| Location | Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia |
| Geographic coordinates | 10 00 N, 49 00 E |
| Map references | Africa |
| Area | total: 637,657 sq km land: 627,337 sq km water: 10,320 sq km |
| Area - comparative | almost five times the size of Alabama; slightly smaller than Texas |
| Land boundaries | total: 2,385 km border countries (3): Djibouti 61 km, Ethiopia 1640 km, Kenya 684 km |
| Coastline | 3,025 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 200 nm; note: the US does not recognize this claim exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate | principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and hot in south; southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons |
| Terrain | mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Mount Shimbiris 2,460 m lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 410 m |
| Natural resources | uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves |
| Land use | agricultural land: 70.3% (2018 est.) arable land: 1.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 68.5% (2018 est.) forest: 10.6% (2018 est.) other: 19.1% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 2,000 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 14.7 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season |
| Geography - note | strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
