Djibouti

=Djibouti, not not your bouty... Its a country in need=

Social and economic conditions

 * There was an estimated fertility rate of 5.6 as of 2002. Life expectancy was 51.5 years and the infant mortality rate was 100 per 1,000 live birthrate hospital facilities have some good staff but are in a less than adequate conditiohs.
 * At last estimate, there were 18 hospitals, medical centers, and dispensaries, with a total of 1,283 beds; medical personnel included 89 physicians, 14 dentists, 20 pharmacists, and 1 ,314 paramedical personnel. As of 1996, there were 0.1 physicians, 0.7 nurses, 0.02 dentists, and 0.02 pharmacists per 1,000 people.
 * Malnutrition is severe and the incidence of tuberculosis high. Malaria is endemic . There were 3,111 reported cases of tuberculosis in 1994. The city of Djibouti' s publicly supplied water is suspect because the system is in disrepair.
 * State hospital facilities have some good staff but are in a less than adequate condition
 * The health sector in Djibouti has in recent years been characterised by wasteful spending, corruption scandals – and international media reports of clinics without (paid for) equipment, and consumables. One scandal involved aid-funded spending on HIV prevention and treatment
 * Hepatitis B is hyperendemic. Trachoma is widespread. Among other diseases, certain Arenavirus hemorrhagic fevers have attained notoriety because of their high case-fatality rates. Lassa fever has a virus reservoir in a common multimammate rat.
 * There is about eight deaths per 1000 people
 * Significant human rights abuses in the country included difficult prison conditions; prolonged pretrial detention; denial of fair public trial; interference with privacy rights; restrictions on freedoms of the press, assembly, and association; lack of protection for refugees; corruption; discrimination against women; female genital mutilation (FGM); discrimination against persons with disabilities; and restrictions on unions.
 * Presidential elections are scheduled for April 8, 2011, but since February, the government has banned all demonstrations and arbitrarily arrested and prosecuted peaceful protesters and opposition leaders.
 * 42% of Djibouti is living below the poverty line.
 * Djibouti's most important economic asset is its strategic location on the busy shipping route between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.
 * Roughly 60% of all commercial ships in the world use its waters from the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait and into the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Its port is an increasingly important transshipment point for containers as well as a destination port for Ethiopian trade.
 * In 2009, Djibouti and Dubai Ports World inaugurated the state-of-the-art, $300 million Doraleh Container Terminal.
 * Agriculture and industry are little developed, in part due to the harsh climate, high production costs, unskilled labor, and limited natural resources.
 * Djibouti has become a magnet for private sector capital investment, attracting foreign direct investment inflows that now top $200 million annually. It has also significantly improved its finances, paying current salaries, maintaining reserves, and generating a growth
 * Djibouti's economy depends largely on its proximity to the large Ethiopian market and a large foreign expatriate community. Its main economic activities are the Port of Djibouti, the banking sector, the airport, and the operation of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad.
 * The scorching heat causes Africa’s natural resources to diminish. Along with the problem in cultivating agriculturemost Africans lack education due to the reason that many of them barely cannot even eat three times a day although economic growth is steady it does not yet benefit everyone. Unemployment remains high and poverty affects 70% of the population. the authorities have continued to develop the financial sector, passing new laws governing banking, such as stronger legislation regulating banks, and relating to financial cooperatives and Islamic finance.
 * In 2010 Djibouti saw steady economic growth, at an estimated 4.4%, albeit slightly below the 2009 level of 5%.

Quotes
In an important symbol of America's commitment to an enduring friendship with the people of the Republic of Djibouti, as well as the importance of our bilateral relationship with the Republic of Djibouti Government, the United States dedicated its new Embassy in Djibouti today. ~State department

France has one of its largest overseas military bases in Djibouti and also signed a mutual defence pact following Djibouti’s independence in 1977. Paris has said its military provided logistics, especially medical support, to the Djiboutian army during the clashes with Eritrea. ~Omar Hassen