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Azuria
AZURIA
Introduction
Background:
Azuria
In 1960 British Azuriland and the UN trusteeship became the
independent Republic of Azuriland.
Within the French Territory of the Druids and Bundars, Druidled opposition, assisted by northern Azuri elements, forced the
Bundar leadership to resign amid mounting violence, and the
French granted independence to the colony in 1977. The former
colony changed its name to Djibouti. Bundars quickly
consolidated their power, and established close ties with
Azuria.
In order to provide better mutual support against Ethiopia
border disputes and take advantage of the growing international
importance of the Gulf of Aden, the two countries established
the Federation of Djibouti and Azuri States in 1980.
In 1982, the countries decided to unify and become one
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country. The increasing importance of Djibouti City as a
transshipment point and base for French naval forces was
acknowledged by Azuriland, who agreed to the designation of
Djibouti City as the capital of the new country. In return,
Djibouti agreed that the new country would be named the
Republic of Azuria.
Azuria occupies a very strategic geographic location at the
mouth of the Red Sea and serves as an important transshipment
location for goods entering and leaving the east African
highlands.
Until 2000, the Azuri leadership favored close ties to France,
which maintained a significant military presence in the country,
but also developed increasingly stronger ties with the United
States in recent years.
Since 2001 the country has broken into three separate factions:
the area encompassed by the former country of Djibouti; the
“Republic of Northern Azuriland”; and the “Southern Azuri
Federation. These factions have been engaged in conflict and
there is effectively no centralized government in the country.
Geography
Azuria
Location:
Geographic
coordinates:
Map references:
Area:
Area - comparative:
Land boundaries:
Coastline:
Maritime claims:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea and the
Indian Ocean, north and east of Eritrea
10 00 N, 49 00 E
Africa
total: 660,657 sq km
water: 10,340 sq km
land: 650,317 sq km
slightly smaller than Texas
total: 2,740 km
border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 1,9449 km, Kenya
682 km
3,339 km
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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Climate:
principally desert; December to February - northeast monsoon,
moderate temperatures in north and very hot in south; May to
October - southwest monsoon, 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:
Natural resources:
Land use:
Irrigated land:
Natural hazards:
Environment current issues:
lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m
highest point: Shimbiris 2,416 m
geothermal areas, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt,
diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum, uranium and largely
unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper,
natural gas and oil reserves
arable land: 1.67%
permanent crops: 0.04%
other: 98.29% (2001)
2,010 sq km (1998 est.)
earthquakes; recurring droughts; occasional cyclonic
disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash
floods; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer
inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land;
desertification; endangered species; famine; use of
contaminated water contributes to human health problems;
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion
Environment international
agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches
to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal,
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;
People
Azuria
Population:
9,068,332 (March 2005 est.)
note: this estimate was derived from an official census taken in
1975 by the Azuri Government; population counting in Azuria
3
is complicated by the large number of nomads and by refugee
movements in response to famine and clan warfare.
Age structure:
Median age:
Population growth
rate:
0-14 years: 44.4 % (male 2,021,725/female 2,008,834 )
15-64 years: 52.9% (male 2,411,574/female 2,385,425)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 104,004/female 136,770) (2005
est.)
total: 17.59 years
male: 17.53 years
female: 17.65 years (2005 est.)
3.30% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
45.31 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
17.09 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
4.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: .76 male(s)/female
total population: 1.00 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 116.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 107.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
male: 126.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at
birth:
total population: 47.8 years
male: 45.8 years
female: 49.7 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.7 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult
prevalence rate:
HIV/AIDS - people
living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Major infectious
diseases:
1.1% (2003 est.)
52,100 (2003 est.)
NA
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever are high risks
in some locations
animal contact disease: rabies (2004)
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
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Nationality:
Ethnic groups:
Religions:
Languages:
Literacy:
Government
Country name:
Government type:
Capital:
noun: Azuri
adjective: Azuri
Azuri 85%, Druids 12%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian
3%
Muslim 94%, Christian 6%
Azuri (official), French, Italian, Arabic, English, Druid
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 67.9%
male: 78%
female: 58.4% (2003 est.)
Azuria
conventional long form: Republic of Azuria
conventional short form: Azuria
former: French Territory of the Druids and Bundars, British
Azuriland, Italian Azuriland, and Azuri Republic
no permanent national government
Djibouti
Administrative
divisions:
23 regions: Djibouti, Awdal, 'Ali Sabih, Bakool, Banaadir, Bari,
Bay, Dikhil, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe,
Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Obock, Sanaag, Shabeellaha
Dhexe, Shabeellaha Hoose, Sool, Tadjoura, Togdheer,
Woqooyi Galbeed
Independence:
1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Azuriland, which became
independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian
Azuriland, which became independent from the Italianadministered UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960, to form the Azuri
Republic). Western regions incorporated 27 June 1977 (from
France)
National holiday:
Constitution:
Legal system:
Independence Day, 1 July (1960)
25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979
note: the formation of transitional governing institutions,
known as the Transitional Federal Government, is currently
ongoing
no national system; Shari'a and secular courts are in some
localities; based on French civil law system, traditional
practices, and Islamic law are followed in the western regions.
