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According to the information released by the Chinese company “China State Construction Engineering Corporation”, on May 24, the opening ceremony of the multi-functional port of Doraleh, Djibouti (East Africa) took place.
The project of the multi-functional port de Doraleh in Djibouti (1st stage) is by far the largest project for the construction of a port in Northeast Africa financed by a Chinese company, as well as China’s first water construction project in Africa.
The contract value is 421.7 million US dollars. Mainly implemented by the Chinese company for the construction of ports and the Chinese eighth construction management. The project started on August 7, 2014. The maintenance of the construction works includes a 1200-meter main pier with a caisson foundation, a 175-meter eastern working pier, a yard with an area of 900,000 square meters, an area of about 80,000 square meters, and other construction sites. The projected capacity of the port is 7.08 million tons per year and about 200,000 standard cargo boxes.
Doraleh, Djibouti republic
Djibouti is in a zone of uninterrupted volcanic activity. Mountain ranges alternate with lava plateaus, many extinct volcanoes.
Djibouti is a presidential republic. The President is the head of the government and the supreme commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. Legislative functions are exercised by the unicameral National Assembly. The executive power belongs to the Council of Ministers, which is accountable to the president.
The languages of communication of the overwhelming majority of the population are Afar and the language of Somalia.
94% of the population is Sunni Muslims (there is also a small number of Shiites). Christians account for 5%, 1% of Djiboutians profess Buddhism and Hinduism. Representatives of some nationalities at the same time remain committed to traditional beliefs.
From most African countries, Djibouti is distinguished by its tiny size – only about 23 thousand square kilometers.
The entire territory of the state belongs to the zone of high seismic activity. Its main part is deserts and mountain ranges. In the area of the Afar hollow, you can see extinct volcanoes and fields of frozen lava. Due to the abundance of craters, the local landscape is often compared to the lunar landscape.
There are no rivers; there is only one freshwater lake (Abbe) and several salines. The largest – Assal, its coast is considered the lowest part of Africa (it is located 156 meters below sea level). Somewhere there are sun-scorched steppes, but their area is relatively small.
Reaction to the creation of Djibouti ports
According to officials, Djibouti has already become an important link between Asia, Africa, and Europe, as well as the fortress of the western line of the “Sea Silk Road of the 21st Century” as a site through which the roads to Europe and Africa are laid.
The President of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, separately noted the importance of this event. Ismail Omar Guelleh said, the creation of the port is the first important step that would in many ways strengthen the country’s position and make it more prosperous in all respects.