| Continent | Africa |
|---|---|
| Region | Horn of Africa |
| Area | Ranked 146th |
| • Total | 23,200 km2 (9,000 sq mi) |
| Coastline | 314 km (195 mi) |
| Borders | 575 km (357 mi) * * * * |
| Highest point | Mousa Ali 2,028 m (6,654 ft) |
| Lowest point | Lac Assal −155 m (−509 ft) |
| Largest lake | Lake Abbe |
| Terrain | Mostly mountainous and volcanic |
Djibouti is a country in theHorn of Africa. It is bordered byEritrea in the north,Ethiopia in the west and south, andSomalia in the southeast. To the east is its coastline on theRed Sea and theGulf of Aden. Rainfall is sparse, and most of the territory has a semi-arid to arid environment.Lake Assal is a saline lake which lies 155 m (509 ft) below sea level, making it the lowest point on land inAfrica and the third-lowest point on Earth after theSea of Galilee and theDead Sea. Djibouti has the fifth smallest population inAfrica.Djibouti's major settlements include the capitalDjibouti City, the port towns ofTadjoura andObock, and the southern cities ofAli Sabieh andDikhil. It is the forty-sixth country by area inAfrica and 147st largest country in theworld by land area, covering a total of 23,200 km2 (9,000 sq mi), of which 23,180 km2 (8,950 sq mi) is land and 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi) is water.[1]
Djibouti shares 125 kilometres (78 mi) of border with Eritrea, 390 kilometres (240 mi) with Ethiopia, and 60 kilometres (37 mi) with Somalia (total 575 km or 357 mi). It has a strategic location on theHorn of Africa and theBab el Mandeb, along a route through theRed Sea andSuez Canal. Djibouti's coastline serves as a commercial gateway between theArabian Peninsula and the Horn region's interior. The country is also the terminus ofrail traffic into Ethiopia.
Djibouti can be divided into threephysiographic regions

A great arc of mountains, consisting of theMousa Ali,Goda Mountains, andArrei Mountains surroundsDjibouti.
Djibouti has eight mountain ranges with peaks of over 1,000 m (3,300 ft).[2]

TheGrand Bara Desert covers parts of southern Djibouti in the Arta Region, Ali Sabieh Region andDikhil Region. The majority of the Grand Bara Desert lies at a relatively low elevation, below 1,700 feet (520 m). Home of the popular Grand Bara footrace.
Most of Djibouti has been described as part of theEthiopian xeric grasslands and shrublandsecoregion. The exception is a strip along theRed Sea coast, which is part of theEritrean coastal desert; it is noted as an important migration route for birds of prey.[3]

The area of the regions ofDjibouti is set out in the table below.

| Rank | Name | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dikhil Region | 7,200 km2 |
| 2 | Tadjourah Region | 7,100 km2 |
| 3 | Obock Region | 4,700 km2 |
| 4 | Ali Sabieh Region | 2,200 km2 |
| 5 | Arta Region | 1,800 km2 |
| 6 | Djibouti Region | 200 km2 |
There is not much seasonal variation in Djibouti'sclimate. Hot conditions prevail year-round along with winter rainfall. Mean daily maximum temperatures range from 32 to 41 °C (90 to 106 °F), except at high elevations. InDjibouti City, for instance, afternoon highs in April typically range from 28 to 34 °C (82 to 93 °F) in April. Nationally, mean daily minima generally vary between sites from about 15 to 30 °C (59 to 86 °F). The greatest range in climate occurs in eastern Djibouti, where temperatures sometimes surpass 41 °C (106 °F) in July on the littoral plains and fall below freezing point during December in the highlands. In this region, relative humidity ranges from about 40% in the mid-afternoon to 85% at night, changing somewhat according to the season.

