Overview

Urban Planning of Touchroad Djibouti Special Economic Zone[Photo from Touchroad]

Djibouti is on the northeast coast of Africa, with a long coastline along the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.It is bounded by Eritrea to the north, Ethiopia to the west and south, and Somalia to the southeast. Djibouti is the major port for connecting Ethiopia with the world. The country covers a 23,200-square-kilometer area, with a 372-km coastline and a population of just over 810,000, with 94 percent of them Muslim, and 6 percent Christian. The official languages are French and Arabic.

City

The city of the same name is the capital and largest city, as well as the political, economic, and cultural center, with one of the largest harbors in East Africa. It is also the country’s transportation hub，with railways, roads and airlines. The port has shipyards, railway factories, refineries and manufacturing facilities. The suburban area has nature parks, lakes and high mountains.

Climate

Djibouti is hot and dry throughout the year, with average summer temperatures of 32-42 C, and, in winter, around 30 C. It has an average annual rainfall of 131 mm.

The tables indicate average annual precipitation and possible flood levels over a period of 1,000 years.

Flood control

Because of the lack of permanent rivers, annual flooding depends entirely on the seasonal changes. The Oued Ambouli is a seasonal river that remains dry for most of the year. Previous measures show a low of 3.45 meters and a high of 3.83 meters.

Geology

Djibouti sits astride a seismic belt with complex topography and is prone to earthquakes. The image shows earthquake occurrences 2000 - 2006 in Djibouti and surrounding areas. The orange circle shows the intensity of each quake.