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50 free Djibouti trivia questions with answers — geography quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Djibouti trivia quiz covers the small country at the mouth of the Red Sea: French Somaliland and the Territory of the Afars and the Issas, independence in 1977 and only two presidents since, the Ethiopian railway and the port that handles almost all of Ethiopia's trade, and the crowd of foreign militaries, American, French, Japanese and Chinese, camped around the capital. It also visits the country's strange landscapes: Lake Assal below sea level, the limestone chimneys of Lake Abbe, the Ardoukoba fissure and the whale sharks of the Gulf of Tadjoura. The early questions suit anyone who has heard of the Bab-el-Mandeb; the later ones test people who know what the red star on the flag stands for and who won Djibouti's only Olympic medal. Every question is multiple choice with a short explanation after you answer. Every answer has been checked against a primary source, and each question links to the page that confirms it.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Djibouti lies in which region of the continent?
The Horn of Africa
It borders Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, with the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to the east.
Q 02Djibouti gained independence in 1977 from which colonial power?
France
It was France's last outpost on the African mainland, having been French Somaliland and then the Territory of the Afars and the Issas.
Q 03The country takes its name from what?
Its capital city
The city itself was founded by the French in 1888 on land leased from Somali and Afar sultans; the name's own origin is disputed.
Q 04From 1897 to 1967 the territory was known by what colonial name?
French Somaliland
It was then renamed the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas until independence.
Q 05The strait beside Djibouti that separates the Gulf of Aden from the Red Sea is called what?
Bab-el-Mandeb
It controls the approaches to the Suez Canal, which is why so many navies want a base nearby.
Q 06Camp Lemonnier, leased to the United States since 2002, holds what distinction?
Largest US military base in Africa
It hosts the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa and was a French Foreign Legion post before the Americans arrived.
Q 07Djibouti hosts the only overseas military bases of which two Asian countries?
Japan and China
The US pays $63 million a year for Camp Lemonnier, France and Japan about $30 million each, and China $20 million.
Q 08How much does the United States pay each year to rent Camp Lemonnier?
$63 million
The base sits next to the capital's Ambouli international airport.
Q 09Lake Assal, Africa's lowest point at 155 metres below sea level, is third-lowest on Earth after which two?
The Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea
It is a saline lake in the Afar Triangle whose salt has been traded by caravan for centuries.
Q 10Lake Abbe, on the Ethiopian border, is famous for what natural feature?
Limestone chimneys spewing steam
The carbonate towers reach 50 metres and form where lake water meets deeper geothermal fluid.
Q 11Djibouti's two official languages are French and which other?
Arabic
Somali and Afar, the languages of the two main ethnic groups, are national languages.
Q 12Roughly what share of Djiboutians follow Islam, the official religion?
94%
The faith has been dominant in the region for more than a thousand years.
Q 13Djibouti's population of about 1,067,000 at the 2024 census makes it what?
The smallest in mainland Africa
About three-quarters of the people live in the capital.
Which two ethnic groups make up the bulk of Djibouti's population?
Q 21How many presidents had Djibouti had between independence in 1977 and the end of 2025?
Two
Hassan Gouled Aptidon (1977-1999) and Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (1999 on); the Economist Democracy Index rated the country authoritarian in 2024.
Q 22The Djiboutian franc has been pegged to the US dollar at a fixed rate since which year?
1973
The rate of 177.721 francs to the dollar has never changed since.
Q 23The 1990s civil war pitted the government against which rebel front, largely drawn from the Afar?
FRUD
The Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy signed a peace treaty in 2000 and now backs the ruling party.
Somalis and Afar
The Somalis, mostly of the Issa clan, are the majority; the flag's blue and green represent the two peoples.
Q 15The five-pointed red star on Djibouti's flag sits inside a triangle of which colour?
White
The white stands for peace and the star for unity and the blood of independence martyrs.
Q 16On Djibouti's flag, the light blue band represents the sky and sea and also which people?
The Somalis
The green stands for the earth and for the Afar.
Q 17As of 2018, roughly what share of Ethiopia's transit cargo passed through the Port of Djibouti?
95%
The relationship dates to the railway built from the port to Dire Dawa and Addis Ababa in the early 1900s.
Q 18The electrified Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway began operating in which year?
2018
It replaced the century-old French line and is jointly owned by the two governments.
Q 19Who was Djibouti's first president, serving from 1977 to 1999?
Hassan Gouled Aptidon
An Issa politician, he had campaigned for a yes vote in the 1958 referendum on staying with France before leading the country to independence.
Q 20Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, who became Djibouti's president in 1999, is related to his predecessor how?
He is his nephew
He was handpicked as successor by his uncle Hassan Gouled Aptidon, and in 2021 won a fifth term.
Q 24In antiquity, Djibouti is thought to have formed part of which land known to the ancient Egyptians?
Punt
The Egyptians called it Ta Netjeru, 'God's Land', and sent expeditions there from the 25th century BC.
Q 25Djibouti sits at a geological tripoint where the African and Somali plates meet which third plate?
Arabian
It lies at the northernmost point of the Great Rift Valley, in the Afar Triangle.
Q 26The fissure volcano Ardoukoba erupted in 1978 after lying dormant for roughly how long?
3,000 years
The eruption followed an earthquake in the rift zone near Lake Assal.
Q 27Juvenile specimens of which giant fish gather close to shore in Djibouti's Gulf of Tadjoura?
Whale shark
A 2006 study found 65% of the animals in Arta Bay carried injuries.
Q 28The country's tallest peak lies in which range, on the border with Ethiopia and Eritrea?
Mousa Ali
Temperatures are far milder up here than on the coast, where daily maximums run from 32 to 41 °C.
Q 29Most of Djibouti's wildlife is found in which national park in the north?
Day Forest
The country's top tourist draws, though, are the two geological marvels Lake Abbe and Lake Assal.
Q 30Djibouti's national football team is nicknamed what?
Sharks of the Red Sea
Its first ever World Cup-related win came in 2007, 1-0 against Somalia.