Djibouti is an eastern African Country situated off the Gulf of Aden in the Red Sea. The Country is located to the south of Eritrea, north of Somalia and to the east of Ethiopia. Djibouti is a former French Colony and attained its independence on the 27th of June 1977. From its independence, the Country was ruled by Hassan Gouled Aptidon who established an authoritarian single party state and governed the country until 1999.
Djibouti was faced by civil war which began in the early 1990s between government forces and Afar rebels. An initial treaty signed in 1994 brought a short end to the conflict which resumed and in 2001, another treaty was signed by the warring factions. This treaty brought an end to armed conflict in the Country. At present, Djibouti is a multi-party democracy. The Country has an estimated population of 486,530 people. This does not however take into account the increasing influx of refugees from neighboring countries.
Administration:
Djibouti City: is the capital and largest city in the country, a major center for trade, commerce and education. For administrative purposes, the country is divided into 5 districts known as Cercles. These are; Ali Sabih, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock and Tadjoura.