Djibouti has 988,000 people living there.Djibouti has either ahot semi-arid climate (BSh) or ahot desert climate (BWh), althoughtemperatures are much moderated at the highelevations. On thecoastal seaboard, annualrainfall is less than 5 inches (130 mm); in thehighlands, it is about 8 to 16 inches (200 to 410 millimetres).[citation needed] Although the coastal regions are hot and humid throughout the year, the hinterland is typically hot and dry. The climate conditions are highly variable within the country and vary locally by altitude.[citation needed] Summers are very humid along the coast but dry in thehighlands. Heat waves are frequent. Annual precipitation amounts vary greatly from one year to another. In general, rain falls more frequently and extensively in the mountains.[citation needed] Sudden and brutal storms are also known to occur. Wadis turn for a few hours into raging torrents tearing everything in their path, and their course is regularized[clarification needed]. Rainwater serves as an additional water supply for livestock and plants alongside seasonal watercourses. The highlands have temperate climate throughout the year. The climate of most lowland zones is arid and semiarid.
The climate of the interior shows notable differences from the coastline. Especially in the mornings, the temperature is pleasant: it is so inArta,Randa and Day (where temperatures of 10 degrees Celsius have been recorded).
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Graphically the seasons can be represented this way:
| Month | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Winter|Jilaal | Summer/Hagaa | Winter|Jilaal | |||||||||
| Temperature | Cool | Very Hot | Cool | |||||||||

| Location | Region | Elevation (feet) | Elevation (metres) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mousa Ali | Tadjourah | 6,631 ft | 2,028 m |
| Goda Mountains | Tadjourah | 5,840 ft | 1,780 m |
| Garbi | Tadjourah | 5,512 ft | 1,680 m |
| Yaguer | Dikhil | 4,524 ft | 1,379 m |
| Mabla Mountains | Obock | 4,511 ft | 1,375 m |
| Arrei Mountains | Ali Sabieh | 4,268 ft | 1,301 m |
| Dagouein Mountain | Ali Sabieh | 3,688 ft | 1,124 m |
| Hemed | Arta | 3,619 ft | 1,103 m |
| Boura Mountains | Ali Sabieh | 3,291 ft | 1,003 m |
| Arta Mountains | Arta | 2,477 ft | 755 m |
| Lake Assal | Tadjourah | – 509 ft | – 155 m |
Lake Assal is the lowest point in Africa.

Land use:arable land: 0.1%
permanent pasture: 73.3%
forest: 0.2%
other: 26.4% (2011)
Irrigated land: 10 km2 (3.86 sq mi) (2012)
Water is becoming a scarce resource in Djibouti due toclimate change, which leads to different rainfall patterns as well as to inefficient methods of distribution within the country. Most of Djibouti's rainfall is in the four months, but over the last 25 years, the Djibouti's Ministry of Environment estimates that rainfall has decreased overall between 5 and 20 percent. It is predicted that in future years, there will be higher temperatures, lower rainfall, and longerdroughts, leading to even less access to water. Moreover, seawater intrusion or fossil saltwater contamination of the limited freshwater aquifers due togroundwater overexploitation affect those who live close to the coastline.[4]
In recent years[when?], population growth has increased rapidly with the addition of many refugees.
Unlike much of theHorn of Africa andMiddle East which is rich in lucrative crude oil,Djibouti has limited natural resources. These include potential geothermal power,gold, clay, granite,limestone, marble,salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum.
Natural hazards include earthquakes, drought, and occasionalcyclonic disturbances from theIndian Ocean, which bring heavy rains, andflash floods.Natural resources includegeothermal energy. Inadequate supplies ofpotable water, limited arable land anddesertification are current issues.
Djibouti is a party to international agreements onbiodiversity, climate change,desertification, endangered species,Law of the Sea, ozone layer protection, ship pollution, and wetlands.

Djibouti has a coastline which measures about 314 kilometres (195 miles). Much of thecoastline is accessible and quite varied in geography and habitats.

The population of Djibouti in 2015 was 846,000.
For statistical purposes, the country has three areas;Djibouti City (population 529,000),Ali Sabieh (population 55,000), andDikhil (population 54,000). Djibouti's population is diverse demographically; 60%Somali, 35%Afar, and 3%Arabs. In terms of religion, 94%Muslim, 6%Christian.
This is a list of the extreme points ofDjibouti, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.