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| Location: |
Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia
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| Geographic coordinates: |
11 30 N, 43 00 E
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| Area: |
total:
22,000 sq km
land:
21,980 sq km
water:
20 sq km
|
| Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than Massachusetts
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| Land boundaries: |
total:
508 km
border countries:
Eritrea 113 km, Ethiopia 337 km, Somalia 58 km
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| Maritime claims: |
contiguous zone:
24 NM
exclusive economic zone:
200 NM
territorial sea:
12 NM
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| Climate: |
desert; torrid, dry
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| Terrain: |
coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains
|
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point:
Lac Assal -155 m
highest point:
Moussa Ali 2,028 m
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| Natural resources: |
geothermal areas
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| Land use: |
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
0%
permanent pastures:
9%
forests and woodland:
0%
other:
91% (1993 est.)
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| Natural hazards: |
earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods
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| Environment - current issues: |
inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification
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| Environment - international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
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| Geography - note: |
strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; mostly wasteland
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