| Location | Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia |
| Geographic coordinates | 11 30 N, 43 00 E |
| Map references | Africa |
| Area | total: 23,200 sq km land: 23,180 sq km water: 20 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than New Jersey |
| Land boundaries | total: 528 km border countries (3): Eritrea 125 km, Ethiopia 342 km, Somalia 61 km |
| Coastline | 314 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate | desert; torrid, dry |
| Terrain | coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Moussa Ali 2,021 m lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m mean elevation: 430 m |
| Natural resources | potential geothermal power, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum |
| Land use | agricultural land: 73.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 0.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 73.3% (2018 est.) forest: 0.2% (2018 est.) other: 26.4% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 10 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 300 million cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods volcanism: experiences limited volcanic activity; Ardoukoba (298 m) last erupted in 1978; Manda-Inakir, located along the Ethiopian border, is also historically active |
| Geography - note | strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; mostly wasteland; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa and the saltiest lake in the world |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
