When the Ethiopia-Eritrea border war broke out in 1998, Ethiopia lost access to Eritrea’s port, an existential crisis for a landlocked country. Since then, Ethiopia has overwhelmingly relied on Djiboutian ports to process its imports and exports: some 95 percent of Ethiopian imports transit through Djibouti.

French rule 1862 – France acquires the port of Obock. 1888 – French colony of Somaliland established over the region. 1892 – Djibouti becomes capital of French Somaliland. 1897 – Ethiopia acquires parts of Djibouti after signing a treaty with France.

France decided to establish its colonial foothold in 1862 along what is now the northeastern coast of Djibouti. This tentative venture became in 1884–85 the protectorates of Obock and Tadjoura, which were merged to form French Somaliland.

French Somaliland

OVERALL RISK : MEDIUM In general, Djibouti is relatively safe to visit. Expect both petty and violent crime, and scammers everywhere.

Originally Answered: Are Somalis Arab? Geographically Somalia is an African nation, ethnically Somalis are East African origin. However, Somalis are 100% Sunni Muslims and Arabic used to be the second language (since civil war, English has become the second language).

At the heart of Djibouti’s poverty is a lack of resources. The arid land makes Djibouti a poor place for farming. In fact, just 0.04 percent of land in Djibouti is arable; this is largely due to the harsh, dry climate. In addition to a poor agricultural sector, Djibouti also suffers from the stresses of war.

Djibouti’s most significant environmental problems are deforestation, desertification, water pollution, and the protection of its wildlife. Djibouti’s forests are threatened by agriculture and the use of wood for fuel.

According to the Somali Issas’ legend, it is thought that the name Djibouti comes from the name of a beast called ‘buti’ (‘bear’) that used to terrorize the population.