Short facts about the geography of Djibouti

Location:

Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia

Geographic coordinates:

11 30 N, 43 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total:  22,000 sq km land:  21,980 sq km water:  20 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries:

total:  508 km border countries:  Eritrea 113 km, Ethiopia 337 km, Somalia 58 km

Coastline:

314 km

Maritime claims:

contiguous zone:  24 NM exclusive economic zone:  200 NM territorial sea:  12 NM

Climate:

desert; torrid, dry

Terrain:

coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point:  Lac Assal -155 m highest point:  Moussa Ali 2,028 m

Natural resources:

geothermal areas

Land use:

arable land:  0% permanent crops:  0% permanent pastures:  9% forests and woodland:  0% other:  91% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:

NA sq km

Natural hazards:

earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods

Environment - current issues:

inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to:  Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified:  none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; mostly wasteland

Source: World Factbook