Exceptionally strategic Bab el-Mandeb capital linking the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and wider Indo-Mediterranean trade routes

Compact but highly urbanized capital with strong migrant, port-linked, and administrative population concentration

Port logistics, maritime services, foreign basing presence, and transit trade anchor the city's economic significance

One of the world's most militarily significant small capitals because of foreign bases, chokepoint access, and regional security relevance

Seat of Djiboutian state power and a major diplomatic-security node in the Horn of Africa

Strong Islamic civic identity with religion woven into public and community life

Historic colonial-era port city whose modern significance grew through rail, trade, and strategic maritime positioning