Transport in Djibouti
Transport in Djibouti includes highways, airports, railways and seaports.
Railways
The Ethio-Djibouti Railways a meter-gauge railway that was originally built by the French between 1894 and 1917. Although the railway is no longer operational, there are plans for the construction of a new modern rail line in the near future. The new Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway will start operation in September 2016.
Highways
The Djiboutian highway system is named according to the road classification. Roads that are considered primary roads are those that are fully asphalted (throughout their entire length) and in general they carry traffic between all the major towns in Djibouti.
Title | Start point | Intermediate point | End point | Road type |
---|---|---|---|---|
RN1 | Djibouti City | Dikhil | Galafi (border with Ethiopia) | Asphalt |
RN1 | Djibouti City | n/a | Loyada (border with Somalia) | Asphalt |
RN6 | Dikhil | As Eyla | Kouta Bouyya | Gravel |
total:
3,065 km
paved:
1,379 km
unpaved:
1,686 km (2000 est.)
Ports and harbors
Djibouti's improved natural harbor consists of a roadstead, outer harbor, and inner harbor. The roadstead is well protected by reefs and the configuration of the land. A quarter of Ethiopia’s imports and half of its exports move through the ports. Car ferries pass the Gulf of Tadjoura from Djibouti City to Tadjoura.
Merchant marine
total:
1 ship (with a volume of 1,000 gross register tons (GRT) or over) totaling 1,369 GRT/3,030 tonnes deadweight (DWT)
ships by type:
cargo ship 1 (1999 est.)
Airports
In 2004, there were an estimated 13 airports, only 3 of which had paved runways as of 2005. Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport, which is situated about 6 km from the city of Djibouti, is the country's international air terminal. There are also local airports at Tadjoura and Obock. Beginning in 1963, the state-owned Air Djibouti also provided domestic service to various domestic centers and flew to many overseas destinations. The national carrier discontinued operations in 2002. Daallo Airlines, a Somali-owned private carrier, has also offered air transportation since its foundation in 1991. With its hub at the Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport, the airline provides flights to a number of domestic and overseas destinations.
Airports - with paved runways
total:
3
over 3,047 m:
1
1,524 to 3,047 m:
2 (2013 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total:
10
1,524 to 2,437 m:
1
914 to 1,523 m:
7
under 914 m:
2 (2013 est.)
References
- Michelon 745 Africa North East, Arabia 2007
- GeoCenter Africa North East 1999
- Maplanida.com
This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document "2015 edition".