Djibouti Flag and Meaning
Flag of Djibouti
Djibouti Flag Meaning
The flag was adopted on the day the country became independent, on June 27, 1977. The triangle stands for equality and the white color is a symbol of peace. The red star stands for their unity, but is also seen as a symbol of the struggle for independence. The green color in the flag stands for the ethnic group Djibouti, and the blue stands for Afar and Issa respectively.
There is also an alternative explanation for what the colors in the flag stand for, where the green is a symbol of the earth that the blue color stands for the sky. The colors of the flag are also the colors used by the liberation movement LPAI.
Djibouti Overview
Population | 600000 |
Currency | Djibouti francs |
Area | 23,200 km² |
Capital city | Djibouti |
Population density | 25.8 residents/km² |
HDI location | 147 |
One of the hottest countries in the world located in the Afars Triangle, opposite Yemen. (annual average temperature: 30º C). The desert land, which is only planted in the basalt-rich mountain range in the northern part. Agriculture located in oases and on the coastal region covers only 1/4 of the population’s needs. The nomads stand for the country’s cattle breeding.
Authoritarian regime with limited democratic rights. Close to the ally of France and the US who both have important military bases in the country.
The People: Djibouti residents can be divided into two ethnic groups: Afaras scattered throughout the country and Issas, of Somali origin, concentrated in the south and constituting the majority in the capital.
Religion: Islam. There is a smaller Christian minority, approx. 5%.
Language: Afar (spoken by 55%) and Issa, a Somali language (by 33%). French (spoken by 2.8%) is the official language, while Arabic (spoken by 11%) is religious.
Political parties: A constitutional reform in September 1992 introduced the multiparty system. The political parties include: The Popular Progress Group, RPP, founded in 1979, following the Association of the African People’s Independence League, founded in 1975 by Hassan Gouled, and the Democratic Renewal Party, PRD; Djibouti’s Democratic Liberation Front; Djibouti’s Liberation Movement; The Unity and Democracy Front, FRUD.
Official name: République de Djibouti.
Administrative Division: 5 districts.
Capital: Djibouti, 598,000 residents (2011).
Other important cities: Ali-Sabieh, 12,200 in; Tadjourah, 11,500 residents; Dikhili, 9,900 inb.
Government: Ismail Omar Guelleh, President since May 1999, re-elected in April 2005, 2011 and 2016. Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, Prime Minister since April 2013. Traditionally, this post accrues to an Afar, to offset the fact that the President is Issa. The National Assembly (Parliament) has 65 members.
National Day: June 27, Independence Day. (1977).
Armed forces: 9,000 men. (1997).
Paramilitary forces: 1,200 men in the Gendarmerie and the National Security Corps.