genital mutilation is still practiced in the nation that worsenes the female health scenario. Malnutrition is another aspect of the health that a large number of people lack. The problem substantially affects those who live in remote areas. The number of people, having deseases like HIV, is growing and it has emerged as a threat to the people of this nation (Levinson).
Tourism
The Djibouti is not very famous on the world tourism map. There are no beautiful landscapes in the country but the region attracts a huge number of buisness visitors. People from neighboring countries come to visit Djibouti. Flora and Fauna are found in forest national park. The national park selters some rare species of plants, snakes, aniumals, fishes as well as other creatures (Carillet et al.).
Climate
Climate of Djibouti is moreover same and there is not much variation in the climate. Hot weather is a normal weather condition that is almost in every part of the country throughout the year. Hot and Humid weather is something that harrasses people and suggests them to keep them inside their houses. Normally the temperature remains between 32 to 42 degree celcius with some variiations in coastal and hilly terrains.
Having observed the abovementioned succinct view of Djibouti, it can be concluded that Djibouti is a small nation that lacks natural and other resources but this dirth does not prevent this country from moving ahead. The nation keeps trying to move ahead with its limited resources. There are certain areas that require attention of the government but things are getting better day by day. The people of this small nation are very tallented, ambitious and devoted towards the development of their country.
Works Cited
"BBC: News Africa." 22 December 2013. bbc. 13 April 2014 <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13232162>.
"Central Intelligence Agency." cia. 13 April 2014 <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dj.html>.
IBP, USA. Djibouti Foreign Policy & Government Guide. USA: Int'l Business Publications, 2010.
J.B. Carillet, T. Bewer,& S. Butler. Lonely Planet Ethiopia, Djibouti & Somaliland. USA: Lonely Planet, 2013.
Leonard, Elmore. Djibouti. London: Hachette UK, 2011.
Levinson, David. Ethnic Groups Worldwide: A Ready Reference Handbook. Arizona: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998.
"Lonely Planet." 2014. lonelyplanet. 13 April 2014 <http://www.lonelyplanet.com/djibouti>.
"Worldatlas." 2012. worldatlas. 13 April 2014 <http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/djibouti/djfacts.htm>.
