Geography of Djibouti

Djibouti is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered on the northwest by Eritrea and Ethiopia, on the west and south by Ethiopia, on the east by Somalia, on the north by the Red Sea and on the northeast by the Gulf of Aden.

Geography of Djibouti
Continent	Africa
Region	Horn of Africa
Area	Ranked 149th 22,980 km2
Coastline	20 km
Borders	1,016 km (Ethiopia 337 km, Eritrea 113 km, Somalia 58 km)
Highest point	Mousa Ali Volcano 2,028 m
Lowest point	Lac Assal, −155 m

The map of Djibouti

Location

Djibouti shares 113 kilometres (70 mi) of border with Eritrea, 337 kilometres (209 mi) with Ethiopia and 58 kilometres (36 mi) with Somalia (total 506 km or 314 mi). It also has 314 kilometres (195 mi) of coastline.

It has a strategic location near the world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields. Djibouti is also terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia.

Topography of Djibouti.

Climate

The climate is torrid, and rainfall is sparse and erratic. During the hot season, from May to September, daytime temperatures in the capital of Djibouti average 31° C (87° F ) and the northeastern monsoon blows. During the warm season, from October to April, average daytime temperatures moderate to 37° C (99° F ). Annual rainfall averages less than 13 cm (5 in). Arta, one of the cities of Djibouti, is about 743 meters above sea level. On the Mountains of Arta the maximum temperature is 25 °C (76.8 °F). The weather is usually sunny and dry.

Terrain

Mountains in the center of the country separate a coastal plain and a plateau. The lowest point is Lac Assal (−155 m or −508.5 ft) and the highest is Moussa Ali (2,028 m or 6,654 ft). There is no arable land, irrigation, permanent crops, and negligible forest cover. (There is some forestland in the Goda Mountains, especially in the Day Forest National Park.) 9% of the country is permanent pastureland (1993 est). Therefore most of Djibouti has been described as part of the Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands ecoregion except for a strip along the Red Sea coast is part of the Eritrean coastal desert, noted as an important migration route for birds of prey.

Environment

Natural hazards include earthquakes, drought, and occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean, which bring heavy rains and flash floods. Natural resources include geothermal energy. Inadequate supplies of potable water and desertification are current issues.

Djibouti is a party to international agreements on biodiversity, climate change, desertification, endangered species, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, ozone layer protection, and ship pollution. Djibouti has many problems with the enviorment.

Maritime claims

• contiguous zone: 24 nautical miles (44.4 km; 27.6 mi)
• exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)
• territorial sea: 12 nautical miles (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)

Extreme points

This is a list of the extreme points of Djibouti, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.

• Northern-most point - Ras Doumera, Obock Region
• Northern-most point (mainland) - the point at which the border with Eritrea enters the Red Sea, Obock Region
• Eastern-most point - unnamed section of the Red Sea coast north of Ras Bir, Obock Region
• Southern-most point - unnamed location on the border with Ethiopia west of the town of As Ela, Dikhil Region
• Western-most point - unnamed location on the border with Ethiopia immediately east of the Ethiopian town of Afambo, Dikhil Region