Djibouti city is the capital and administrative center of Djibouti (country), built on coral reefs and situated at the entrance to and on the southern shore of the Gulf of Tadjoura. It is a deepwater port that serves Indian Ocean and Red Sea traffic, and hosts a French Naval base. Landmarks of the city are the Central Market, the Stade du Ville, the Hamouli Mosque, the Presidential Palace and the terminal railway station.

Djibouti was founded by the French in1888 and became the capital of French Somaliland in 1892. It was the official port of Ethiopia from 1897-1949, and remains the main export route for Ethiopian coffee. The French completed the Djibouti – Addis-Ababa Railway in 1917, the only rail terminal that serves Addis Ababa.

Other large exports through this port are salt and hides.

Djibouti is a short ferry ride from Tadjoura.

Reference: Encyclopedia Britannica, Macropaedia, 2007.