Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Geography of Djibouti



Djibouti is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the east. It has 314 kilometres (195 mi) of coastline.
Djibouti shares 113 kilometres (70 mi) of border with Eritrea, 337 kilometres (209 mi) with Ethiopia, and 58 kilometres (36 mi) with Somalia (total 506 km or 314 mi). It has a strategic location on the Horn of Africa and the Bab el Mandeb, along a route through the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Djibouti's coastline serves as a commercial gateway between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn region's interior. The country is also the terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia.

It has a strategic location near the world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields. Djibouti is also terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia.

Climate

Its climate is mostly warm, dry desert.

Terrain

Mountains in the center of the country separate a coastal plain and a plateau. The lowest point is Lac Assal (-155 m or −508.5 ft) and the highest is Moussa Ali (2,028 m or 6,654 ft). There is no arable land, irrigation, permanent crops, and negligible forest cover. (What little forest, is in the Goda Mountains, especially in the Day Forest National Park.) 9% of the country is permanent pastureland (1993 est). Therefore most of Djibouti has been described as part of the Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands ecoregion except for a strip along the Red Sea coast is part of the Eritrean coastal desert, noted as an important migration route for birds of prey. [1]

Environment

Natural hazards include earthquakes, droughts, and occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean, which bring heavy rains and flash floods. Natural resources include geothermal energy. Inadequate supplies of potable water and desertification are current issues. Djibouti is a party to international agreements on Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution.