Djibouti

The country that began its history as the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Following two decades of authoritarian rule, civil war broke out but was ended by a peace accord in 2001. Although France maintains a military presence in this eastern African nation, which borders the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, Djibouti also has strong ties to the United States and is home to the only American military base in sub-Saharan Africa. Djibouti is considered a strategic point in the battle against global terrorism. Some 87 percent of the population is now urbanized, and two-thirds of the population live in the capital city. Many rural Djiboutians still follow a nomadic lifestyle. With a per capita income ...