Lake Abbe Is Known for Its Steaming Limestone Chimneys

It covers about 23,000 square kilometers, and much of its population lives in the capital, Djibouti City.

French and Arabic are official, while Somali and Afar are widely spoken.

The narrow waterway links the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and is one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

It was known as the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas before voting for independence on June 27, 1977.