Djibouti

Discover Djibouti

Fun Foods

Skoudehkaris, Lahoh, Sambusa, Grilled Fish, Fah-fah, Banana, Cardamom Tea

In the middle of Djibouti is a lake so salty that you can't sink in it. Float on your back, and the water holds you up like a cushion.

This is Lake Assal, ringed by blinding-white shores of solid salt. It's about ten times saltier than the ocean, and it sits at the lowest point in all of Africa, 155 meters below the level of the sea.

The lake is so strange because Djibouti sits in an extraordinary spot. Here, three giant pieces of the Earth's crust are slowly pulling apart, cracking the land and feeding volcanoes.

Scientists think that, millions of years from now, the sea may pour in and split this part of Africa away entirely.

All that movement helps make Djibouti one of the hottest countries on the planet. Its capital is the hottest capital city on Earth.

People have lived in this baking land for thousands of years, leaving ancient drawings on the rocks. The two largest groups are the Afar and the Somali Issa.

In the late 1800s, France took control of the area, and it ruled until Djibouti finally became independent in 1977. The early years were rocky. In the 1990s, fighting broke out between the country's two main groups before they reached a peace deal.

Tiny as it is, Djibouti holds one of the most important spots in the world. It sits right at the narrow doorway between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, where a huge share of the planet's cargo ships squeeze through.

That doorway is so valuable that countries like the United States, France, and China have all built military bases here, crowded into one small nation.

For sights, the wildest is Lake Abbe, a ghostly plain dotted with tall limestone chimneys that puff out steam, like something from another planet. An old science-fiction movie was even filmed there.

Out in the Gulf of Tadjoura, you can swim alongside whale sharks, the biggest fish in the sea, which are gentle and harmless.

For food, the national dish is skoudehkaris, spiced rice cooked with tender lamb or beef. Scoop it up with lahoh, a soft, spongy flatbread, and snack on sambusas, crispy fried pastries stuffed with meat or vegetables.