republic · Horn and East Africa

Djibouti

1977 CE – present · capital Djibouti

A small republic at the mouth of the Red Sea whose port serves as Ethiopia's gateway to the sea and hosts military bases of several world powers.

Origins

The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became independent on 27 June 1977 as the Republic of Djibouti, after a referendum in which voters overwhelmingly chose independence. Hassan Gouled Aptidon, an Issa Somali politician, became its first president.

Rule and society

Gouled made his party, the People's Rally for Progress, the only legal party in 1981. Afar grievances led to the FRUD rebellion of 1991 to 1994, ended by power-sharing agreements. Ismail Omar Guelleh succeeded Gouled in 1999 and has held office since. The economy rests on the port, which handles most of Ethiopia's foreign trade, and on rents from foreign bases, including French, American and Chinese.

To the present

Djibouti has remained politically stable but tightly controlled, with limited opposition. New ports and the electrified railway to Addis Ababa, opened in 2016 to 2018, have strengthened its role as a regional trade hub.

Lineage

French Territory of the Afars and the Issas 1967 CE – 1977 CEDjibouti

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Djibouti. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/djibouti
MLA
“Djibouti.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/djibouti. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Djibouti.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/djibouti.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Djibouti’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/djibouti (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