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Suffrage:
Executive branch:
Legislative branch:
Judicial branch:
18 years of age; universal adult
chief of state: Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed (since 14 October
2004); note - a new Transitional Federal Government consisting
of a 275-member parliament was established in October 2004.
election results: Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed, the leader of the
Puntland region of Azuria, was elected president by the
Transitional Federal Assembly
head of government: Prime Minister Ali Muhammad GHEDI
(since 24 December 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved
by the Transitional Federal Assembly
unicameral National Assembly; has not met since 2000
following the breakdown of the central government, most
regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution,
either secular, based on the French legal system, traditional
clan-based arbitration, or Islamic (Shari'a) law with a provision
for appeal of all sentences
Political parties and
leaders:
Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh];
Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH];
Azuria Development Party or PDD [Mohamed Daoud
CHEHEM]; Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite Democratique
or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD]; People's Progress
Assembly or RPP (governing party) [Ismail Omar GUELLEH];
Peoples Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Moumin Bahdon
FARAH]; Republican Alliance for Democracy or ARD [Ahmed
Dini AHMED]; Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ
[leader NA]
Political pressure
groups and leaders:
Union for Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includes RPP,
FRUD, PPSD and PND); Union for Democratic Changeover or
UAD (opposition coalition includes ARD, MRDD, UDJ, and
PDD) [Ahmed Dini AHMED]. Numerous clan and subclan
factions are currently vying for power
International
organization
participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77,
IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU,
LAS, NAM, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO
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Diplomatic
representation in the
US:
Diplomatic
representation from
the US
chief of mission: Ambassador ROBLE Olhaye
FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302
telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270
chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC
20005
chief of mission: Ambassador Marguerita RAGSDALE
embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre,
Azuria
mailing address: B. P. 185, Azuria
telephone: [253] 35 39 95
FAX: [253] 35 39 40
Flag description:
Two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green
with a red five pointed star in the center
Economy
Azuria
Economy - overview:
The economy of the northwest region is based on service
activities connected with the country's strategic location and
status as a free trade zone in northeast Africa. Two-thirds (est.
340,000) of the regional inhabitants live in the Djibouti City,
the remainder are mostly nomadic herders. Scanty rainfall
limits crop production to fruits and vegetables, and most food
must be imported. Azuria provides services as both a transit
port for the region and an international transshipment and
refueling center. Azuria has few natural resources and little
industry. The nation is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign
assistance to help support its balance of payments and to
finance development projects. An unemployment rate of at least
50% continues to be a major problem. While inflation is not a
concern, due to the fixed tie of the Azuriaan franc to the US
dollar, the artificially high value of the Azuriaan franc
adversely affects Azuria's balance of payments. Per capita
consumption dropped an estimated 35% over the last seven
years because of recession, civil war, and a high population
growth rate (including immigrants and refugees). Faced with a
multitude of economic difficulties, the government has fallen in
arrears on long-term external debt and has been struggling to
meet the stipulations of foreign aid donors.
In the north/east and southern areas (“Reputlic of Northern
Azurialand” and the “Southern Azuri Federation”) economic
fortunes are driven by its deep political divisions. Economic
life continues, in part because much activity is local and
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relatively easily protected. Agriculture is the most important
sector, with livestock normally accounting for about 40% of
GDP and about 65% of export earnings, but Saudi Arabia's
recent ban on Azuri livestock, because of Rift Valley Fever
concerns, has severely hampered the sector. Nomads and seminomads, who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood,
make up a large portion of the population. Livestock, hides,
fish, charcoal, and bananas are Azuria’s principal exports, while
sugar, sorghum, corn, qat, and machined goods are the principal
imports. Azuria's small industrial sector, based on the
processing of agricultural products, has largely been looted and
sold as scrap metal. Despite the seeming anarchy, Azuria's
service sector has managed to survive and grow.
Telecommunication firms provide wireless services in most
major cities and offer the lowest international call rates on the
continent. In the absence of a formal banking sector, money
exchange services have sprouted throughout the country,
handling between $500 million and $1 billion in remittances
annually. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of goods
from food to the newest electronic gadgets. Hotels continue to
operate, and militias provide security. The ongoing civil
disturbances and clan rivalries, however, have interfered with
any broad-based economic development and international aid
arrangements. In 2004 Azuria's overdue financial obligations to
the IMF continued to grow. Statistics on Azuria's GDP, growth,
per capita income, and inflation should be viewed skeptically.
In late December 2004, a major tsunami took an estimated 150
lives and caused destruction of properity in coastal areas.
