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; limited arable land;
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:
457,130 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.1% (male 98,796; female 98,202)
15-64 years: 53.9% (male 129,492; female 116,953)
65 years and over: 3% (male 6,933; female 6,754) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.3 years
male: 18.9 years
female: 17.7 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
2.13% (2003 est.)