Djibouti vs. Eritrea
Geography
| Djibouti | Eritrea | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia | Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan |
| Geographic coordinates | 11 30 N, 43 00 E | 15 00 N, 39 00 E |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 23,200 sq km land: 23,180 sq km water: 20 sq km | total: 117,600 sq km land: 101,000 sq km water: 16,600 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than New Jersey | slightly smaller than Pennsylvania |
| Land boundaries | total: 528 km border countries (3): Eritrea 125 km, Ethiopia 342 km, Somalia 61 km | total: 1,840 km border countries (3): Djibouti 125 km, Ethiopia 1033 km, Sudan 682 km |
| Coastline | 314 km | 2,234 km (mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm | territorial sea: 12 nm |
| Climate | desert; torrid, dry | hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands |
| Terrain | coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains | dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Moussa Ali 2,021 m lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m mean elevation: 430 m | highest point: Soira 3,018 m lowest point: near Kulul within the Danakil Depression -75 m mean elevation: 853 m |
| Natural resources | potential geothermal power, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum | gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish |
| Land use | agricultural land: 73.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 0.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 73.3% (2018 est.) forest: 0.2% (2018 est.) other: 26.4% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 75.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 6.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 68.3% (2018 est.) forest: 15.1% (2018 est.) other: 9.8% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 10 sq km (2012) | 210 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods volcanism: experiences limited volcanic activity; Ardoukoba (298 m) last erupted in 1978; Manda-Inakir, located along the Ethiopian border, is also historically active | frequent droughts, rare earthquakes and volcanoes; locust swarms volcanism: Dubbi (1,625 m), which last erupted in 1861, was the country's only historically active volcano until Nabro (2,218 m) came to life on 12 June 2011 |
| Environment - current issues | inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution; limited arable land; deforestation (forests threatened by agriculture and the use of wood for fuel); desertification; endangered species | deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Paris Agreement |
| Geography - note | strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; mostly wasteland; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa and the saltiest lake in the world | strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993 |
| Total renewable water resources | 300 million cubic meters (2017 est.) | 7.315 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | most densely populated areas are in the east; the largest city is Djibouti, with a population over 600,000; no other city in the country has a total population over 50,000 as shown in this population distribution map | density is highest in the center of the country in and around the cities of Asmara (capital) and Keren; smaller settlements exist in the north and south as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
