Djibouti

Djibouti, officially named the Republic of Djibouti, is in the Horn of Africa, at the intersection of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, between Eritrea on the north and Somalia on the southeast. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the west and south. A former French territory, it became an independent state in 1977. It is also strategically located near the world’s busiest shipping lanes, controlling access to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and is close to Arabian oil fields.

Djibouti is a multiethnic country in which the Somali (60%) and Afar (35%) are the two largest [Page 510]ethnic groups. As of May 2016, the population was just under 900,000. About 95% of the people practice the Islamic religion.