🇩🇯Djibouti

Djibouti lies between 10°55′ and 12°43′N as a small Horn of Africa nation at the strategic Bab-el-Mandeb strait linking the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. Spanning only 23,200 km², it showcases staggering geomorphology: the volcanic Afar Triangle, the salt pan of Lake Assal at 155 m below sea level (the lowest point in Africa and one of the world's saltiest lakes), Lake Abbé's surreal limestone chimneys, the Goda Mountains, and Mousa Ali rising to 2,028 m on the Eritrean border. The climate is hot desert (BWh) on the coast and hot semi-arid (BSh) across much of the interior, with milder conditions persisting in the higher Goda highlands.

Djibouti City sees January highs of about 29°C and lows of 22°C and July highs of about 42°C with only about 130–165 mm of rainfall distributed across rare November–March showers. Daily maxima during the summer months of June through August routinely exceed 40°C. The Goda highlands are slightly cooler and receive 200–400 mm. Relative humidity is high along the Gulf of Aden coast yet remarkably low inland during summer.

Rainfall follows two regimes, with winter showers on the coast and summer rain further inland. Recurrent multi-year droughts (notably the 2008–2011 Horn of Africa drought) have triggered livestock losses and food insecurity. The 2004 flash floods damaged the capital, while sea-level rise threatens coastal and port infrastructure.

Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 1.2°C.