Djibouti (city)

City of Djibouti
Jibuti
Ville de Djibouti
Location of Djibouti City in Djibouti
Coordinates:
Country Republic of Djibouti
Founded 1888
Elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Population
 - Total 475,332 (2,009 Census)

The City of Djibouti (Arabic: جيبوتي‎,French: Ville de Djibouti) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Djibouti, a nation in the Horn of Africa. It lies on a peninsula that divides the Gulf of Aden from the Gulf of Tadjoura.

Djibouti city has the same status as the country's five regions. The metropolitan territory borders the Arta Region to the south and west, and the Gulf of Tadjourah/Gulf of Aden to the north. According to a 2009 Census, the city is home to 475,322 people.

The Ethio-Djibouti Railways (formerly the Imperial Railway Company of Ethiopia) runs from the city to Addis Ababa. The city is also home to the Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport. Northwest of the city centre lies the city's port, used for international trade, for fishing, and for travel by ferry to the cities of Obock and Tadjoura.

One travel writer describes Djibouti as having an identity problem, writing, "it is the sedentary capital of a nomadic people, an African city designed like a European settlement and a kind of French Hong Kong in the Red Sea."[1] Features of Djibouti City include beaches along its eastern shore and the large Central Market, the national stadium Stade du Ville, the Presidential Palace and Hamoudi Mosque.

History

Founded as a seaport in 1888 by the Spaniard Eloi Pino, Djibouti became the capital of French Somaliland in 1891, replacing Tadjourah. It remained the capital for the succeeding colonial government of French Territory of the Afars and the Issas, as well as for the independent country of Djibouti.

Climate

Djibouti is generally very hot and dry throughout the course of the year. Featuring an arid climate, the city sees on average 131 mm (5.16 in) of precipitation per year. Temperatures range from very warm during the months of December, January and February to extremely hot in July, where temperatures routinely exceed 40°C (104°F).

Climate data for Djibouti
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 34
(93)		 34
(93)		 37
(99)		 38
(100)		 44
(111)		 47
(117)		 47
(117)		 47
(117)		 44
(111)		 39
(102)		 36
(97)		 34
(93)		 47
(117)
Average high °C (°F) 29
(84)		 29
(84)		 31
(88)		 32
(90)		 34
(93)		 37
(99)		 41
(106)		 39
(102)		 36
(97)		 33
(91)		 31
(88)		 29
(84)		 33
(91)
Average low °C (°F) 23
(73)		 24
(75)		 25
(77)		 26
(79)		 28
(82)		 30
(86)		 31
(88)		 29
(84)		 29
(84)		 27
(81)		 25
(77)		 23
(73)		 27
(81)
Record low °C (°F) 19
(66)		 18
(64)		 21
(70)		 21
(70)		 21
(70)		 22
(72)		 22
(72)		 22
(72)		 23
(73)		 21
(70)		 18
(64)		 17
(63)		 17
(63)
Precipitation mm (inches) 10
(0.39)		 13
(0.51)		 25
(0.98)		 13
(0.51)		 5
(0.2)		 0
(0)		 3
(0.12)		 8
(0.31)		 8
(0.31)		 10
(0.39)		 23
(0.91)		 13
(0.51)		 131
(5.16)
Source: BBC Weather [2]

References

  1. ↑ Africa on a Shoestring (London: Lonely Planet, 2004), p. 698.
  2. ↑ "Average Conditions Djibouti, Djibouti". BBC Weather. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT000150. Retrieved August 23, 2009. 
Regions of Djibouti
Djibouti

Ali Sabieh · Arta · Dikhil · Djibouti (city) · Obock · Tadjourah