Crossroads of the Horn of Africa
Djibouti's territory covers 23,200 km2. It shares 520 km of land borders with Ethiopia (a vast state with a mosaic of peoples and languages), Eritrea (the youngest African state) and Somalia (vast steppe and Muslim population). With its 370 km of coastline, the territorial waters cover 7,190 km2. Djibouti is located approximately halfway 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 centre of this area of the Afar depression are Lake Assal and Goubet, an area that is only temporarily emerged. They mark the centre of a 'conflict' zone between the African and Arabian plates, which are gradually moving apart at a rate of about 2 cm per year. Here, the earth's crust is extremely thin, measuring only 5 km thick, compared to several dozen elsewhere on the planet. The permanent seismic activity results in tremors (20 to 30 per day) that are imperceptible to humans. Some, more important, formed the Ardoukoba volcano (in 1978), between Assal and Goubet, or the Kammourta, in the northwest of the country, in 1928. The seismic activity is also perceived thanks to 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 long 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 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 terrestrial and punctuated by numerous active volcanoes), that of the famous African rift, which runs from Mozambique to Lake Abbe. You are therefore here at the junction of three fracture axes. And the Afar depression, a triangular land stretching between Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia, is finally the only remaining point of attachment between the Arabian and African plates. Djibouti is a godsend for geology enthusiasts, since here the consequences of the movements are visible, terrestrial. When elsewhere in the world the phenomenon is underwater, here the fault comes out of the water.
A mineral and arid landscape
Mineral and arid are the two main characteristics of the landscape. When travelling through Djibouti, one can contemplate stone in all its forms and colours. The country is divided into three main areas: the coastal plains, the volcanic areas in the centre and south, and the mountainous massifs in the north. There are no permanent rivers in the country. To drink, you have to dig. The most important cities are built near oases (Dikhil, for example) or wells that are often very old. Thus, Djibouti was partly chosen by the French for the important water resources of the subsoil (unlike Obock). The dry beds of the wadis fill up, rarely, during brief and very violent storm rains. But their waters rarely reach the sea. After the rain, nature celebrates briefly: grasses and flowers appear between the stones, the shrubs seem to grow a few centimetres, the birds sing even more loudly.
However, although the country is mineral and arid, the landscapes are not monotonous. Here the desert (or semi-desert) is multiple: impressive silty stretches (Grand and Petit Bara), ancient prehistoric lake bottom turned into a stony plain (Gobaad), flat and desolate coasts north of Obock, frozen lava flows (Ardoukoba), salty depressions (the Allols, supplied with sea water by underground fractures), salt floes (Assal Lake)...
In the heart, the Gulf of Tadjourah
The country is structured by the Gulf of Tadjourah, which goes far inland, from east to west, and forms a mouth that seems to want to crunch the Musha Islands (off Djibouti City). The Gulf of Tadjourah is prolonged, at the very bottom, by 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 bottom of the Goubet. A little further west, the depression of the salt lake of Assal (-157 m) marks the lowest point of 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. It is here that the Ardoukoba volcano was born in 1978.
The Southern Plains
A large 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 basaltic cliffs), both of which have long favoured the progression of nomadic caravans. The largest of these plains is that of Hanlé, which extends to the north of Dikhil, and which the N1 road follows. 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 plain of Gobaad appears stony and dark. It was once a huge expanse of water. Fossils of marine animals are often found there, but also the oldest traces of human occupation in the country. Lake Abbe marks the northern limit of the African Rift. Its limestone chimneys and boiling water springs are evidence of intense underground activity. The most marked reliefs of this southern part are Arta and Ali Sabieh (750 m) and the Dadin (more than 1,000 m) and Arrey (1,285 m) mounts on the Ethiopian and Somali borders. 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 constituting the coolest areas of the country. The Goda Mountains (and the Day) reach 1,750 m; the Mablas reach 1,382 m. The vegetation cover is much more important 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. The humidity allows the development of a denser and higher vegetation than elsewhere. It is due to the rains, more frequent than elsewhere (but still quite rare) and especially to the clouds and humid fogs which cling to the reliefs. Finally, in the north, on the Eritrean border, stands Moussa Ali, the highest point of the country (2,020 m). At its foot grows the third forest of the country, the smallest and most isolated, that of Madgoul. This whole area is only criss-crossed by a few tracks and paths. Camps and villages are scattered here and there. The big cities, Tadjourah and Obock, have preferred 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 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 crossed by dozens of dry wadi beds. This area is the closest to Bab el-Mandeb, where the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean meet.Past volcanic activity is evident. The Ras Syan peninsula is a part of an emerged 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 Wailing" or "Gate of Tears". The temperature of the waters of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean which meet off Djibouti, sometimes with a bang, never goes below 20°C. The air temperature being also very high, evaporation is important, which leads to a very high salinity. These waters are characterized by an extraordinary clarity. Indeed, no river comes to throw itself there and bring silt. In the Gulf of Tadjourah, which is warmer and saltier, there is a particular fauna, notably coral species that have adapted to these extreme conditions, which would not normally suit them.
Djibouti has three main small archipelagos. Doumeira, shared with Eritrea and located far 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 seabed; and the Musha and Maskali islands, of coral origin, a short distance from Djibouti-City at the entrance to the Gulf, known for their mangroves
Going to the bush
Bushland is defined as an area more or less covered by 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 bush has outgrown its scope. We say "go bush" when we leave the big city, regardless of the vegetation we encounter. The Djiboutian bush is surprisingly varied: deserts, volcanoes, salt plains, green patches sometimes around waterholes and at the bottom of wadis. It hosts a large animal population but not always visible. Life in the bush, that of the nomads, is difficult to approach, to understand, for a passing tourist. It would be necessary to live there for several weeks, in total immersion with the locals, to learn to interpret it and to see all that is hidden behind these apparently so naked landscapes.
