rences: Africa

Area: total: 23,000 sq km water: 20 sq km land: 22,980 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: 200 NM territorial sea: 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% other: 100% (1998 est.)

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;
desertification; endangered species

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; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa

People Djibouti

Population: 472,810 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.6% (male 100,903; female 100,420) 15-64
years: 54.5% (male 135,409; female 122,209) 65 years and over: 2.9%
(male 7,220; female 6,649) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.59% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 40.33 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 14.43 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.09 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 99.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 53.52 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 5.64 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 11.75% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 37,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,400 (2002 est.)

Nationality: noun: Djiboutian(s) adjective: Djiboutian

Ethnic groups: Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Et