Djibouti Geography
LocationEastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia
Geographic coordinates
11 30 N, 43 00 E
Area
total: 23,000 sq km
land: 22,980 sq km
water: 20 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries
total: 516 km
border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km
Coastline
314 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 0.04%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.96% (2001)
Irrigated land
10 sq km (1998 est.)
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; limited arable land; desertification; endangered species
Environment - international agreements
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
Geography - note
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
