Crossroads of the Horn of Africa
Djibouti covers an area of 23,200 km2. It shares 520 km of land borders with Ethiopia (a vast state with a mosaic of peoples and languages), Eritrea (Africa's youngest state) and Somalia (a vast steppe with a Muslim population). With 370 km of coastline, its territorial waters cover 7,190 km2. Djibouti lies roughly midway between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer, between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden (Indian Ocean).
The Afar depression zone
At the center of this area of the Afar Depression are Lake Assal and the Goubet, a territory only temporarily emerged. They mark the center of a zone of "conflict" between the African and Arabian plates, which are gradually moving apart at a rate of around 2 cm per year. Here, the earth's crust is extremely thin, measuring just 5 km thick, compared with dozens elsewhere on the planet. Permanent seismic activity results in tremors (20 to 30 per day) that are imperceptible to man. Some of the most significant of these were the Ardoukoba volcano (1978) between Assal and Goubet, and the Kammourta volcano in the north-west of the country (1928). Seismic activity can also be detected by the presence of other volcanoes, hot springs and fumaroles (Assal, Abbe, Allols)... During the Ardoukoba eruption, the earth split, the plates moved apart by 1.20 m and a 12 km fault was formed. The separation of the two plates acts in three different directions: the axis of the Red Sea between Arabia and Africa, which runs from Djibouti up to Syria; the axis of the Gulf of Aden, which runs along the coast of northern Somalia and separates Somalia and Yemen; and finally, the longest, best-known and most spectacular axis (because it is land-based and dotted with numerous active volcanoes), that of the famous African rift, which runs from Mozambique to Lake Abbe. So you're here at the junction of three fracture axes. And the Afar Depression, a triangular land mass stretching between Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia, is the only remaining link between the Arabian and African plates. Djibouti is a godsend for geology enthusiasts, since here the consequences of movements are visible, terrestrial. While elsewhere in the world the phenomenon is underwater, here the fault emerges from the water.
A mineral and arid landscape
Mineral and arid, these are the two main characteristics of the landscape. As you travel around Djibouti, you'll see stone in all its shapes and colors. The country is divided into three main zones: coastal plains, volcanic areas in the center and south, and mountainous massifs in the north. There are no permanent rivers in the country. To drink, you have to dig. The most important towns are built near oases (Dikhil, for example) or wells, which are often very old. Djibouti was chosen in part by the French for its abundant underground water resources (unlike Obock). The dry beds of the wadis fill up, rarely, during brief and very violent rainstorms. But their waters rarely reach the sea. After the rain, nature briefly celebrates: grasses and flowers sprout between the stones, shrubs seem to suddenly grow a few centimetres taller, and birds sing even louder.
However, although the country is mineral and arid, the landscapes are not monotonous. Here, the desert (or semi-desert) is manifold: impressive silty expanses (Grand and Petit Bara), an ancient prehistoric lakebed turned stony plain (Gobaad), flat, desolate coasts north of Obock, frozen lava flows (Ardoukoba), salt depressions (the Allols, supplied with sea water by underground fractures), salt floes (Lake Assal)...
In the heart, the Gulf of Tadjourah
The country is structured by the Gulf of Tadjourah, which plunges far inland from east to west, forming a mouth that seems to want to crunch the Musha Islands (off Djibouti-City). At the far end, the Gulf of Tadjourah extends into Ghoubbet al-Kharâb, from which it is separated by a dangerous strait: Namma Noum Sehima. This is the beginning of a zone of intense seismic activity, the "base" of the future Eritrean ocean, which will one day be as vast as the Atlantic. Volcanic islands occupy the floor of the Goubet. A little further west, the depression of the Assal salt lake (-157 m) marks the lowest point on the African continent. The area between Assal and Goubet offers superb volcanic landscapes: faults, crevasses, solidified lava flows that plunge into the sea or spread out between the reliefs. Ardoukoba volcano was born here in 1978.
