Djibouti: landmarks, animals & facts for kids

Djibouti is a small country in the Horn of Africa, on the strait that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. It is bordered by Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. Its capital, also called Djibouti, is a busy port city where more than half of the country's roughly 1.2 million people live. Djibouti is known for its strange volcanic landscapes, salt lakes, hot climate and its important position on one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

On My Earth Toy you can see the limestone chimneys of Lake Abbe, tall rock towers that puff out steam from hot springs. The eerie landscape looks so otherworldly that it was used as a filming location for the 1968 film Planet of the Apes.

Geography and nature

Djibouti lies in the Afar Triangle, where three pieces of the Earth's crust are slowly pulling apart, creating cracks, volcanoes and deep depressions. Lake Assal, a crater lake surrounded by white salt flats, is about 155 metres below sea level, the lowest point in Africa. Most of the land is dry desert and rocky plateau, with very hot summers. In the Gulf of Tadjoura, whale sharks gather in the cooler months to feed.

People, languages and culture

The two largest groups are the Somali, mostly of the Issa clan, and the Afar. French and Arabic are the official languages, while Somali and Afar are spoken every day. Almost everyone is Muslim. Many Afar and Somali people have long been nomadic herders of camels and goats. Spiced rice with meat and a spongy flatbread called lahoh are everyday foods. Traditional dances are performed at weddings and festivals.

History in a nutshell

People have crossed and traded through this region for thousands of years; it may have been part of the ancient Land of Punt that Egyptians traded with. In the late 1800s France took control and called it French Somaliland, later the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas. A railway built from the port to Addis Ababa made the city important. Djibouti became independent on 27 June 1977.