Djibouti is located in Eastern Africa on the coast of the Aden Gulf and the Red Sea. It borders Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia, has a land area of 22,980 sq km and a water area of just 20 sq km. This is due to Djibouti being a very hot, dry and arid desert land. Throughout Djibouti there is very little arable land from which to grow produce. Djibouti has a coastline of 314 km and is a great destination for Red Sea Diving as reef life is in exceptional abundance. Away from the Coastal Plain and heading inland, the Central Mountains separate the coast from a rocky plateau with the highest elevation being Mount Moussa Ali at a height of 2,028m. Not counting the sea, the main water source within Djibouti is Lac Assal, home to the majority of Djibouti's wildlife including Flamingos. This lake marks the second lowest point on earth. The other of Djibouti's water supplies is Lake Abhe on the Ethiopian border. Strange black lava fields and natural rock formations dominate the southern landscape and Earthquakes are not uncommon, along with harsh droughts. From time to time, cyclones within the Indian Ocean produce heavy rains and flash floods.

A blend of French and Arabic culture can be found in Djibouti City along with markets trading fine artefacts of this region and beyond. The French influence within Djibouti was left over from colonial days. The national language is still very much French and the unit of currency is the Djiboutian Franc. Other major towns and cities in Djibouti include Tadjoura, Obock, Dikhil and Ali-Sabieh.

In some ways Djibouti is fortunate in the respect that it is located near some of the world's busiest shipping lanes and is close to Arabian oilfields. Djibouti is also at the end of the French-built narrow-gauge railway that runs into Ethiopia. The economy is largely based on the fact that Djibouti is within prime location for a trading post. It is just as well because due to the poor quality of soil, just 3% of the economic sector is represented by Agriculture. Djibouti mainly produces just fruit and vegetables in this area. Export commodities include hides, skins and coffee. Djibouti is poor, despite its strategic trading position. This is represented by the fact that 50% of Djiboutians live below the poverty line and 50% are unemployed.

The climate is mainly hot and dry with up to 9 hours of sunshine a day at certain times of the year. Temperatures average 35°C year-round, although the highest recorded temperature was a sweltering 47°C. When rains occasionally arrive, they tend to favour the months between April and October.