Fast Facts:
1. It is located in the Horn of Africa in East Africa and is the 8th smallest country in Africa.
2. Its capital and largest city is Djibouti City.
3. Major ethnic groups: Somalis (60%), Afar (35%), Arab and others (5%)
4. It has two official languages – French and Arabic – and two national languages – Somali and Afar.
5. Islam is the official religion practiced by 94% of the population.
6. It was a French protectorate during colonization and gained independence from France in June 1977.
7. It’s strategically located near some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and its port provides the biggest source of income and employment for the country.
8. It is one of the most militarized places in the world. It hosts the USA’s largest military base in Africa, China’s first overseas military base, and Japan’s first military base since World War II.
9. Lake Assal, a crater lake in central-western Djibouti, is Africa’s lowest point (515 ft/157 m below sea level) and the saltiest lake outside Antarctica.
10. Lake Abhe, on the Ethiopian border, is a steaming salt lake surrounded by a lunar-esque landscape used as the “Forbidden Zone” in the movie Planet of the Apes.
11. It is one of the world’s least visited countries, with less than 100,000 visitors annually, but its tourism industry is growing.
12. Djibouti is a great eco-tourism destination. The main tourist activities are scuba diving, fishing, trekking, hiking, bird watching, prehistoric petroglyph sites, desert canyons, off-shore islands, and beautiful beaches.
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