Djibouti Regions

Djibouti is a small country on the Horn of Africa, at the mouth of the Red Sea where it meets the Gulf of Aden, with Eritrea to the north, Ethiopia to the west and south, and Somaliland to the south east. Most of its people live in the capital, which is also one of its six regions, so the map is five large desert regions and one small city.

The quiz: Name to place, on the map
Grouped by: The north coast, the Gulf of Tadjourah, and the south and inland
In the game: 6 regions

Start

What you are looking at

The six regions Djibouti has today: Obock, Tadjourah, Arta, Ali Sabieh and Dikhil, plus the city of Djibouti, which has the standing of a region. Together they cover the whole country.

The Gulf of Tadjourah is the notch that cuts west into the coast, and the city of Djibouti sits on its southern shore as a small region of its own. Tadjourah and Obock run along the north of the gulf and up the coast to the border with Eritrea. Arta lies behind the capital, and Ali Sabieh and Dikhil fill the south and the inland west, along the borders with Ethiopia and Somaliland.

The groups are not an official classification. They are three pairs that sit together on the map, and a way to learn it a piece at a time.

How to place one

Start with the capital. The city of Djibouti is the small region on the coast at the head of the gulf's southern shore, with Arta wrapped around it.
Take the north. Tadjourah is the large region along the north of the gulf, and Obock is the one beyond it, at the top of the country.
Finish in the south. Ali Sabieh is the narrow region against the southern border, and Dikhil is the large one in the west.

Every region, by group

The north coast2 regions: Obock, Tadjourah
The Gulf of Tadjourah2 regions: Arta, Djibouti
The south and inland2 regions: Ali Sabieh, Dikhil

Worked examples

Djibouti

The capital

The city of Djibouti is by far the smallest region, a patch on the coast at the head of the Gulf of Tadjourah, and the one that holds most of the country's people.

Obock

The top of the country

Obock is the northernmost region, running up the Red Sea coast to the border with Eritrea, facing Yemen across the strait.

Dikhil

The inland west

Dikhil is the largest region on the map and covers the inland west of the country, along the border with Ethiopia.

Frequently asked questions

How many regions does Djibouti have?

Six: Ali Sabieh, Arta, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock and Tadjourah. The city of Djibouti is counted as a region. The districts inside them are a finer tier that this game does not draw.

Why is the city of Djibouti so small?

It is a city region, drawn as its own area on the coast, so it is a fraction of the size of the other five. Zoom in on the capital if you cannot find it.