Neil on Africa: Djibouti is worth its salt for loads of ‘White Gold’

JOHANNESBURG – A country named after its capital, Djibouti City, Djibouti lies in north-east Africa on the Gulf of Aden in the Horn of Africa and at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.

Formerly known as French Somaliland (1896-1967) and the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas (1967-77), the country took Djibouti as its name when it gained independence from France on June 27, 1977.

Bordering Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia, the small country is mainly a stony desert, with scattered plateaus and highlands.

With an estimated population of 960000 people and a gross domestic product of $1.97billion (R30.41bn) (World Bank 2018), the country is home to the third most saline body of water in the world, Lake Assal. The lake is a crater lake in the Danakil desert in central Djibouti. Dormant volcanoes and black lava fields back its emerald water.

More than 155 metres below sea level, it’s the lowest point in Africa and the third-lowest point on earth after the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. No outflow occurs from the lake.