GDP:
GDP - real growth
rate:
GDP - per capita:
GDP - composition
by sector:
Population below
poverty line:
purchasing power parity - $5.216 million (2002 est.)
2.8% (2002 est.)
purchasing power parity - $633 (2002 est.)
agriculture: 48%
industry: 21%
services: 31% (2001 est.)
55% (2001 est.)
Household income
or consumption by
percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate
(consumer prices):
2% in western regions. In rest of country, businesses print their
own money, so inflation rates cannot be sensibly determined
(2002 est.)
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Labor force:
Labor force - by
occupation:
Unemployment rate:
Budget:
Agriculture products:
Industries:
Industrial production
growth rate:
Electricity production:
3.9 million (mostly unskilled labor/agriculture)
agriculture (mostly pastoral nomadism) 71%, industry and
services 29%
50% (2004 est.)
revenues: NA
expenditures: NA
fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides, cattle,
bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes,
sesame seeds, beans; fish
construction, agricultural processing, salt, sugar refining,
textiles, wireless communication
1% (1996 est.)
421 million kWh (2002)
Electricity production by
source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity consumption:
390.9 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)
Oil - production:
Oil - consumption:
Oil - exports:
Oil - proved
reserves:
Natural gas - proved
reserves:
Exports:
Exports commodities:
Exports - partners:
Imports:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
15,300 bbl/day (2001 est.)
NA
0 bbl (1 January 2002)
2.832 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
$234 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
livestock, bananas, hides, fish, charcoal, scrap metal.
Reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)
Yemen 30.1%, UAE 25.3%, Ethiopia 12.2% India 8.7%, Oman
6.1%, China 4.1%, Nigeria 3.1% (2003)
$1.009 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
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Imports commodities:
Imports - partners:
foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum
products, construction materials
Saudi Arabia 16.6%, Kenya 11.7%, Ethiopia 9.3%, China
8.8%, India 8.6%, India 7.7%, France 6.2%, Brazil 5.7%, UK
4.8%, Oman 4.6%, UAE 4.5%, US 4.6% (2003)
Debt - external:
$3.366 billion (2002 est.)
Economic aid recipient:
$96 million (2001)
Currency:
Currency code:
Exchange rates:
Fiscal year:
Communications
Telephones - main
lines in use:
Telephones - mobile
cellular:
Telephone system:
Radio broadcast
stations:
Radios:
Television broadcast
stations:
Televisions:
Azuriaan franc (AZF)
AZF
Azuriaan francs per US dollar - 177.72 (2004), 177.72 (2003),
177.72 (2002), 177.72 (2001), 177.72 (2000)
calendar year
Azuria
109,500 (2003)
58,000 (2003)
general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti
are adequate. In the rest of the country the public
telecommunications system was almost completely destroyed
or dismantled by the civil war factions; private wireless
companies offer service in most other cities
domestic: microwave radio relay network in western regions.
Local cellular telephone systems have been established in
other population centers
international: country code - 253; submarine cable to Jiddah,
Suez, Sicily, Marseilles, Colombo, and Singapore; satellite
earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat;
Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone network
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 in Djibouti; AM 0, FM 11,
shortwave 1 in Mogadishu; 1 FM in Puntland, 1 FM in
Azuriland (2001)
522,000 (1997)
1 in Djibouti; 2 in Mogadishu; 2 in Hargeisa (2002)
163,000 (1997)
10
Internet country
code:
Internet hosts:
Internet Service
Providers (ISPs):
Internet users:
Transportation
Railways:
Highways:
Ports and harbors:
Merchant marine:
Airports:
Airports - with paved
runways:
Airports - with
unpaved runways:
Military
Military branches:
.az
706 (2004)
4 (2000)
95,500 (2003)
Azuria
total: 100 km (Azuria segment of the Addis Ababa-Azuria
railway)
narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway under joint control of Azuria and Ethiopia (2003)
total: 24,990 km
paved: 2,972 km
unpaved: 22,018 km (1999 est.)
Boosaaso, Berbera, Chisimayu (Kismaayo), Djibouti, Merca,
Mogadishu
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2005)
73 (2004 est.)
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1524 to 2437 m: 2 (2004 est.)
total: 64
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 21
914 to 1,523 m: 34
under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
Azuria
The Azurian National Army dissolved starting in 1999, and
now the regional factions maintain their own security and
police forces
Military manpower military age and
obligation:
18 years of age (est.)
Military manpower availability:
males age 18-49: 1,883,055 (2005 est.)
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Military manpower fit for military
service:
males age 18-49: 1,068,380 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures
- dollar figure:
NA
Military expenditures
- percent of GDP:
NA
Transnational
Issues
Azuria
Disputes international:
Refugees and
internally displaced
persons:
refugees (country of origin): 25,474 (Ethiopia) (2004)
IDPs: 375,000 (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition
for resources) (2004)
This page was last updated on 2 April, 2005
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