The Southern Plains
Much of the southern part of the country is made up of parallel depressions, surrounded by plateaus with tabular summits. Two almost flat areas, but at different levels (separated by more or less marked basalt cliffs), both of which have long favored the progress of nomadic caravans. The largest of these plains is the Hanlé plain to the north of Dikhil, along which the N1 road runs. To the east of this is Gaggadé, another plain, more spectacular because it is narrower and surrounded by basalt cliffs. Between Dikhil and Lake Abbe, the Gobaad plain appears stony and dark. It once formed an immense expanse of water. Fossils of marine animals are often found here, as are the oldest traces of human occupation in the country. Lake Abbe marks the northern limit of the African rift. Its limestone chimneys and boiling springs bear witness to intense underground activity. The most striking landforms in this southern part of the country are Arta and Ali Sabieh (750 m) and the Dadin (over 1,000 m) and Arrey (1,285 m) mountains on the Ethiopian-Somali border. Djibouti, Dikhil and Ali Sabieh are the main towns in this southern zone, which is fairly well served by road and crossed by rail.
In the North, by mountains and mangroves
To the north of the Gulf of Tadjourah lie two massifs that constitute the coolest areas of the country. The Goda (and Day) mountains rise to 1,750 m; the Mablas to 1,382 m. Vegetation cover here is much more extensive and spectacular than in the rest of the country. The Day forest, for example, is a primary Mediterranean forest and bears witness to the flora that covered Arabia or the Sahara 4,000 years ago. Humidity allows vegetation to grow denser and taller than elsewhere. This is due to the rains, which are more frequent than elsewhere (but still quite rare), and above all to the clouds and damp fog that cling to the relief. Finally, in the very north, on the Eritrean border, stands Moussa Ali, the country's highest point (2,020 m). At its foot grows the country's third smallest and most isolated forest, Madgoul. The whole area is criss-crossed by just a few tracks and paths. Camps and villages are scattered here and there. The major towns, Tadjourah and Obock, have opted for the coast. North of Obock, coral banks line the entire coastline between Cape Ras Bir (near Obock) and Doumeira (on the Eritrean border). There are also beautiful mangroves: Godoria, Ras Syan, Khor Angar. The coast here is low and sandy. This flatness is confirmed towards the west in the form of a vast plain criss-crossed by dozens of dry wadi beds. This area is closest to Bab el-Mandeb, where the Red Sea and Indian Ocean meet. Past volcanic activity is clearly visible. The Ras Syan peninsula is part of an emergent volcano, as is the Seven Brothers archipelago (of which it is a part).
Bab el-Mandeb - The Islands
The Bab el-Mandeb, a name often cited by adventurers and merchants in the past, and by soldiers and tourists today, means "Gate of Lamentations" or "Gate of Tears". The temperature of the waters of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, which meet off the coast of Djibouti, sometimes violently, never falls below 20°C. With air temperatures also very high, evaporation is high, resulting in very high salinity. These waters are characterized by their extraordinary clarity. In fact, there are no rivers flowing into them, bringing silt with them. The warmer, saltier Gulf of Tadjourah is home to a special fauna, including coral species that have adapted to these extreme conditions, which would not normally suit them.
Djibouti has three main archipelagos. Doumeira, shared with Eritrea and far, far away to the north; the Seven Brothers, remnants of emerged volcanoes forming six islands (plus the Ras Siyan peninsula), which offer some of the world's most beautiful underwater seabed; and the Musha and Maskali islands, of coral origin, just a stone's throw from Djibouti-Ville at the entrance to the Gulf, renowned for their mangroves.
Going to the bush
Bushland is defined as an area more or less covered with bushes and small trees, the usual vegetation of dry tropical regions. In Djibouti, the bush is less - rather than more - covered with bushes and small trees. As elsewhere in Africa, the term "brousse" has outlived its usefulness. We say "go bush" when we leave the big city, whatever the vegetation we encounter. Djibouti's bush is astonishingly varied: deserts, volcanoes, salt plains, patches of green around waterholes and at the bottom of wadis. The bush is home to a large, but not always visible, animal population. Life in the bush, the life of nomads, is difficult for a passing tourist to approach and understand. You'd have to live there for several weeks, immersed in the bush with the locals, to learn how to interpret it and see what lies behind these seemingly bare landscapes.
