Category Archives: Physical Geography

Welcome to Djibouti

The Republic of Djibouti, geographically located at coordinates 11 30 N, 43 00 E, is perched on the northeast coast of the Horn of Africa. It is strategically located at the crossroads of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. Border-wise, she has Eritrea to her north for 68mi, Ethiopia stretches from the west to the southwest with a shared border line of 217mi, and to her south lies Somalia for another 36mi. Djibouti’s land area is 8958mi². Total water area is 7.7220mi². Djibouti has a total coastline of 195mi. The capital, Djibouti, which is also the largest city in the country is located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Tadjoura A 2007 estimate put the country’s population around 773,000. French and Arabic are the official language, although Somali and Afar are widely spoken. Djibouti is dominated by Moslems who account for about 93% of the population and Christians are about 7%. 0.23mi of her coastline forms the narrow Gulf of Tadjoura. The northern coast near the Eritrean border faces the Strait of Bab al Mandab on the southwestern tip of Yemen.
This country is formed of a triangular depression. This is as a result of the collision of the general tectonic trends of the Great Rift Valleys of Eastern Africa. These run North-South and NorthWest-SouthEast and have generated a complex fragmented relief of high blocks and subsidence zones. Formed by the Ethiopian Highland in the west, The Somali Plateau in the south and the Danakil Horst in the east, Cenozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks make up most of the country.
Her climate can best be described as that of a desert, having attributes of being mostly torrid and dry.Djibouti has about 163.5 mm (6.4 in) of rainfall per year. The driest month is June, averaging about 0.1mm of rain as compared to April which has about 28.9mm of rain, making it the wettest month in the region.
There are 5 lakes in Djibouti. Lake Abbe is the ultimate destination of the waters of the Awash River. It lies at the Afar Triple Junction, the central meeting place for the three pieces of the Earth’s crust, a defining feature of the Afar Depression. Here three pieces of Earth’s crust are each pulling away from that central point, though not all at the same speed. Lake Afambo is one of a chain of lakes into which the Awash river empties its waters. It is located at the eastern end of the Afar region of EthiopiaThe lake lies on a roughly north-south axis, 13 kilometers long by two wide, having 1760 hectares of open water.[1]Afambo receives its inflow from Lake Gummare from a channel at its northern point, and has its outflow in the swamps on its southwest shores where it empties into Lake Bario. Lake Assal is a crater lake in central-western Djibouti. It is located at the western end of Gulf of Tadjoura in the Tadjoura Region, touching Dikhil Region, at the top of the Great Rift Valley, some 120 km (75 mi) west of Djibouti city. Lake Assal is a saline lake which lies 155 m (509 ft) below sea level in the Afar Triangle, making it the lowest point on land in Africa and the third-lowest land depression on Earth after the Dead Sea and Sea of Galilee. No outflow occurs from the lake, and due to high evaporation, the salinity level of its waters is 10 times that of the sea, making it the most saline in the world after Don Juan Pond.[1][2][3][4][5]. Lake Assal is the world’s largest salt reserve. Te other lakes are Lake Gummare and Lake Bario. Djibouti has no permanent rivers but instead has a number of permanently or intermittently dry riverbeds called Wadis.
Djibouti is an ideal vacation destination for the entire family. She has year round favorable weather for vacationing. Warm and sometimes humid, the average temperature is 29.9 degrees Celsius (85.8 degrees Fahrenheit). This makes outdoors activity fun. Djibouti has a full palette for all those who like to have fun, and have a feel of nature in the process. We have it all, from a cool day at the beach to hiking and climbing.
For those who like the water, Djibouti boasts of a variety of beaches with white sands, whist others have darker sands, and some also consist of volcanic rock features. You can just chill out at the beach during the day and enjoy a cool breeze while you soak in the beauty, and relax with the calm waters providing serene sounds. Alternatively, you can party in the evening with other tourists and locals when you attend one of her world famous beach partys, where you can listen or dance to, contemporary local music with a mix of arabian and western infused music while you enjoy cool drinks in a scenic atmosphere. One can also sample exotic cuisine and snacks from one of the numerous international class restaurants that line the beaches.
The Djibouti tourist board sets strict and well enforced safety and sanitation standards for hotels and restaurants that leave the customer with nothing less than a great variety of clean and world class hotels, resorts, restaurants, night clubs and discos. Your only worry when you patronize any of these services is your potential and tendency to overstay, which your are more than welcome to do. From prompt and courteous service, to well dressed and professional staff who aim to make your stay an enjoyable one. Our hotels and resorts boast of industry leading spas and recreational facilities that are well managed and maintained.
If you would rather tour the country, there are various breathtaking sites, historical places, lakes, rivers, mountains. The climate and weather supports such adventures giving you nothing but cool breezes all the way. There is the occasional rainfall that further cools the weather. Your only problem would be where to start and in which direction to head.

Sources:

http://www.djibouti.climatemps.com/precipitation.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djibouti

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Lakes_of_Djibouti
1.Robert Mepham, R. H. Hughes, and J. S. Hughes, A directory of African wetlands, (Cambridge: IUCN, UNEP and WCMC, 1992), p. 166
Warren, John K. (23 February 2006).Evaporites: sediments, resources and hydrocarbons. Birkhäuser. p.280.ISBN 978-3-540-26011-0. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
1. “Lake Assal”. Encylopeadeia Brittanica. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
2. “Lake Assal – Djibouti”. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Retrieved 25 May 2011.
3. “A life of constant thirst beside Djibouti’s Lake Assal”. =British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 4 December 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
4. “Lake Salt Project, Djibouti:Environmental Impact Assessment”. Government of Djibouti:Salt Investment S.A.Z.F. November 2008. pp.1–xii, 29. Retrieved 25 May 2011.