t; 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: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
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, 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

People

Population: 447,439 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 96,222; female 96,023)
15-64 years: 54% (male 128,506; female 114,767)
65 years and over: 3% (male 6,155; female 5,766) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.51% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 41.23 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 14.41 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -11.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.07 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 100.24 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 51.54 years
male: 49.48 years
female: 53.67 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.87 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Djiboutian(s)
adjective: Djiboutian

Ethnic groups: Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and
Italian 5%

Religions: Muslim 94%, Christian 6%

Languages: French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 46.2%
male: 60.3%
female: 32.7% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti
conventional short form: Djibouti
former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somali