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'''Yemen''', officially the '''Republic of Yemen''', is a country in West Asia. Located in southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the northeast, the Red Sea to the west, and the Indian Ocean to the south, sharing maritime borders with Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia across the Horn of Africa. Covering roughly 455,000 square kilometers(176,000 square miles), with a coastline of approximately 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles), Yemen is the second largest country on the Arabian Peninsula. Sana'a is its constitutional capital and largest city. Yemen's estimated population is 34.7 million, mostly Arab Muslims. It is a member of the Arab League, the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
'''Djibouti''', officially the '''Republic of Djibouti''', is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area of 23,200 km<sup>2</sup> (8,958 sq mi). Rich in natural resources, Djibouti is a major exporter of oil, gold and granite. Having been ruled by the same family since its independence, the country is regarded as one of the most corrupt and oppressive in the world, with a massive wealth gap between ordinary citizens and the elite ruling class. According to Human Rights Watch, modern-day slavery is still prevalent in the country.


Owing to its geographic location, Yemen has been at the crossroads of many civilisations for over 7,000 years. In 1200 BCE, the Sabaeans formed a thriving commercial kingdom that included parts of modern Ethiopia and Eritrea. In 275 CE, it was succeeded by the Himyarite Kingdom, which spanned much of Yemen's present-day territory and was heavily influenced by Judaism. Christianity arrived in the fourth century, followed by the rapid spread of Islam in the seventh century. Yemenite troops played a crucial role in early Islamic conquests.  
In antiquity, the territory, together with Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somaliland, was part of the Land of Punt. Nearby Zeila, now in Somaliland, was the seat of the medieval Adal and Ifat Sultanates. In the late 19th century, the colony of French Somaliland was established after the ruling Dir Somali and Afar sultans signed treaties with the French, and its railroad to Dire Dawa (and later Addis Ababa) allowed it to quickly supersede Zeila as the port for southern Ethiopia and the Ogaden. It was renamed the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas in 1967.  


Various dynasties emerged between the 9th and 16th centuries. During the 19th century, the country was divided between the Ottoman and British empires. After World War I, the Kingdom of Yemen was established, which in 1962 became the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) following a coup. In 1967, the British Aden Protectorate became the independent People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen), the first and only officially socialist state in the Arab world. In 1990, the two Yemeni states united to form the modern Republic of Yemen, with Ali Abdullah Saleh serving as the first president until his resignation in 2012 in the wake of the Arab Spring.
In 1977, the Djiboutian people voted for independence from France, officially marking the establishment of the ''Republic of Djibouti''. The new state joined the United Nations in its first year. In the early 1990s, tensions over representation led to armed conflict, which ended with a power-sharing agreement between the government and the opposition.  


From 2011 to 2025, Yemen endured a political crisis, marked by street protests against poverty, unemployment, corruption, and President Saleh's plan to amend Yemen's constitution and eliminate the presidential term limit. By 2015, the country became engulfed by an ongoing civil war with multiple entities vying for governance, including the Presidential Leadership Council of the internationally recognized government, and the Houthi movement's Supreme Political Council. This conflict eventually escalated to involve various foreign powers, including Iran, Israel, the United States and Russia, and led to a severe humanitarian crisis.  
In 1999, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh became President, succeeding his uncle Hassan Gouled Aptidon. Guelleh ruled for 27 years, eventually handing over to his son, Ahmad Shaheer Mappingé. Mappingé's presidency has seen the country embark on a massive drive to modernize its infrastructure and become a hub for foreign direct investment from the Middle East and North Africa. In 2032, he signed a 150-year lease agreement with private military company Skyshroud LLC, allowing for the construction of Saturn Base, and for Skyshroud to have full jurisdiction over the 462 sq kilometers of land occupied by the base. As part of the agreement, Skyshroud's 44,000 personnel on the base must be available for the national defense of Djibouti. In addition, Mappingé is believed to be receiving $1 billion a year in cash payments from Skyshroud.  


The civil war was brought to an end in February 2025 when General Ayyub Fahad al-Ansari staged a coup against President Rashad al-Alimi and his Presidential Leadership Council and negotiated a ceasefire with the Houthi-led Supreme Political Council. In April 2025, al-Ansari formed a unity government with Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat with himself as President. In August, he declared martial law, banned all political parties and declared himself Emir.  
Djibouti is a multi-ethnic nation with a population of 1,066,809 at the census held on 20 May 2024 (the smallest in mainland Africa). French and Arabic are its two official languages; Afar and Somali are national languages. About 94% of Djiboutians adhere to Islam, which is the official religion and has been predominant in the region for more than 1,000 years. The Somalis and Afar make up the two largest ethnic groups, with the former comprising the majority of the population. Both speak a language of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages.


