World Factbook
Djibouti
République de Djibouti (French)/ Jumhuriyat Jibuti (Arabic)
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
23,180 sq km
water
20 sq km
total
23,200 sq km
Climate
desert; torrid, dry
Terrain
coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains
Land use
other
26.2% (2023 est.)
forest
0.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
73.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 0.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 73.3% (2023 est.)
Location
Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia
Coastline
314 km
Elevation
lowest point
Lac Assal -155 m
highest point
Moussa Ali 2,021 m
mean elevation
430 m
Irrigated land
10 sq km (2012)
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
528 km
border countries
Eritrea 125 km; Ethiopia 342 km; Somalia 61 km
Maritime claims
contiguous zone
24 nm
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods volcanism: experiences limited volcanic activity; Ardoukoba (298 m) last erupted in 1978; Manda-Inakir, located along the Ethiopian border, is also historically active
Geography - note
strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa and the saltiest lake in the world
Natural resources
potential geothermal power, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than New Jersey
Geographic coordinates
11 30 N, 43 00 E
Population distribution
most densely populated areas are in the east; the largest city is Djibouti, and the other cities in the country are a fraction of its size, as shown in this population distribution map
Major lakes (area sq km)
salt water lake(s)
Abhe Bad/Abhe Bid Hayk (shared with Ethiopia) - 780 sq km