Ismail Omar Guelleh
President

(pronounced "EESH-mail O-mar gu-ELL-a")

"The port of Djibouti is the country's major source of government revenue. We are ready to lay down the foundation for cooperation among port authorities in the surrounding region."

The Republic of Djibouti, formerly known as French Somaliland and subsequently renamed the French Territory of Afars and the Issas, became an independent republic in May 1977. Located in the Horn of Africa, just south of the Bab el Mandeb Strait, Djibouti occupies the strategic entrance into the Red Sea. Its neighbors include Ethiopia to its north and west, Somalia to the southeast, and Eritrea to its northwest. With a total land area of 22,000 sq km (8,494 sq mi), Djibouti consists of a coastal plain and plateau, separated by central mountains. Most of the land is volcanic desert, and the climate is hot and arid...