Since becoming Emir, al-Ansari has prioritized the extraction and export of fossil fuels, including oil, natural gas, cobalt and copper. This led to the accrual of massive wealth by al-Ansari's government as well as the rise of an oligarch class. Under al-Ansari's rule, Yemen has also evolved into one of the world's most oppressive countries.
Djibouti is near some of the world's busiest shipping lanes, controlling access to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. It serves as a key refueling and transshipment center and the principal maritime port for imports from and exports to neighboring Ethiopia. It is also a hub for investment and financial services activity within the region, and has strict laws offering strong protections for offshore asset holding companies. According to the International Monetary Fund, Djibouti has become a "global epicenter for money laundering on an industrial scale".

Revision as of 10:20, 27 December 2024

Republic of Djibouti
جمهورية جيبوتي
Jamhuuriyadda Jabuuti
Downtown Djibouti City
Information
GovernmentUnitary presidential republic
CapitalDjibouti City
AnthemDjibouti
National LanguageSomali, Afar
Other LanguagesArabic, French, English
PresidentAhmad Shaheer Mappingé
Prime MinisterMusa Ibrahim
FormationFrench Somaliland - 20 May 1883
Independence from France - 27 Jun 1977
Current Constitution - 4 Sep 1992
Land Area23,200 sq km
Population2,669,702 (2033 census)
CurrencyDjiboutian Franc (DJF)
GDP (per capita)$23,322 (98th)
HDI0.629 (medium)
Gini co-efficient0.751 (very high)

Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area of 23,200 km2 (8,958 sq mi). Rich in natural resources, Djibouti is a major exporter of oil, gold and granite. Having been ruled by the same family since its independence, the country is regarded as one of the most corrupt and oppressive in the world, with a massive wealth gap between ordinary citizens and the elite ruling class. According to Human Rights Watch, modern-day slavery is still prevalent in the country.

In antiquity, the territory, together with Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somaliland, was part of the Land of Punt. Nearby Zeila, now in Somaliland, was the seat of the medieval Adal and Ifat Sultanates. In the late 19th century, the colony of French Somaliland was established after the ruling Dir Somali and Afar sultans signed treaties with the French, and its railroad to Dire Dawa (and later Addis Ababa) allowed it to quickly supersede Zeila as the port for southern Ethiopia and the Ogaden. It was renamed the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas in 1967.

In 1977, the Djiboutian people voted for independence from France, officially marking the establishment of the Republic of Djibouti. The new state joined the United Nations in its first year. In the early 1990s, tensions over representation led to armed conflict, which ended with a power-sharing agreement between the government and the opposition.

In 1999, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh became President, succeeding his uncle Hassan Gouled Aptidon. Guelleh ruled for 27 years, eventually handing over to his son, Ahmad Shaheer Mappingé. Mappingé's presidency has seen the country embark on a massive drive to modernize its infrastructure and become a hub for foreign direct investment from the Middle East and North Africa. In 2032, he signed a 150-year lease agreement with private military company Skyshroud LLC, allowing for the construction of Saturn Base, and for Skyshroud to have full jurisdiction over the 462 sq kilometers of land occupied by the base. As part of the agreement, Skyshroud's 44,000 personnel on the base must be available for the national defense of Djibouti. In addition, Mappingé is believed to be receiving $1 billion a year in cash payments from Skyshroud.

Djibouti is a multi-ethnic nation with a population of 1,066,809 at the census held on 20 May 2024 (the smallest in mainland Africa). French and Arabic are its two official languages; Afar and Somali are national languages. About 94% of Djiboutians adhere to Islam, which is the official religion and has been predominant in the region for more than 1,000 years. The Somalis and Afar make up the two largest ethnic groups, with the former comprising the majority of the population. Both speak a language of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages.

Djibouti is near some of the world's busiest shipping lanes, controlling access to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. It serves as a key refueling and transshipment center and the principal maritime port for imports from and exports to neighboring Ethiopia. It is also a hub for investment and financial services activity within the region, and has strict laws offering strong protections for offshore asset holding companies. According to the International Monetary Fund, Djibouti has become a "global epicenter for money laundering on an industrial scale".

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