Djibouti

I’m pretty sure the only people who have heard of the country Djibouti know it because of the puns made about its name (“bouti” sounds like “booty”, if you didn’t immediately make the connection). I’m not going to be talking about “the booty” (I’m sure to your disappointment) because we are already well-versed on that topic because of pop culture, but I highly doubt that anyone reading this is well versed on the country of Djibouti, though.  I’ve overheard people say Djibouti in conversation before, but honestly thought it was a made-up word. Now that I’ve done my research, I can enlighten you all with some useless knowledge about a place I didn’t know existed twenty four hours ago.

When I hear of an obscure country, I usually assume it’s a tiny island nation in the middle of the ocean. This actually isn’t Djibouti’s case. It’s one of the fifty four nations on the continent of Africa, specifically on the Bab el-Mandeb straight. This straight is a gateway to the Suez Canal, which has historical significance as the shortest link between the east and west. Why, then, is Djibouti so unknown? I have not been able to come up with a solid answer to this question. Perhaps it is due to the fact that it has only been an independent nation since 1977, when it gained freedom after over 100 years as a French colony. All the way up to independence, the territory was known as French Somaliland. Djibouti was the capitol of French Somaliland, and eventually became the name of the independent country.

Although Djibouti’s land is barren, the economy is stable because of the port (and only because of the port). The country’s political system is also relatively stable. This, in combination with its proximity to the Middle East, makes it a prime location for foreign military bases. France still has a significant presence in Djibouti, and it’s actually the site of America’s largest military base in Africa.

Now for the part of any country that I usually find the most interesting; the people. The life expectancy for Djiboutian (?) males is only 57 years, and for females, 60. Practically the entire nation follows Islam (94%) and the legal system is based partly on Islamic law. Islam was introduced to the horn region of Africa during Muhammad’s lifetime, which was the 7^th century A.D., so there is a very long-standing tradition of the religion in Djibouti. The population speaks a mix of French, Arabic, Somali, and Afar.

As in most countries whose political systems incorporate Islamic law, the media in Djibouti is completely state-dominated. There are no private TV or radio stations; all are government owned. Authorities monitor any opposition websites. Even though Djibouti has an elected president, it must be considered an illiberal democracy because of these obvious limits on free speech.

I’m not saying Djibouti would be a fun vacation spot or anything (unless you enjoy frolicking through the desert) but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t interesting. At least I hope you were interested reading this. I was interested writing it, but that may just be because I’m a nerd. Fellow lovers of random useless information, please continue to visit this blog every week, because there’s lots more in store!

References:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13231761