Travel the World - Week 33

This is the 33rd week in my Travel the World personal challenge. Each week I am randomly choosing one country (there are 195 countries in the world) and doing a little research on that country. I then select one tidbit of information about the country as inspiration for the card I make.

This week's country is...

Djibouti

Djibouti is located in the Horn of Africa. 

The country is in the northwestern part of Africa on the Red Sea. Its neighboring countries include Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia. 

Landlocked countries such as Ethiopia must pay to ship their goods out of Djibouti's ports.

Djibouti experiences a very dry climate with prolonged spells of scorching heat.

The intense heat causes water in lakes to evaporate, leaving behind salt and other minerals.

Djibouti has 195 miles of coastline. Much of this coastline consists of gold and white, sandy beaches. 

Djibouti is the third smallest country in continental Africa, after Swaziland (second smallest) and Gambia (smallest). 

Approximately 90% of Djibouti’s land is a desert. Djibouti has no permanent rivers, only salt lakes in the desert. It has the Grand Bara desert which covers the southern part of Djibouti.

Nearly 94% of the population is Muslim while the remaining 6% are Christian.

The only permanent US military base in Africa is located in Djibouti.

The Lac Assal, a crater lake in the centre of Djibouti, is 10 times saltier than the sea. In fact, it’s the second saltiest body of water in the world after Don Juan Pond in Antarctica. It is the number one tourist attraction in the Djibouti. It has provided salt to many salt caravans in the past and does so to this day.

Lac Assal is the lowest point in Djibouti. Most noteworthy, it is also the lowest point on the continent of Africa. It is the third lowest point on earth after the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea.

Most of Djibouti's food is imported and agricultural production is limited to fruits and vegetables due to scarce rainfall. 

The main exports of Djibouti include salt, hides, skins and coffee.

Whale sharks – the largest known fish in the world – regularly visit the coast of Djibouti.

Taxi fares at night in Djibouti increase by around 50% after sunset. The taxi fares vary depending on the distance traveled. Even more, taxi drivers take advantage of ignorant passengers desperate to get to their location. As a result, taxi fares can become very high.

The national animal of Djibouti is the Elk.

Qat (or Khat), the favorite plant of Djibouti which is often chewed, is banned in many European countries. 

Djibouti has one of the highest rates of illiteracy in the world.

Nomads raise sheep and goats in Djibouti.

I decided to let this Djibouti fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Christmas in Djibouti is celebrated on January 7, not on December 25.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set; Kraftin Kimmie Treat Yours-elf stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections Black and 110# White and SU Real Red CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: Brads from an unnknown vendor